QuickBooks Payroll Pricing: Plans, Costs, and Additional Fees

QuickBooks Payroll pricing starts at $50 per month plus $6.50 per employee for Workforce Payroll. Workforce Premium costs $88 per month plus $10 per employee, while Workforce Elite costs $134 per month plus $12 per employee.

QuickBooks also advertised an introductory discount for eligible new customers, but that promotion applied to the monthly base fee—not employee fees, contractor charges, additional-state fees, or other add-ons.

QuickBooks sells both payroll-only subscriptions and bundles that include QuickBooks Online accounting. An accounting subscription is optional for Workforce payroll, although certain separate products, including standalone QuickBooks Time, require a QuickBooks Online account.

QuickBooks Payroll plans and pricing overview

QuickBooks offers three primary Workforce payroll plans: Workforce Payroll, Workforce Premium, and Workforce Elite.

Calculations use regular published pricing: monthly base fee + number of employees × monthly employee fee. They exclude promotional discounts, contractor payments, additional-state filing fees, accounting software, benefits, insurance premiums, sales tax, and optional services.

For a company with five employees, the annual recurring subscription cost would be:

• Workforce Payroll: $990

• Workforce Premium: $1,656

• Workforce Elite: $2,328

These annual figures multiply the regular monthly subscription price by 12. They do not include separately priced products or services.

How the introductory discount works

QuickBooks advertised 50% off the monthly base price for the first three months for eligible new customers. Under that promotion, the base prices became $25 for Workforce Payroll, $44 for Workforce Premium, and $67 for Workforce Elite.

Employee fees continued to apply at their regular rates. A five-employee Workforce Payroll subscription, for example, would cost $57.50 per month during the promotional period:

$25 promotional base + (5 × $6.50) = $57.50

After the promotional period, the account moves to the then-current regular price. Because offers can change or end, businesses should use regular pricing when estimating ongoing costs.

What is included in each QuickBooks Payroll plan?

All three plans provide full-service payroll. Premium and Elite add more time-tracking, employee management, setup, HR, and support features.

Workforce Payroll: $50 per month plus $6.50 per employee

Workforce Payroll is the entry-level plan. It includes:

• Unlimited payroll runs

• Federal and state payroll-tax calculations, payments, forms, and year-end filings after tax setup are completed and subject to Intuit’s service terms

• Automatic payroll for eligible employees

• Next-day direct deposit, subject to eligibility and submission deadlines

• Employee access to pay stubs and W-2s

• Payroll reports

• Unlimited current-year 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC e-filing for eligible payments recorded in QuickBooks

• Phone and chat product support

• Employee document storage

• Access to separately priced health insurance, retirement, and workers’ compensation services

Additional charges may apply if a business asks QuickBooks to print and mail contractor copies of 1099 forms. Eligible state 1099 filings may also depend on the applicable filing program and jurisdiction.

Workforce Payroll may be a good fit for employers who primarily need payroll processing, tax filing, employee self-service, and basic workforce records. It does not include QuickBooks Time.

Workforce Premium: $88 per month plus $10 per employee

Workforce Premium includes the core payroll features plus:

• Same-day direct deposit, subject to eligibility and submission deadlines

• QuickBooks Time Premium

• Mobile time tracking and approvals

• Payroll setup review by a QuickBooks expert

• Employee document e-signatures

• Expanded employee-data management

• Automated I-9 tools

• HR resources and compliance materials provided through Mineral

• Additional hiring, onboarding, and workforce-management tools

Premium is the more relevant tier for businesses that need payroll and employee time data in the same subscription. It's a $10 employee fee that covers both payroll and the included Time Premium functionality.

Some local payroll-tax services and related features may depend on the selected plan, location, and completed account setup.

Workforce Elite: $134 per month plus $12 per employee

Workforce Elite includes Premium features and adds:

• Expert-completed payroll setup

• Tax-penalty protection of up to $25,000 per year, subject to Intuit’s eligibility requirements, notice deadlines, terms, and exclusions.

• QuickBooks Time Elite

• Personal access to an HR advisor through Mineral

• Performance-management tools

• Expanded HR workflows

• Advanced project and workforce-tracking functions

Elite may be more suitable for businesses that want additional setup assistance, HR guidance, project-based time tracking, or payroll-tax protection.

The tax-penalty protection is not a general compliance guarantee. It does not cover every payroll, wage, worker classification, tax registration, or filing issue, and customers must satisfy Intuit’s setup and notification requirements.

Additional QuickBooks Payroll costs to consider

The base and employee fees cover the principal Workforce subscription, but several circumstances can increase the total cost.

Additional-state payroll

One state tax filing is included with each Workforce plan. Workforce Payroll and Premium customers pay $12 per additional state.

QuickBooks does not list the same additional-state charge for Workforce Elite. That does not automatically make Elite the least expensive option for a multistate business. Employers should compare the Elite price increase with the number of additional states and the value of its time, HR, setup, and tax-protection features.

Contractor payments

Businesses using a Workforce plan can pay contractors by direct deposit, but QuickBooks charges a tier-specific contractor fee. The amount is $6.50 under Workforce Payroll, $10 under Premium, and $12 under Elite for each contractor paid.

