QuickBooks Payroll

quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll
HR & Payroll
Weekend Project

Payroll Services for Small Businesses - Scale up seamlessly with tools and services that are right for you at every stage of your business

How to Replace QuickBooks Payroll

Overview

QuickBooks Payroll is a comprehensive payroll management solution for small to midsize businesses that handles automated tax calculations, direct deposit, employee benefits, and HR management. The platform integrates with accounting tools and includes AI-powered features like the Payroll Agent to streamline payroll processing and reduce administrative burden.

Features

45 features across 27 categories

AI Automation(7)

Accounting AgentAIPremium

Posts transactions quickly with explanations and predictions for cleaner, more accurate books

AI-Powered ReconciliationAIPremium

Identifies potential issues and suggests solutions for faster bank reconciliation

Customer AgentAIPremium

Prioritizes leads from inbox and personalizes email follow-ups to turn interest into new business

Intuit Assist - Smart Expense OrganizationAIPremium

Intelligent automation to speed up expense categorization with improved accuracy

Payments AgentAIPremium

Creates tailored strategies to get paid faster with automated invoices and late payment tracking

Payroll AgentAIPremium

Proactively collects time and attendance data from employees, spots inconsistencies, drafts ready-to-run payroll for review, and texts admin updates with insights

Sales Tax AgentAIPremium

Identifies discrepancies between profit & loss and sales tax liability reports and suggests fixes

Accounting(1)

Track Income & Expenses

Securely import transactions and organize finances automatically

Also in: Jobber, Melio, Lemonway

Automation(1)

Auto Payroll

Set payroll to run automatically on a schedule for salaried employees on direct deposit with review and approval options

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Benefits(3)

401(k) PlansPremium

Affordable retirement plans from Human Interest and QuickBooks 401k powered by Vestwell that sync with payroll

Healthcare BenefitsPremium

Affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance packages by Allstate Health Solutions

Workers' CompensationPremium

Workers comp coverage by NEXT with pay-as-you-go model, simplified audits, and automatic calculations

Also in: Justworks, Wagmo, 1Password

Bill Management(1)

Manage Bills

Organize bills, schedule payments, pay online for free, and choose payment methods

Bookkeeping Services(1)

Expert Assisted Bookkeeping

Connect with live experts for setup help and bookkeeping guidance, free for 30 days

Collaboration(1)

Multiple Users

Invite accountants and team members, control user-access levels, and share reports

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Compliance(2)

Automated I-9 CompliancePremium

Automate compliance and streamline employment verification

Tax Penalty ProtectionPremium

Company pays up to $25,000 if customer receives a payroll tax penalty

Also in: Insider CDP, Airtable, 1Password

Contractor Management(1)

Manage 1099 Contractors

Assign vendor payments to 1099 categories, see payment history, prepare and file 1099s

Document Management(2)

Document E-SignaturesPremium

Sign documents quickly and securely

Document Upload and Sharing

Upload, store, and share important files and documents

Employee Self-Service(1)

Employee Portal

Employees can access pay stubs, W-2s, and enter personal, direct deposit, and tax information online or in app

Expense Tracking(2)

Capture & Organize Receipts

Snap photos of receipts and categorize them on the go

Mileage Tracking

Automatically track miles, categorize trips, and get sharable reports

HR Support(2)

HR AdvisorPremium

Consultation with certified HR advisors by phone or online, powered by Mineral Inc

HR Support CenterPremium

Customized job descriptions and best practices on hiring and performance management from Mineral Inc

Integration(1)

Payroll Data Sync

Seamlessly connect payroll, time tracking, and accounting data to reduce inefficiencies and save nearly 4 hours per week

Integrations(1)

Sales Channel Connections

Connect online sales channels and automatically sync data with QuickBooks

Inventory Management(1)

Inventory TrackingPremium

Track products, cost of goods, see what's popular, create purchase orders, and manage vendors

Invoicing(2)

Invoice & Accept Payments

Accept credit cards and bank transfers in invoices with QuickBooks Payments, get status updates and reminders

Send Estimates

Customize estimates, accept mobile signatures, see estimate status, and convert estimates into invoices

Mobile App(1)

QuickBooks Workforce App

Mobile app where employees can view pay information, W-2s, and track hours

Payment Processing(2)

Next-Day Direct Deposit

Offer fast direct deposit for employees the next business day

Same-Day Direct DepositPremium

Pay employees on the same day, submit payroll up to the morning of payday

Payroll Processing(1)

Full Service Payroll

Automated payroll tax calculations, filing, and payments with 100% accuracy guaranteed

Project Management(1)

