The Complete Guide To QuickBooks Payroll Pricing

QuickBooks Payroll pricing starts at $50/month + $6/employee per month. Compared to other payroll software options, QuickBooks Payroll pricing is in the middle of the pack — not too expensive, but there are cheaper options available.

However, QuickBooks Payroll offers businesses a way to easily handle payroll taxes and pay employees and contractors.

This post breaks down Quickbooks Payroll’s costs and features to help you determine which payroll software option is the best for your business.

What’s The Difference Between QuickBooks Desktop Payroll & QuickBooks Online Payroll?

There are two different versions of QuickBooks payroll products. The QuickBooks Desktop Payroll system works with QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, or Enterprise. However, the QuickBooks Intuit Online Payroll platform is available for QuickBooks Online clients. And, bonus! Adding payroll to your QuickBooks suite is as simple as clicking a button.

QuickBooks Online Payroll offers more features and is cheaper than QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. However, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is the best option for businesses paying over 150 employees and those who are tied to the QuickBooks Desktop service.

How Much Does QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Cost?

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll pricing is simple, as it offers just one payroll plan: QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll. QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll is priced at $55/month + $6 per employee. You can also save money by signing up for an annual plan priced at $550/year + $6 per employee.

Previously, QuickBooks offered QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Payroll, but this plan was discontinued in July 2022 for new users. Current users are unaffected by this change, and Assisted Payroll is available as part of the QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond bundle.

QuickBooks Enterprise Gold, Platinum, and Diamond users are not required to pay the base subscription fee for QuickBooks Payroll, as Enterprise plans include payroll services. If you’re considering an Enterprise Silver, Gold, or Platinum plan, note that you’ll be locked in for a full year of service (unless you cancel services within 60 days of purchase).

All QuickBooks Enterprise plan users pay an additional fee for contractors paid via direct deposit. QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond users will pay just $1/employee per month under the Assisted Payroll plan.

If you purchased QuickBooks Enterprise 23.0’s Silver plan, which doesn’t include payroll services, you would be required to pay the base monthly subscription price and per employee/contractor paid fee when you add Enhanced Payroll.

QuickBooks Payroll Plans & Pricing

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll offers two pricing plans: QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll and QuickBooks Assisted Payroll. Unless you’ll be subscribing to QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond, you’ll likely be using QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll as your QuickBooks Desktop Payroll solution. Here’s a look at what QuickBooks Payroll has to offer.

QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll

QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll costs $55/month + $6/month per employee or $550/year + $6/month per employee depending on whether you choose to pay monthly or annually (though Intuit usually offers a discount for QuickBooks payroll). Enhanced payroll is QuickBooks Desktop’s do-it-yourself payroll option. You can process your payroll and file your taxes directly through QuickBooks.

Enhanced Payroll includes:

• Expert payroll support
• Free direct deposit for employees
• Pay W-2 employees
• Pay 1099 employees
• E-filing and printing for W-2s
• Automatic tax calculations

QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll is included with QuickBooks Enterprise Gold and Platinum plans, so users are not required to pay the monthly base subscription fee or a monthly per-employee-paid fee. Additional fees are incurred when contractors are paid by direct deposit.

QuickBooks Assisted Payroll

QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is only available to new customers under the QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond plan and costs $370/month. With QuickBooks Assisted Payroll, QuickBooks processes your payroll for you and automatically files your payroll taxes. QuickBooks Desktop Assisted handles the payroll setup for you as well.

Full-Service Payroll includes everything from the Enhanced Plan, plus:

• Payroll tax penalty protection
• Assisted payroll setup
• Automatic tax filing
• Automatic payroll tax withdrawals
• Next-day direct deposit

QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is included with QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond plans, with users required to pay an additional $1 per employee paid, $5/month per employee for QuickBooks Time, and a fee for each contractor paid by direct deposit. Additionally, QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond Assisted Payroll users are limited to four payroll runs per month.