Businesses that pay only contractors should also compare Workforce with QuickBooks Contractor Payments. That separate product costs $25 per month for up to 20 contractors, with a $2 monthly charge for each additional contractor.

The contractor-only product is not the same as an employee-payroll plan and should not be used to calculate the cost of paying W-2 employees.

Optional accounting bundles

QuickBooks sells payroll separately and in bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting. One published bundle combines Workforce Payroll and QuickBooks Online Simple Start for $88 per month plus $6.50 per employee at regular pricing.

A five-employee business selecting that bundle would pay:

$88 bundle base + (5 × $6.50) = $120.50 per month

The accounting subscription is not a mandatory Workforce payroll fee. It is an optional expense for businesses that want accounting and payroll under the same QuickBooks account.

Time tracking

QuickBooks Time Premium is included with Workforce Premium, while Time Elite is included with Workforce Elite.

When purchased separately, Time Premium costs $20 per month plus $8 per time-tracking user. Time Elite costs $40 per month plus $10 per user.

QuickBooks requires a QuickBooks Online account for QuickBooks Time purchased separately. A payroll-only Workforce customer would therefore need to include the cost of an accounting plan and the Time subscription.

Businesses should compare the full product combination rather than focusing only on the time-based fee.

Benefits and insurance

QuickBooks lists health insurance through Allstate Health Solutions, retirement plans through Vestwell, and workers’ compensation through NEXT. These are partner-delivered or separately priced services rather than insurance coverage included in the Workforce subscription.

QuickBooks’ separately sold benefits-administration service requires at least 20 employees, requires benefit-plan setup, and does not support every plan.

NEXT-powered workers’ compensation administration also has additional fees and is unavailable in Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.

Plan pricing, employer contributions, premiums, availability, and administrative costs depend on the selected service. The regular Workforce price should not be treated as the total cost of providing employee benefits or insurance.

• Related content: How to Cancel QuickBooks Payroll and Move Your Data to Gusto

QuickBooks Payroll pricing vs. Gusto pricing

QuickBooks and Gusto both use a monthly base fee plus a per-person charge. Their plans do not include identical services, so businesses should evaluate the scope of payroll, time tracking, HR support, direct deposit speed, multistate needs, and optional products alongside price.

Calculations use the regularly published monthly pricing for five paid employees. Promotions, insurance premiums, accounting products, and optional services are excluded.

At five employees, Workforce Payroll costs $3.50 more per month than Gusto Simple. Workforce Premium costs $2 less than Gusto Plus, while Workforce Elite costs $96 less than Gusto Premium.

Those numerical differences do not establish that one plan offers better value. The plans include different services and serve different operational needs.

Important structural differences include:

• Accounting: QuickBooks lets customers buy Workforce payroll either on its own or bundled with QuickBooks Online. Gusto does not require an accounting subscription.

• Time tracking: QuickBooks includes Time Premium or Elite in its two higher plans. Gusto includes time tracking in both Plus and Premium plans.

• Multistate payroll: QuickBooks charges Workforce Payroll and Premium customers for additional state filings. Gusto Simple is intended for single-state payroll, while Gusto Plus includes multistate payroll.

• Setup assistance: QuickBooks Premium includes a setup review, and Elite includes expert setup. Gusto Premium includes payroll migration and account setup.

• Direct deposit: QuickBooks Premium and Elite include same-day direct deposit for eligible payrolls. Gusto lists next-day pay with Plus.

• Support: Both providers reserve some higher-touch support and HR services for their higher-priced plans.

Is QuickBooks Payroll worth the price?

QuickBooks Payroll may offer strong value for businesses seeking payroll, accounting, time tracking, and related financial tools within the QuickBooks ecosystem.

The entry plan’s $50 base price is close to Gusto Simple’s $49 base price, and QuickBooks does not require customers to purchase accounting software with Workforce payroll.

Workforce Payroll is likely the most practical plan for a small, single-state employer that mainly needs employee payroll, tax filing, tax forms, employee self-service, and next-day direct deposit.

Premium may offer better value than purchasing QuickBooks Time separately. For five employees, Premium costs $55.50 more per month than Workforce Payroll, but it adds Time Premium, same-day direct deposit, a setup review, and HR tools.

A complete comparison should account for whether the business already has QuickBooks Online. Separately purchased QuickBooks Time requires a QuickBooks Online account, which can make the combination of the standalone product and the Time fee more expensive than the Time fee alone suggests.

Elite costs another $56 per month for five employees. That increase may make sense for an employer that needs expert setup, Time Elite, an HR advisor, performance tools, or the plan’s tax-penalty protection. A business that does not need those services may find Premium sufficient.

Businesses should also account for:

• The number of states in which they file payroll taxes

• How many employees and contractors do they pay

• Whether they need time and project tracking

• Whether they want QuickBooks accounting

• Benefits, retirement, and insurance expenses

• Whether setup assistance and HR guidance justify a higher tier

• Whether a contractor-only product would better fit their workforce

QuickBooks’ published Workforce pricing is relatively straightforward once optional accounting and partner services are separated from payroll. The largest cost variables are headcount, plan tier, additional states, contractor payments, and separately priced services.

