QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite: Compare Pricing & Features
Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.
Robie has more than five years of content writing experience and specializes in writing about payroll and human resources software for small businesses.
This article is part of a larger series on Payroll Services.
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 some additional features and human resources (HR) support, while Elite offers more personalized service. Pricing starts at $45 per month plus $5 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 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 SimplyInsured are also available—although SimplyInsured doesn’t offer insurance in Hawaii, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., as of this writing.
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 vs Premium vs Elite Quiz
When to Use Each QuickBooks Payroll Plan
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 that 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.
Pricing: QuickBooks Payroll Core vs Premium vs Elite
While you can purchase QuickBooks Payroll as a standalone product, you can add QuickBooks Online at a bundled rate if you need accounting software. New clients can choose to get either a 30-day free trial or 50% off the first three months.
QuickBooks Payroll Core ($/Month) | QuickBooks Payroll Premium ($/Month) | QuickBooks Payroll Elite ($/Month) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Standalone Payroll Product | $45 base fee + $5 per employee | $75 base fee + $8 per employee | $125 base fee + $10 per employee |
Integrated With QuickBooks Simple Start | $75 base fee + $5 per employee | $105 base fee + $8 per employee | $155 base fee + $10 per employee |
Integrated With QuickBooks Essential | $100 base fee + $5 per employee | $130 base fee + $8 per employee | $180 base fee + $10 per employee |
Integrated With QuickBooks Plus | $130 base fee + $5 per employee | $160 base fee + $8 per employee | $210 base fee + $10 per employee |
Integrated With QuickBooks Advanced | $245 base fee + $5 per employee | $275 base fee + $8 per employee | $325 base fee + $10 per employee |
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
Since Our Last Update:
QuickBooks Payroll has released a new “Contractor Payments” plan. It costs $15 monthly for up to 20 contractors (plus $2 for each additional worker) and is optimal for businesses that hire and pay only contract workers.
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.
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.
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 as well as 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 are highlighting 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 nearly 800 reviews
- G2: 3.6 out of 5 based on 40+ reviews
For more information on QuickBooks Payroll overall, check out our QuickBooks Payroll review.
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 overall less expensive 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.
