Sat. Mar 7th, 2026

Intuit® Online Payroll Services for Small Business

For all plans, QuickBooks’ payroll support team can provide step-by-step help. 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.

I selected edit/void check and when the check popped up I simply clicked on print later, saved and closed. Then I went to print forms, print payroll check and now that check was in the que to print. Overall, users found the setup process generally easy and the interface user-friendly.

QuickBooks® Online Payroll Services for Small Business

You have a couple options to help add some of your employee info. If you have QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop, you can add payroll anytime. QuickBooks Payroll has what you need to stay compliant, from labor law posters to expert support. Set up and track employee paid time off and manage paid, unpaid, sick, and vacation time. On average, respondents who report time savings save 3.93 hours per week. QuickBooks Online Payroll works for small to midsize businesses—from accountants and financial experts to hospitality companies, construction companies, and truckers.

Payroll Elite + Plus

If you are already using QuickBooks Online and need to pay employees, consider adding QuickBooks Payroll to your plan. You can access it from the same system you use to manage your business’ books, allowing for the seamless transfer of your payroll expenses to the appropriate general ledger accounts. With QuickBooks Payroll, you can set payroll to run with alerts and notifications.

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

  • Most recently, QuickBooks worked to mitigate its software’s security vulnerabilities to cybercriminals exploiting the logj4 code that QuickBooks software is built on.
  • The employee is living in a new area which does not have local tax.
  • Likewise, workers’ comp insurance isn’t available in Ohio, North Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming.
  • If you are converting to QuickBooks Payroll in the middle of a calendar year, you should enter the total sick and vacation hours an employee had from your previous system.
  • Review it carefully and make sure all of the pay details are correct.

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. As far as payroll processing is concerned, all the plans are equally easy to use because they involve the same software.

When to Use Each QuickBooks Payroll Plan

  • Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
  • Since you’ve already changed their address, our goal is to ensure they’re correctly set up to withhold only the necessary work tax moving forward.
  • With QuickBooks Payroll, you can set payroll to run with alerts and notifications.
  • 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.
  • On average, respondents who report time savings save 3.93 hours per week.

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. QuickBooks Online Payroll earned 4.4/5 stars in the features category with plenty of features spanning payroll processing, employee management, time tracking, HR, and benefits administration. The bulk of the software’s lost points come from its local tax support limitations and limited HR integrations.

Save time

If you just purchased your QuickBooks Online subscription, you’ll see a “Get Started” button. If you are just signing up for QuickBooks Payroll, the system will ask you a few questions, such as if you require HR support and need to track employee work hours. You should have a separate payroll account from the checking account used for your day-to-day business operations.

You may be able to connect it instantly so you can use direct deposit right away. Robie Ann Ferrer is an HR expert writer at Fit Small Business, focusing on small business HR and payroll software content. Robie also worked as an HR specialist for 10 years where she managed various facets of HR—from payroll and benefits to employee services and HR systems. Note that for salaried employees, the system will automatically populate the total hours based on the default number of work hours you entered for an employee during the initial setup. For hourly employees, you have to manually input the actual work hours in the “Regular Pay Hrs” column or upload the time data from your time tracking solution into the system.

Get started today and see QuickBooks Online Payroll for yourself. Our Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll comparison takes a deeper look into the differences between QuickBooks Online Payroll and Gusto, including pricing, features, and more. Just be prepared to spend some time getting your questions answered if you run into problems. Sign up to receive more well-researched small business articles and topics in your inbox, personalized for you.

When everything looks good, click “Submit Payroll” to complete. QuickBooks Payroll allows you to input an employee’s direct deposit details while running payroll and even change pay methods—from direct deposits to paychecks and vice versa. After you have finished reviewing your employee’s time data and pay information, click the “Preview payroll” button located at the bottom right of the screen. From the payroll screen, you can enter hours for all hourly employees. For salaried employees, you won’t see the hours worked, just the total amount due to be paid for that period. It is extremely important that you ensure the YTD totals are accurate.

When you set up your check printing in QuickBooks, you’ll find a link to download the most recent version of Adobe Reader. QuickBooks earned a 4.1/5 star rating in the ease of use category with balanced performance in the areas of setup, reliability, daily use, and integrations. The software’s lost points came from its lack of an API, some complaints of glitching, limited white glove setup options, and a poor selection of HR software integrations. Small businesses might find all those features dizzying, inflexible, and more expensive than other small business options, such as Gusto or Square Payroll, which keep things simple. Join the thousands of people like you already growing their businesses and knowledge with our team of experts. We deliver timely updates, interesting insights, and exclusive promos to your inbox.

There’s even an option for the system to invite employees to track and record their work hours via QuickBooks Time. While these questions will help match you with the right plan, you also have the option to manually select one of its three payroll options yourself. QuickBooks will recommend the best payroll plan for you, and you intuit online payroll can even sign up for a 30-day free trial.