Review the Payroll Migration Checklist before changing providers.

Who QuickBooks Payroll is best suited for

Based on its published plan structure, QuickBooks Workforce payroll may be suitable for:

• Small and midsize businesses that want a standalone U.S. employee payroll

• Existing QuickBooks customers who want payroll and accounting data connected

• Single-state employers with relatively straightforward payroll needs

• Employers who need time tracking and payroll in the same subscription

• Project-based businesses that can use QuickBooks Time Elite

• Businesses that value expert setup or additional payroll-tax assistance

It may be less suitable for businesses that:

• Operate in many states but do not need Elite’s broader features

• Do not want subscription costs to increase with headcount

• Need benefits or insurance costs included in a predictable software fee

• Need global payroll, employer-of-record service, or a PEO rather than the U.S. Workforce payroll plans reviewed here

Businesses that pay only contractors should evaluate QuickBooks Contractor Payments separately rather than assume they need a Workforce employee-payroll subscription.

The appropriate plan depends less on company size alone than on the combination of employee payroll, contractor payments, time tracking, HR tools, state filing, accounting, and setup requirements.

QuickBooks Payroll pricing FAQ

How much does QuickBooks Payroll cost per month?

QuickBooks Workforce Payroll starts at $50 per month plus $6.50 per employee. Premium costs $88 plus $10 per employee, and Elite costs $134 plus $12 per employee. These are regularly published prices before promotions and optional services.

Is there a per-employee fee for QuickBooks Payroll?

Yes. The monthly employee fee is $6.50 with Workforce Payroll, $10 with Premium, and $12 with Elite. The fee is added to the plan’s monthly base price for each employee.

Does QuickBooks Payroll include tax filing?

Yes. After the payroll tax setup is completed, QuickBooks states that all Workforce plans calculate, file, and pay covered federal and state payroll taxes, and handle applicable forms and year-end filings.

One state filing is included. Additional states cost $12 per month with Workforce Payroll and Premium. Certain local-tax services and filing capabilities may depend on the plan and jurisdiction.

What is the cheapest QuickBooks Payroll plan?

Workforce Payroll is the least expensive employee-payroll plan at $50 per month plus $6.50 per employee. A business with five employees would pay $82.50 per month at regular pricing, excluding optional services and additional state fees.

Businesses that pay contractors but no W-2 employees can also compare the separate QuickBooks Contractor Payments plan, which costs $25 per month for up to 20 contractors.

Is QuickBooks Payroll cheaper than Gusto?

The entry plans are similarly priced. At five employees, QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $82.50 per month, while Gusto Simple costs $79. QuickBooks Premium costs $138, compared with $140 for Gusto Plus.

The plans include different features, so the lower subscription price will not necessarily produce the lowest total cost for every business.

Are there hidden fees with QuickBooks Payroll?

QuickBooks publishes its standard Workforce base, employee, contractor, and additional-state charges. Other possible costs include additional state filings, contractor direct deposit, printed and mailed 1099 copies, benefits administration, background checks, insurance premiums, workers’ compensation services, sales tax, and separately purchased time tracking.

Separately purchased QuickBooks Time also requires a QuickBooks Online account.

Can I use QuickBooks Payroll without QuickBooks Online?

Yes. QuickBooks allows businesses to purchase Workforce payroll without adding a QuickBooks Online accounting subscription.

Customers may optionally add accounting or choose a published payroll-and-accounting bundle. However, certain separately purchased products, including QuickBooks Time, require a QuickBooks Online account.

Businesses considering a change can also review How to Switch Payroll Providers.

Sources

Pricing and plan details in this guide are drawn from each provider's own published pages. These are the recommended citations for the published copy because they are the most authoritative and defensible source for each company's pricing.

• QuickBooks Workforce payroll pricing — base fees, per-employee fees, plan tiers, background checks

• QuickBooks Workforce services and terms — free trial and promotion terms, tax-penalty protection and 15-day notice, 1099 e-file, Mineral HR, partner services

• QuickBooks Contractor Payments and contractor direct deposit

• Intuit "Firm of the Future" — QuickBooks Workforce/QuickBooks Time pricing changes effective July 1, 2026

• Gusto payroll pricing — Simple, Plus, Premium, Contractor Only, per-person fees, add-ons

Disclaimer

Pricing information is accurate as of June 2026 and is sourced from each provider's publicly available pricing pages and terms of service. QuickBooks® and Gusto® plan prices, fees, promotions, plan features, and partner services are set by their respective companies and are subject to change without notice; QuickBooks has announced pricing changes effective July 1, 2026. All figures reflect regularly published rates before promotional discounts, applicable taxes, and optional add-ons unless otherwise noted, and exclude benefits premiums and partner-delivered service costs. Comparisons are based on five paid employees and standard plan configurations; actual cost will vary by headcount, plan tier, number of states, contractor volume, and selected services. This content is for informational purposes only, is not financial, tax, or legal advice, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Intuit Inc. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Verify current pricing directly with each provider before making a purchasing decision.