QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

Intuit QuickBooks Online Payroll has three plans: QuickBooks Payroll Core, QuickBooks Payroll Premium, and QuickBooks Payroll Elite. All three offer full-service payroll with tax filing and payment services and benefits program management. Premium comes with additional features and human resources (HR) support, while Elite offers more personalized service. Pricing starts at $50 per month plus $6 per employee monthly and increases with each tier.

QuickBooks Payroll Core: Best for small businesses with basic payroll needs
QuickBooks Payroll Premium: Best for businesses that need payroll, time tracking, and HR support
QuickBooks Payroll Elite: Best for businesses with more robust payroll and HR compliance needs

QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite at a Glance

All QuickBooks Payroll plans come with full-service payroll, tax filings, automatic pay runs, and garnishment deductions and payments for employees. Access to 401(k) plans by Guideline and health benefits by Allstate Health Solutions are also available in all US states.

In addition, QuickBooks Payroll offers 24/7 chat to all clients, as well as phone support from Mondays to Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time (PT) and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. Here are some of the standout features:

	QuickBooks Payroll Core	QuickBooks Payroll Premium	QuickBooks Payroll Elite
Monthly Cost	$50 base fee + $6 per employee	$80 base fee + $8 per employee	$125 base fee + $10 per employee
Automated Tax Payments and Filings	Federal and state taxes	Federal, state, and local taxes	Federal, state, and local taxes
Direct Deposit Timelines	Next day	Same day	Same day
Time Tracking via QuickBooks Time	✕	✓	✓
Project Tracking	✕	✕	✓
Tax Accuracy Guarantee QB will cover payroll tax penalties of up to $25,000, regardless of who makes the mistake.	✓	✓	✓
Tax Penalty Protection	✕	✕	✓ QB will cover payroll tax penalties of up to $25,000, regardless of who makes the mistake.
HR Services via Mineral, Inc.	✕	Access to an HR support center	Includes a personal HR advisor
Setup Assistance	Setup wizard; product support via phone and chat	Includes payroll setup review	Payroll setup done for you
24/7 Product Support	24/7 chat; phone support on weekdays and Saturdays	24/7 chat; phone support on weekdays and Saturdays	✓
	Visit QuickBooks Payroll Core	Visit QuickBooks Payroll Premium	Visit QuickBooks Payroll Elite

QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite Quiz

Question 1

Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized plan match.

Choose the option that aligns best with your business.

Question 1 of 3

1 minute approx

Business with 50 or fewer employees that simply needs a way to run payroll and pay employees

Companies in high-risk industries, have little to no HR expertise on the team, or need to upgrade from basic to more intermediate features (like time tracking)

Business that is not on a bare-bones budget and both needs and is willing to pay for dedicated HR support, plus a tax guarantee that covers anyone’s mistakes

Question 2

Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized plan match.

Do you have multiple employees who live in areas that require you to withhold local taxes (different from federal and state)?

Question 2 of 3

1 minute approx

Yes

Question 3

Answer a few questions about your business, and we'll give you a personalized plan match.

Choose the option that aligns best with the needs of your business.

Question 3 of 3

1 minute approx

You or someone on staff can easily complete the setup process if the payroll software guides you.

You or someone on staff can complete the setup process if the software guides you, but you will not feel comfortable unless a professional reviews it.

You are not comfortable with anyone at your company setting up your payroll in the software and require a professional to do it for you.

When to Use Each QuickBooks Payroll Plan

QuickBooks Payroll Core is best used by small businesses that need basic payroll without many extra features. It tackles pay runs, taxes, garnishments, and more. It also offers next-day direct deposit, which is becoming more popular with payroll providers but isn’t the standard yet, as some still have a two- to four-day wait period. You can pay to add workers’ comp instead of upgrading your plan. As for taxes, it automates withholding and filing for federal and state. If you’re required to file local taxes for your employees based on jurisdiction, you’ll need the Premium or Elite plan to automate it.

This is also your best choice if you have an HR team or other HR service or software and want to add QuickBooks Payroll to it. Of course, if you use QuickBooks for accounting, integration is a no-brainer.

Visit QuickBooks Payroll Core

QuickBooks Payroll Premium includes everything in QuickBooks Payroll Core and has some additional features, such as workers’ comp, HR support, and automated local tax filing. The time tracking feature makes it a strong choice if you have more hourly workers than salaried ones. The HR support and expert setup review are also great additions if your HR team is less experienced. Same-day direct deposit means your people get paid faster too.

Visit QuickBooks Payroll Premium

QuickBooks Payroll Elite is the best choice for busy companies that need to track billable hours and shifts and those with higher risks of breaking HR and payroll regulations, such as small construction companies. It provides full-service payroll software that lets you track projects and time. If you have employees in multiple states, this plan will handle tax filing. You need to pay extra for additional states with the other plans, however. Finally, you get dedicated HR support, expert setup, and project management tools, as well as insurance against tax penalties of any kind up to $25,000, even if you are at fault.