Project Profitability TrackingPremium

Track all projects in one place, track labor costs, payroll and expenses

Reporting(3)

Payroll Reports

Customizable reports covering multiple worksites, deductions, tax liability, wage summary, time activities, vacation, and workers comp

Run Enhanced Reports

Reports covering sales, accounts receivable, and accounts payable

Run General Reports

Run and export reports including profit & loss, expenses, and balance sheets

Sales Tracking(1)

Track Sales & Sales Tax

Accept credit cards anywhere, connect to e-commerce tools, and calculate taxes automatically

Setup Services(2)

Expert ReviewPremium

Expert reviews payroll setup to ensure everything is correct

Expert SetupPremium

Expert sets up payroll account so customer can pay team in less than 5 minutes

Support(1)

Expert Product Support

Step-by-step help, troubleshooting assistance, tips, and resources via phone or chat

Tax Forms(1)

1099 E-File & Pay

Create, e-file unlimited 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms with automatic electronic copies sent to contractors

Time Tracking(2)

Enter Time by Project

Enter employee time by client/project and automatically add it to invoices

Integrated Time Tracking

Seamless connection between payroll and time tracking data to cut costs and manage teams from anywhere

Pricing

Payroll Core and Simple Start

Popular
$44/mo (50% off for 3 months, then $88/mo) + $6.50/employee
  • Full service payroll with automated taxes and forms
  • Auto payroll for salaried employees
  • 1099 E-File & Pay
  • Expert product support
  • Next-day direct deposit
  • Employee portal
  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) plans
  • Workers comp administration
  • Document upload and sharing
  • Expert Assisted (free 30 days)
  • Track income & expenses
  • Capture & organize receipts
  • Invoice & accept payments
  • Track miles
  • Run general reports
  • Send estimates
  • Track sales & sales tax
  • Manage 1099 contractors
  • Connect 1 sales channel
  • Intuit Assist - Smart expense organization

Payroll Core and Essentials

Popular
$62.50/mo (50% off for 3 months, then $125/mo) + $6.50/employee
  • Full service payroll with automated taxes and forms
  • Auto payroll for salaried employees
  • 1099 E-File & Pay
  • Expert product support
  • Next-day direct deposit
  • Employee portal
  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) plans
  • Workers comp administration
  • Document upload and sharing
  • Expert Assisted (free 30 days)
  • Track income & expenses
  • Capture & organize receipts
  • Invoice & accept payments
  • Track miles
  • Run enhanced reports
  • Send estimates
  • Track sales & sales tax
  • Manage 1099 contractors
  • Connect 3 sales channels
  • Manage bills
  • Enter time
  • Includes 3 users
  • Intuit Assist - Smart expense organization
  • Accounting Agent
  • Payments Agent

Payroll Premium and Plus

Popular
$101.50/mo (50% off for 3 months, then $203/mo) + $10/employee
  • Full service payroll with automated taxes and forms
  • Auto payroll for salaried employees
  • 1099 E-File & Pay
  • Expert product support
  • Same-day direct deposit
  • Track time on the go
  • Expert review of payroll setup
  • Employee portal
  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) plans
  • Workers comp administration
  • Document upload and sharing
  • Document e-signatures
  • Automated I-9
  • HR support center
  • Expert Assisted (free 30 days)
  • Track income & expenses
  • Capture & organize receipts
  • Invoice & accept payments
  • Track miles
  • Run enhanced reports
  • Send estimates
  • Track sales & sales tax
  • Manage 1099 contractors
  • Connect all sales channels
  • Manage bills
  • Enter time by project
  • Includes 5 users
  • Track project profitability
  • Track inventory
  • Intuit Assist - Smart expense organization
  • Accounting Agent
  • Payments Agent
  • AI-powered reconciliation
  • Customer Agent
  • Sales Tax Agent

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying QuickBooks Payroll

Monthly$44/mo
Yearly$528/yr
5-Year Total$2.6k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~3 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $288
SaaS
$528
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $864
SaaS
$1.6k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $1.4k
SaaS
$2.6k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 45 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a QuickBooks Payroll alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 45 features.

Buy QuickBooks Payroll

Better Value
Monthly cost$440/mo
3-year total$15,840
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$24,000
Maintenance$360/mo
3-year total$36,960
Dev time~2 months

Buying QuickBooks Payroll saves ~$21,120 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 45 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

10 known integrations

Allstate Health SolutionsHuman Interest 401(k)Intuit AI AgentsMailchimpMineral Inc HR ServicesNEXT Workers CompensationQuickBooks 401(k) powered by VestwellQuickBooks DesktopQuickBooks OnlineQuickBooks Payments