For all plans, QuickBooks’ payroll support team can provide step-by-step help. An expert can guide you through QBO setup and answer questions based on the information you provide; some bookkeeping services may not be included and determined by the expert. For more information about Expert Assisted, refer to the QuickBooks Terms of Service. Our exhaustive, 76-point rubric guides the star rating of each payroll provider we review, examining pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews.

Automatic tax filing, guaranteed accurate*

The company homepage within QuickBooks lays out the workflow process so that you can click on whichever form needs to be created. Alternatively, all the necessary actions are available through the top menu. Despite the inability to track income and expenses by location, you can define class lists to departmentalize your financials in whatever way you find useful. For example, a property manager might create a class for each of its managed buildings.

• Recently, it has added live support to its QuickBooks Online plans.
• Intuit has also made migration from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online easier than ever.
• QuickBooks Desktop Payroll alternatives, such as QuickBooks Online and Gusto offer stronger tax support and may be more cost-effective.
• If you’re already accustomed to QuickBooks, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll will seem familiar and easy.
• We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence.

When is QuickBooks Desktop Premier right for me?

What’s more, Intuit makes it incredibly difficult to track down prices for all the additional charges you may face. Add in a new pricing structure starting with the launch of QuickBooks Desktop 2022 products, and it only gets more complicated. QuickBooks Payroll integrates with QuickBooks Online so that accounting records are automatically updated alongside payroll. This means you don’t have to export payroll info manually and risk making mistakes in the process.

QuickBooks Premier Pricing

A QuickBooks expert guides you through the complete setup including connecting bank accounts and credit cards, setting up automations and learning best practices. QuickBooks Premier is accounting software loaded with advanced features. It is best suited for small—to medium-sized businesses that aren’t quite ready to upgrade to QuickBooks Enterprise. QuickBooks Premier supports more users than QuickBooks Pro and offers specialized industry editions in addition to the Standard Edition. Gusto users can get a same-day direct deposit only if they sign up for Gusto Wallet. Gusto provides a wide range of integrations with many other software systems.

By the end, you’ll know how much QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise cost and be aware of any additional fees you might encounter. See a quick summary of pricing and add-on fees below and read the whole post for more detailed information. Many of you may not like this recommendation, but Intuit is encouraging those that are new to QuickBooks to consider QuickBooks Online. Intuit has expressed that QuickBooks Online provides many great benefits over Desktop, including remote access, enhanced flexibility, and real-time collaboration. Intuit has also made migration from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online easier than ever. Reports are important for managers, owners, and decision-makers.

QuickBooks Payroll is a great choice if you already use QuickBooks Online and are looking for payroll software that will make your life just a little easier. Although it’s designed for businesses with up to 50 employees or contractors, it can accommodate up to 150 workers. The software integrates directly with QuickBooks Online, can run payroll automatically and offers same-day or next-day direct deposits. Three plan offerings mean businesses can upgrade as they grow and require more services.

What is better than QuickBooks Payroll?

Changes in the aggregate price over time push the index measuring the basket of goods higher. Once your subscription is cancelled, you’ll no longer be able to use or access QuickBooks Desktop. Your company file will remain on your device, but you’ll need to re-activate your subscription or purchase an outright license to be able to open and view it.

Is QuickBooks Desktop Premier better than QuickBooks Online?

With a 2.9/5 star rating in the ease of use category, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll isn’t very easy to use. The software lacks automations compared to other solutions on the market, has a dated UI, and offers limited integrations with accounting and HR software. Starting at $55/month + $6 per employee paid, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll pricing is on the expensive side.

As far as payroll processing is concerned, all the plans are equally easy to use because they involve the same software. Real-world users did say it took some time to get used to at first, but once the basics are through, it’s quite easy. Given that, plan extra time for your first couple of payrolls, especially if you have third-party integrations.

• For example, a property manager might create a class for each of its managed buildings.
• However, the annual subscription pricing can be a bit expensive for smaller businesses.
• QuickBooks Desktop Payroll was once offered as a standalone service with average pricing.
• QuickBooks Desktop Premier would have hit all the right notes if not for its inability to track activity by location, which is a popular feature of its cloud-based counterpart, QuickBooks Online.
• For all three plan tiers, federal and state payroll taxes are calculated, filed and paid automatically.
• It provides workers’ compensation via AP Intego and health benefits, affordable medical, dental and vision insurance packages by SimplyInsured.

QuickBooks Pro Plus is the most basic version of QuickBooks Desktop. This is a desktop product, meaning you download and install it on your computer. QuickBooks Pro Plus has a full range of features including invoicing, inventory tracking, reporting, billing, and income and expense tracking. If you want to learn more, check out our complete QuickBooks Pro review, QuickBooks Premier review, or QuickBooks Enterprise review.

Others also complained that it’s a bit expensive and that its customer support is difficult to reach. QuickBooks will track both the quantity on-hand and the average cost of all your inventory items. You can access information regarding each inventory item through the Inventory Center. We like the level of detail that QuickBooks Desktop Premier gives users because it can help in making decisions. Moreover, inventory features are integrated into A/R and A/P, and QuickBooks handles purchases, cost of quickbooks premier payroll goods sold (COGS), and ending inventory automatically.

If you file taxes in more than one state, each additional state is currently $12/month. Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. QuickBooks Desktop Payroll requires a supported version of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise updated to the most current maintenance release. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise supports over 100,000 employees, customers, vendors and other names combined. However, performance may slow when processing files containing more than 250 employees. QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus is ideal for small businesses that need robust, locally-installed accounting software for up to three users.

Students and teachers can get a free access to QuickBooks Online through our Intuit Education Program (IEP). You can apply and set up your account by visiting our website or sending an email to Once registered, you will be given a complimentary license to QuickBooks Online Account. All users must be networked and must each have their own QuickBooks license. The standard QuickBooks Pro license lets you install the product on up to 3 computers.

Also, we don’t recommend learning QuickBooks Desktop Premier on the job because mistakes can create very messy books quickly. QuickBooks Payroll comes with free mobile apps for Android, iOS and iPad platforms. We will help you transfer any existing payroll information to QuickBooks. QuickBooks Payroll now includes team management tools so you can streamline your HR tasks and save precious time.