Easily do it yourself, or get help from a specialist if you have questions. We also offer expert-led webinars, easy-to-use guides, and free phone and chat support. On average, respondents who report time savings save 2.56 hours per pay period. QuickBooks Online Payroll works for small to midsize businesses—from accountants and financial experts to hospitality companies, construction companies, and truckers.

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Find everything you need from employee benefits to hiring and management tools. QuickBooks gives us real-time insight into our business operations and I appreciate that as it allows us to be more productive. The recognition highlights QuickBooks’ adaptability, ease of use, and comprehensive financial management features that continue to meet the evolving needs of the freelance economy. OnPay comes up a lot when discussing affordable payroll solutions.

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I found QuickBooks relatively easy to navigate and enjoyed the guided approach to setting up your payroll system. You can play around with the software to get a feel for it before running your first payroll or adding your employees. QuickBooks also runs promotions for its payroll product frequently, so be sure to check for any available discounts before purchasing. 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.

Your first 30 days are free quickbooks payroll free trial with a new account sign-up and you are free to cancel at any time. Basically, Intuit Enhanced Payroll is everything a small or medium-sized business needs to speed up the payroll process. It features the same simple interface of other Intuit products and, just in case you need extra help, direct tech support is available to all paying clients.

How much is Payroll with QuickBooks Online?

QuickBooks has an easy-to-use dashboard from where you can manage the payroll of your employees as well as independent contractors. Once you enter personal and payment details, payroll is calculated automatically on the pre-decided date. You can also choose to approve each month’s payroll before disbursement or set it to run automatically. If you are already using Intuit products, especially QuickBooks Online for accounting, QuickBooks Payroll is the perfect payroll application for you because the two integrate seamlessly with each other. But if you are not already in the QuickBooks ecosystem, you can consider other best payroll apps available in the market before making a final choice. If you have budget constraints, you can also look at the free payroll apps available.

• For more information about services provided by Live Bookkeeping, refer to the QuickBooks Terms of Service.
• You can sign up for QuickBooks Online to easily manage your business from any internet-connected mobile device.
• QuickBooks Online Payroll earned 4.4/5 stars in the features category with plenty of features spanning payroll processing, employee management, time tracking, HR, and benefits administration.
• Within the app itself, you also have a knowledge database of latest compliance requirements.

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The software’s lost points came from its lack of an API, some complaints of glitching, limited white glove setup options, and a poor selection of HR software integrations. QuickBooks has a robust collection of help articles, community discussions with other QuickBooks users, video tutorials, webinars, etc. on its Learn and Support portal. Its collection of getting started videos guides you through all initial steps from adding an employee to updating tax info. Set up and track employee paid time off and manage paid, unpaid, sick, and vacation time. On average, respondents who report time savings save 3.93 hours per week.

• Paychex starts at just $39 per month, plus $4 per employee per month, making it less expensive than QuickBooks’s lowest plan.
• Get your free 30-day trial of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise in your network environment and using your data.
• QuickBooks Payroll offers three flexible pricing plans—Core, Premium, and Elite—designed to fit businesses of all sizes.
• Also, there are fees if Payroll4Free handles tax filings or if you want to use its bank for direct deposits to your employees — $30 monthly for both services.
• From generating, sending, and tracking invoices to managing your payroll and preparing you for tax season, modern accounting software is your financial Swiss Army knife.
• Intuit allows you to manage additional earnings, deductions, and garnishments.

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’re happy with your current accounting software, subscribing to QuickBooks Enterprise just to access QuickBooks Payroll just doesn’t make sense. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Compatibility Requirements

Companies might have to pay for the elite service with some add-ons to get the same price and level of features as other payroll platforms. However, QuickBooks is continuously adapting and reworking its payroll features. Many discounts and sales are available, so the top price is competitive with industry standards.

Our experts recommend Xero’s accounting software for small businesses. QuickBooks currently has a promotion where you can get your first three months of payroll for 50% off. However, you will have to choose between the free trial and the current promotion. QuickBooks is undoubtedly a big player in the business software world, and the recent updates to its full-service platform demonstrate a willingness to adapt and improve.

Intuit promises that running payroll is as easy as clicking a button. Once your employees are enrolled, their hours and pay scales set, and your pay dates set, running payroll is simple. Overall, QuickBooks Online Payroll boasts a range of features that make it a great option for businesses already within the QuickBooks ecosystem. As a standalone solution, though, it doesn’t stand out from the competition. As cloud-based software, QuickBooks Online Payroll operates with nearly all internet browsers so long as you have internet access. QuickBooks earned a 4.1/5 star rating in the ease of use category with balanced performance in the areas of setup, reliability, daily use, and integrations.

Intuit has many features to help you manage your employees and contractors from a single interface. You can add various details, including job titles, payment information, time off, tax documents, and benefits. Intuit allows you to manage additional earnings, deductions, and garnishments. Employers also can customize their time-off policies and monitor how much time off an employee or contractor has accrued. QuickBooks Online Payroll Payroll Core + Essentials includes all of the payroll features of QuickBooks Payroll Core, plus QuickBooks Online Essentials accounting software. QuickBooks Online Payroll Core + Simple Start includes all of the payroll features of QuickBooks Payroll Core and includes QuickBooks Online Simple Start accounting software.

QuickBooks Payroll has some 20 reports, such as payroll billing summary, payroll deductions and contributions, payroll tax liability, total pay, workers’ compensation, etc. You can customize to add or delete the columns that you want in the reports before running them. If you mark a report as a favorite, you can access it in a single click the next time.

The bulk of the software’s lost points come from its local tax support limitations and limited HR integrations. Other providers roll the cost of 1099 e-filing into their plan costs, so having to pay extra for it may cause some businesses to pause. However, as the company partners with providers such as Guideline, SimplyInsured, and AP Intego to provide these services, the prices are on par with its competitors in the payroll software industry. When it comes to pricing, QuickBooks Payroll costs less than OnPay for those that have five or more employees. 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.

For more information about Expert Assisted, refer to the QuickBooks Terms of Service. Patriot Software integrates seamlessly with both its own accounting software and with QuickBooks, and offers add-ons for time attendance and HR management. Additional charges apply for tax deposits and e-filing services, making it a cost-effective option for many small businesses. This includes capabilities often gated behind premium plans in other software, such as expense claim management, automatic payslip generation, and extensive time and attendance tracking. Free payroll software automates the number-crunching work and properly handles payroll taxes and compliance.