Visit QuickBooks Payroll Elite

When to Use an Alternative to QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll is incredibly convenient to use, especially for small businesses that are already using or are planning on using QuickBooks Accounting. However, business owners who don’t necessarily need same-day direct deposits and want a more affordable all-in-one platform might find other providers to be a better option. Check out our top-recommended payroll software for more options and information.

Meanwhile, if you need more dedicated full-service HR and payroll support, then a professional employer organization (PEO) may be right for you. Browse through our guide to the best PEOs for small businesses to find some options.

Are you still not sure what kind of payroll service you need? Check out our guide on choosing a payroll service for your business and our top picks for the best payroll services.

Pricing: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

QuickBooks Payroll starts at $6 per employee with a $50 base per month. You can purchase QuickBooks Payroll as a standalone product or bundled with QuickBooks Online if you need accounting software. All plans have multistate tax filing which costs $12 per person under the Core and Premium plans but is free under Elite.

	QuickBooks Payroll Core ($/Month)	QuickBooks Payroll Premium ($/Month)	QuickBooks Payroll Elite ($/Month)
Standalone Payroll Product	$50 base fee + $6 per employee	$85 base fee + $9 per employee	$130 base fee + $11 per employee
Integrated With QuickBooks Simple Start	$75 base fee + $6 per employee	$110 base fee + $8 per employee	$155 base fee + $10 per employee
Integrated With QuickBooks Essential	$105 base fee + $6 per employee	$140 base fee + $8 per employee	$185 base fee + $10 per employee
Integrated With QuickBooks Plus	$135 base fee + $6 per employee	$170 base fee + $8 per employee	$215 base fee + $10 per employee
Integrated With QuickBooks Advanced	$245 base fee + $6 per employee	$280 base fee + $8 per employee	$325 base fee + $10 per employee
Special Promotion for New Clients This may change at any time. Please check the provider’s website to view the latest promotions on offer.	30-day free trial or 50% off first three months	30-day free trial or 50% off first three months	30-day free trial or 50% off first three months
Multiple State Tax Filing Fees	One state included in plan; plus $12 monthly for each additional state	One state included in plan; plus $12 monthly for each additional state	N/A
Workers’ Comp Administration Fees (via Next) Fees do not include policy premiums	$5 monthly	N/A	N/A

Integrating with QuickBooks Accounting software can give you the following advantages, depending on the plan:

Time, miles, and expense tracking
Estimates and invoicing
Receipt capture
Cash flow management
Manage and pay bills
Inventory tracking
Project profitability tracking

Features: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

No matter whichever version of QuickBooks Payroll Online you get, you’ll have complete payroll software—meaning employees can be paid and taxes will be withheld and filed—health benefits assistance, and customer support. On top of that, all plans integrate smoothly with QuickBooks; while there are also hundreds of other programs that integrate with them, these won’t be as seamless.

As its name implies, the QuickBooks Online Payroll Core plan is the foundation of QuickBooks’ payroll plans and includes the basic full-service payroll features that most small businesses need—without all the bells and whistles. Specifically, it contains the following:

Wage and deduction calculations: Includes garnishments and state and federal withholdings
Automated payroll: For salary employees with next-day direct deposit
Taxes: Filing and paying taxes at the federal and state levels
Employee payment: Paying employees by check or direct deposit
Unlimited pay runs: Features that allow users to accommodate any schedule
Workforce portal: Gives employees access to view W-2s, PTO balances, and withholdings
Health benefits: Offers quotes, quick applications, and benefits management in the software; however, health benefits don’t cover Hawaii, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.
401(k) programs: Includes compliance, administration, and recordkeeping
1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms: This is for federal filing only
Product support: Includes troubleshooting assistance and step-by-step help
Customer support hours: Offers 24/7 chat support and support via phone from Mondays to Fridays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time, and Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT

QuickBooks says its Payroll Premium Plan is the most popular. It includes the features found in the Core plan, plus those listed below. It’s a great choice if you have hourly workers who need time tracking or your in-house HR expertise is limited:

QuickBooks Time: Give your employees clock-in/out access via their mobile devices, making it easy to review and approve their time for payroll when you’re ready.
Expert setup review: Be sure you’re starting payroll on the right foot. Have a QuickBooks Payroll expert look over your setup to be sure you didn’t miss anything.
Same-day direct deposit: Pay employees faster. You can submit right up to the morning of payday and still have your team paid on time.
HR tools: Through its partnership with Mineral, you can get HR guides and articles, sample employee handbooks, help create customized checklists and forms, and offer letters.
Workers’ compensation: QuickBooks’ broker, AP Intego, can recommend plans for you, which you can connect and manage through QuickBooks. It automatically calculates premiums so you pay on time, which isn’t available in Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.

QuickBooks Payroll Elite is ideal for small business owners who love QuickBooks and want dedicated help with HR issues. It offers everything in the Premium plan, with some enhancements, plus extra protection against tax penalties.

