The Better Business Bureau gives Intuit QuickBooks a good rating overall, but if you delve deeper into the reviews specifically for the payroll program, things turn ugly in a hurry. QuickBooks Online Payroll’s 4.4/5 star rating in the user review category reflects its notably high 4.5/5 star rating across user review sites and its positive feedback on other platforms. While the people on the other end of the phone/chat/screen are well-intentioned, very few of them are actual payroll experts. QuickBooks Online Payroll also has mobile apps for Apple products and Android products. There are also desktop versions available, which rate higher among consumers for speed. To read forms and use the print checks feature, you need Adobe Reader 7.0+ or the Firefox PDF plugin.
The platform’s reporting dashboard is easy to navigate and allows users to favorite specific payroll reports for quick access. QuickBooks Online Payroll rated 2.6/5 stars in the pricing category due to its higher-than-average cost, lack of a discounted annual plan option, and pricey add-ons. However, the software gets points for pricing transparency and plans that are generously packed with features. Get payroll or bundle with accounting to help you manage your team and your business. Having payroll integrated into QuickBooks means your data flows into reports, making QuickBooks a one-stop shop for all your accounting needs. No syncing, importing, or manually re-entering payroll data needed.
Manufacturing Meets Accounting Webinar on QuickBooks Online and Katana
Topical articles and news from top pros and Intuit product experts. Contact us to schedule your free consultation to get the most benefit from your software. We provide custom software solutions to optimize business processes and gain a competitive advantage. Laura started writing about personal finance in early 2018 when she took a sabbatical from her career in human resources and launched a blog discussing her journey. She realized she could earn a more lucrative and flexible living as a freelance writer, so she soon went all-in on being self-employed.
- QuickBooks Payroll enables you to offer competitive benefits to your employees.
- Money movement services are brought to you by Intuit Payments Inc. subject to eligibility criteria, credit and application approval.
- Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.
- You can also find desktop versions of both QuickBooks products—you’ll see them referred to as QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Payroll Desktop.
QuickBooks Payroll offers automated payroll tax filing at the federal, state and local levels. We named QuickBooks Payroll best for integrations because it plugs directly into QuickBooks Online, which can integrate with over 750 other applications you may use to run your business. It also offers premium features, such as access to benefits administration solutions, time and project tracking and an employee self-serve mobile app. 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.
On the other hand, if you love QuickBooks Online but aren’t thrilled about QuickBooks Payroll, you have dozens of options. Competitors like Gusto, Paychex, OnPay—honestly, most payroll software solutions—all sync easily with QuickBooks Online. Sierra Campbell is the lead small business editor for USA TODAY Blueprint.
QuickBooks Online Payroll Core
QuickBooks Online Payroll offers a 30-day free trial, but if you opt to try before you buy, you’ll miss out on a 50% off “buy now” promotion. With the Elite plan, though, you also get what QuickBooks calls tax penalty protection. With this enhanced protection level, QuickBooks Payroll will cover up to $25,000 of IRS fees if you incurred those fees while using QuickBooks Payroll software. Blueprint is an independent, advertising-supported comparison service focused on helping readers make smarter decisions. We receive compensation from the companies that advertise on Blueprint which may impact how and where products appear on this site. Blueprint does not include all companies, products or offers that may be available to you within the market.
Offer team benefits
- The information is accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
- While QuickBooks Online is a reputable company with plenty of features, there are plenty of alternatives to QuickBooks Payroll.
- Core plan users will get no such support but can upgrade their plan to use the platform’s HR features.
- Compared to other top payroll options with transparent pricing, such as Gusto or OnPay, QuickBooks Online Payroll’s pricing is a bit on the higher end.
QuickBooks Online Payroll works for small to midsize businesses—from accountants and financial experts to hospitality companies, construction companies, and truckers. Payroll is an integral and time-consuming task for small business owners. QBO Payroll’s features and ease quickbooks online payroll core of use make it an efficient and competitive product.
Manage HR and payroll in one place
In this section you can explore Workers’ comp policies, 401(k) plans, or health plans. We partner with providers to offer you these great services and they integrate with your payroll. However, the information there sometimes contradicts what sales representatives told us during testing. For instance, the pricing page shows that 24/7 customer support is only available to Elite customers. A sales representative said Premium customers can also access that level of assistance. QuickBooks currently has a promotion where you can get your first three months of payroll for 50% off.
Choose The Intuit Online Payroll Premium Plan If…
However, you will have to choose between the free trial and the current promotion. You can add team member—employee or independent contractor—details manually or import from external sources, such as spreadsheets or previous payroll applications. If you are adding them manually, you can start just with the name and email address. The other details required for running payroll, such as date of joining, hourly rates, paid time off, etc., can be added later. QuickBooks Payroll supports independent contractor payroll and keeps track of when, what and how much for each contractor payment.
If you have QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite, you can opt to have one of our experts set up payroll with you, or do it for you. Check out the Expert setup section to call or schedule an appointment. Compare the differences between QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, and Elite editions to find the right version for your business. Learn about the features, benefits, and software versions available. Money movement services are brought to you by Intuit Payments Inc. subject to eligibility criteria, credit and application approval. On average, respondents who report time savings save 3.93 hours per week.
It also has extra features to help ensure you can offer competitive payment packages for your employees, such as benefits and 401(k) administration tools. However, the software is pricey compared to other options on the market. In addition to payroll processing, QuickBooks Payroll offers tools to administer employee benefits. It partners with SimplyInsured to offer employees medical, dental and vision coverage. Premium deductions get automatically calculated and added to the payroll. Another partner, Guideline offers a 401(k) plan with automatic contributions or employer-set contributions amounts.
There are additional add-ons, such as health benefits, 401(k) plans, and college savings plans, that you can sign up for as well. Yes, every QuickBooks Payroll plan includes automatic payroll tax calculation, deductions, and filing. Unlike some competitors, like ADP, QuickBooks Payroll also automatically files end-of-year tax forms like W-2s at no additional charge.
The Best Payroll Software For Small Businesses
Other providers, like Roll by ADP, beat QuickBooks in this area, offering a three-month free trial. If these disadvantages are important to you, you may consider a competitor. When our team tested OnPay, we found its customer support representatives to be experienced even in niche industries and willing to go above and beyond to meet each customer’s unique needs. However, other users have reported subpar customer support experiences. QuickBooks Payroll users complain that customer support is often difficult to understand due to outsourced, out-of-country support.
Pricing aside, QuickBooks Payroll provides integration only with QuickBooks Online but with OnPay you can integrate with multiple accounting software such as QuickBooks Online and Xero. Besides, QuickBooks does not automatically process local taxes; you need to do that manually at your end. OnPay calculates, files and pays local tax obligations automatically. If you are a QuickBooks Payroll Elite user, you are eligible for tax penalty protection.
Getting started is now a better deal than ever with 30 days free, plus 50% off for 3 months after that. QuickBooks Self-Employed is the only QuickBooks accounting product that doesn’t integrate with QuickBooks Payroll. If you’re using QuickBooks Self-Employed and want to start paying employees with QuickBooks Payroll, you’ll need to upgrade to a small-business QuickBooks Online plan first. If QuickBooks Payroll isn’t a good fit for you, check out our page comparing payroll software to find a payroll plan that is. But if you pay employees in multiple states, a QuickBooks competitor like Gusto with free multi-state payroll will cost less in the long run.
Gusto provides a wide range of integrations with many other software systems. Also, Gusto calculates, files and pays local tax obligations automatically. QuickBooks Online Payroll has more than its fair share of extra costs and fees. Three of the plans only include payroll software, while the other three also include a monthly accounting software subscription.