Please note that QuickBooks Assisted Payroll is not available in Indiana or Wyoming.

How Does QuickBooks Desktop Pricing Compare To Other Options?

As a standalone service, QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll is average on the price spectrum, with several cheaper options on the market. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll alternatives, such as QuickBooks Online and Gusto offer stronger tax support at a similar price point. Take time to compare Gusto versus QuickBooks Online Payroll if you’re considering either option as an alternative to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

If you’re looking for more affordable payroll software options, Patriot Payroll, OnPay, and Square Payroll topped our list of the best cheap payroll software.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Plans & Pricing

All of the QuickBooks Online Payroll pricing plans include full-service payroll. That means even the lowest Intuit Online Payroll price tier includes automatic tax and form filing.

QuickBooks Online Payroll has three pricing tiers: Core, Premium, and Elite. The program also has month-to-month contracts and no early termination fees. (QuickBooks also runs promotions frequently for its products, so be sure to check for any available discounts before purchasing.)

Here are the Intuit Online Payroll cost breakdowns:

QuickBooks Online Core Payroll

The most basic payroll program, Core’s Payroll plan, costs $50/month + $6/month per employee and includes:

• Next-day direct deposit
• Unlimited payroll runs
• Automated payroll for salaried employees
• Paycheck calculation
• Calculation and filing of federal and state taxes
• Calculation and filing of year-end forms
• Expert support
• Workforce portal
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Manages garnishments and deductions
• Offers reporting features
• Health benefits management

QuickBooks Online Premium Payroll

QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium Payroll plan costs $85/month + $9/per employee and includes everything in the Core Payroll plan, plus:

• Same-day direct deposit
• HR support
• 24/7 product support
• Assisted payroll setup
• Help from US-based expert support staff
• Mobile time tracking

QuickBooks Online Elite Payroll

QuickBooks Online Payroll’s Elite Payroll plan costs $130/month + $11/per employee and includes everything in the Premium Payroll plan, plus: 

• HR support with a personal HR advisor
• White glove customized setup
• Mobile time tracking & project management
• Tax penalty protection

QuickBooks currently has a promotion where you can get your first three months of payroll for 50% off. This applies to any plan. A 30-day free trial is also available. However, you will have to choose between the free trial and the current promotion.

How Does QuickBooks Online Pricing Compare To Other Options?

QuickBooks Online Payroll’s starting price of $50/month + $6/month per employee is right around average compared to alternatives to QuickBooks alternatives, including Square Payroll and Gusto. Square Payroll’s starting rate is $35/month + $6 per employee/month, while Gusto’s basic plan starts at $40/month + $6/month per person.

However, while Square Payroll and Gusto are cheaper alternatives to QuickBooks Online Payroll, they aren’t cheaper by much. If you’re already locked into the QuickBooks system, it might be worth adding payroll services just to keep things cohesive.

Where To Buy QuickBooks Payroll

There are a few ways to purchase QuickBooks Desktop Payroll: on Intuit’s site or through one of QuickBooks’ resellers.

Office supply stores, such as Staples or Office Max, often sell the software. Retail stores, such as Walmart and Best Buy, also carry QuickBooks Payroll software. The software is often bundled with the purchase of QuickBooks Desktop Pro, QuickBooks Desktop Premier, or QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

If you are a QuickBooks Enterprise Gold, Platinum, or Diamond user, your QuickBooks subscription already comes with payroll support.

Getting Started With QuickBooks Payroll

Now that you know what QuickBooks Payroll is capable of, you can make an informed decision if this software is right for you. If you are still unsure, take advantage of the free 30-day payroll trial to see if QB payroll is right for your business.

If you do decide to use QuickBooks, there are many QuickBooks versions to choose from.

Our QuickBooks versions comparison guide breaks down the six different versions of QuickBooks, their features, and costs. The guide should help you make a final decision on which QuickBooks Payroll offering is best for your business.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Pricing FAQs