QuickBooks Time with projects: Track time and assign it to projects; have geofencing alerts to warn workers to clock in and out when entering or leaving the job site; and let workers add notes, photos, and project updates.
HR adviser: Consult with a certified HR adviser who knows the rules of your area. They can provide advice and guidance and create custom handbooks and policies for you.
Expert setup: Spare your HR team the headaches of setting up QuickBooks Payroll. Its experts will complete the setup with the information you provide and review it for errors. If you’re transferring from a different payroll service, it’ll handle the data transfer as opposed to just helping you with it.
Tax penalty protection: If you get an IRS penalty, QuickBooks will pay it and the interest up to $25,000 per year whether you or your rep made the mistake, provided you send the tax notice to QuickBooks within 15 days of having received it.

Ease of Use: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

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.

All plans will help you transfer payroll from your existing provider if needed. However, for overall ease of use, the QuickBooks Payroll Elite plan offers better support for new clients, followed by QuickBooks Payroll Premium, and then QuickBooks Payroll Core.

QuickBooks Payroll Elite is the easiest to use for four reasons:

You have a setup expert to input all the information and make sure everything is correct vs just having a rep review it (QuickBooks Payroll Premium) or only relying on your team’s precision (QuickBooks Payroll Core). This helps you start strong.
It comes with a dedicated HR specialist who can create or help you create documents like an employee handbook or job offer letters.
It comes with QuickBooks Time, a fully featured time tracker that lets employees clock in and out, request PTO, assign hours to projects, and more. This transfers employee work hours seamlessly to the payroll system, preventing double-entry.
If your taxes are wrong for whatever reason and you’re fined, a QuickBooks team of tax experts will help you refute the claim or negotiate retribution, and its protection plan will cover up to $25,000 per year in fines or interest. This is a step up from the other two plans because it doesn’t just cover mistakes the reps make but also the ones you make.

In comparing QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium in terms of setup assistance, the latter includes setup assistance and then provides an expert to review it and make sure you got everything input correctly. So, you have to do the work, but are ensured that you’re starting off right. This plan gives you access to a library of HR templates, making things like policy letters and handbooks easier to write. It also has the following:

QuickBooks Time (but without the project tracking feature)
Support during extended business hours
Access to the same how-to articles and videos as those with the Elite plan

There is, however, no tax penalty protection if you make a mistake; if your QuickBooks rep does, it’ll be covered.

The QuickBooks Payroll Core software guides you step by step through the process of configuring payroll settings, setting up new employees, and running your first payroll but doesn’t offer expert support for double-checking your work. You do have the following:

Access to help articles and videos
Live customer support during extended business hours

However, there’s no time tracking or HR assistance. You also have to pay extra if you want workers’ comp administration.

Customer Support: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

All three plans give you access to how-to articles and videos, which you can access online or through the software. It’s easier to get the assistance you need through the software as the web-based help section covers all Intuit products, and the search bar doesn’t always narrow it down well. The articles themselves are easy to follow, though few have illustrations. The videos are on YouTube and are inserted into the help sections where appropriate.

Apart from 24/7 chat, live phone support is available Mondays through Fridays, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, and Saturdays, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT. QuickBooks Payroll Elite users have the additional advantage of getting 24/7 expert product support and a dedicated HR specialist to advise them on payroll and HR issues, such as ensuring compliance with a new law or how to handle a difficult employee.

User Reviews: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

Most reviews highlight QuickBooks Payroll overall as a product and not the individual plans. It earned an average of 4.15 out of 5 stars for user reviews on third-party review sites. It’s a solid rating, but customer service is taking hits from reviewers because of the occasional long wait times and the customer reps’ poor responses.

Overall, users found the setup process generally easy and the interface user-friendly. Many also appreciate its automated payroll and tax solutions, including its seamless integration with QuickBooks.

As of this publication, QuickBooks Payroll earned the following scores on popular review sites:

Capterra: 4.5 out of 5 based on 850-plus reviews
G2: 3.8 out of 5 based on 60-plus reviews

For more information on QuickBooks Payroll overall, check out our QuickBooks Payroll review.

QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Start by assessing your specific payroll needs, including the level of support you need with tax filings and compliance and whether you require additional features, like same-day deposits, HR advisory services, or time tracking and project management tools. Finally, compare the features and pricing of each plan—QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite—to determine which aligns best with your business needs and goals.

Yes, you can, but the level and depth of support may vary. For Elite plan holders, QuickBooks will assign a payroll expert who will review and do the whole software setup and payroll data migration for you, ensuring all information is correct. For QuickBooks Payroll Premium, QuickBooks will review your setup to ensure everything is correct. For all plans, QuickBooks’ payroll support team can provide step-by-step help.

Bottom Line

QuickBooks Payroll is a cloud-based, full-service payroll software that includes health benefits management and filing and paying of taxes. The Premium and Elite plans also offer timekeeping and some HR assistance. Naturally, all integrate easily with QuickBooks accounting plans, as well as other third-party applications.

Despite the advantages of the Elite plan, we recommend the QuickBooks Payroll Core plan for small businesses, especially mom-and-pop operations. It handles all your payroll needs, integrates with QuickBooks, and has the same customer support as the Premium plan. It lacks time tracking, HR features, and automated local tax filing, but it has multiple integrations that may be less expensive overall than upgrading. Naturally, it’s a good place to start, and you can upgrade at any time if you wish. Sign up to start paying your employees more easily today.

Visit QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite

QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite at a Glance