Start with the standalone subscription.
These undiscounted US rates were checked September 21, 2026. The QuickBooks standalone selector lists payroll first, with accounting added separately. Its main pricing page initially shows accounting bundles.
| Plan | Monthly formula | 10 employees / month | 12-month illustration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll | $50 + $7/employee | $120 | $1,440 |
| Workforce Premium | $88 + $13/employee | $218 | $2,616 |
| Workforce Elite | $134 + $17/employee | $304 | $3,648 |
Illustrative arithmetic, not a quote or a statement that these plans offer equivalent features. Excludes accounting subscriptions, paid options, benefits premiums, employer taxes and other employment costs. Annual totals assume unchanged monthly rates and headcount; they are not annual contract offers.
QuickBooks standalone selectorWhat QuickBooks Workforce is, and what 2026 changed
Intuit introduced QuickBooks Workforce on May 6, 2026, presenting an expanded payroll and people offering for United States buyers. The entry tier many still call Core appears as Workforce Payroll, with Premium and Elite above it. The plans remain actively sold.
Two clarifications help. This review covers the online product; QuickBooks Desktop payroll is a separate line with its own terms. And if your paperwork still says Core, Premium or Elite, ask the rep to map those labels onto current tiers in writing.
- Which product line does this quote cover, online Workforce payroll or Desktop payroll?
- Can you map our existing paperwork's plan names onto current Workforce tiers in writing?
- What changes for our setup at renewal, if anything?
The three standalone tiers and what each one adds
Checked September 21, 2026, the standalone payroll page lists three tiers, each a monthly base fee plus a per employee monthly fee, rising at every step. Introductory discounts appear; model the undiscounted rate instead. Current figures sit in the pricing table beside this review.
Faster direct deposit is available above the entry plan. Premium includes an expert review of your setup, a one time check, not an ongoing support guarantee, plus recruiting, onboarding and HR workflows. Elite includes expert setup and extends HR and time further.
- Which is the lowest tier covering every requirement on our list?
- What is the rate per month and per employee once any introductory discount ends?
- Which setup, HR and time items are included at this tier, and which are paid options?
Payroll on its own, or payroll bundled with accounting
The main payroll pricing page defaults to a bundled view combining a payroll tier with QuickBooks Online accounting in one monthly figure. The standalone page prices payroll alone. Say which view you want, so your comparison uses consistent numbers.
If you already hold QuickBooks Online, ask for the incremental cost of adding payroll. Without accounting, a bundle can be the cleaner purchase. Budget separately for employer taxes, benefit premiums, workers compensation and paid options and other employment costs.
- We hold QuickBooks Online already: what is the incremental monthly cost of adding this tier?
- Can you show standalone and bundled figures side by side on one document?
- What is excluded from this price, and which options do you recommend for our profile?
An editorial demo scenario: pay day timing and one run
Workforce Payroll lists next-day direct deposit. Premium and Elite list same-day direct deposit, subject to eligibility and conditions, with a 7:00 AM Pacific business-day cutoff for the same-day service. Use the following editorial scenario to explore exceptions in a demo.
Describe a ten person team with one bonus, one new deduction and approved hours, then ask the rep to walk from hours to preview to the accounting entry. Add a late approval, a bank holiday and a returned deposit, naming who owns each remedy.
- If approval misses the cutoff in a holiday week, what is the earliest funding date?
- Who owns the remedy when a deposit is held or returned, and what is the backup path?
- Can you run our ten person scenario live, including the bonus and the new deduction?
One team. The same buying brief.
Make both proposals easy to compare.
Record your headcount, states, pay schedule, support and required options in our payroll quote worksheet. Bring your bookkeeper to the demo and follow the accounting handoff together.
Get the payroll quote worksheetWhat a customer experience can reveal.
“I also love having everything together in one system for both payroll and bookkeeping”
Margie H. · Small-business reviewer (50 or fewer employees) · April 21, 2026
Incentivized · Seller invite. The reviewer describes payroll flowing into bookkeeping and reports no complaints at that time. This review predates the Workforce launch announcement and does not identify the plan used. It does not establish which current features are included.Ask in your demo: Can your payroll owner and bookkeeper trace one approved pay run into the accounting records, then explain who checks a correction?
Read the original G2 reviewSelected individual experiences, not a representative survey or evidence of measured results. We have not tested customer accounts.
Your payroll questions, answered.
Is QuickBooks Payroll worth it?
It earns a shortlist spot when QuickBooks Online is already your accounting system and you want payroll posting into the same books. If your ledger sits elsewhere, compare tier scope against another quote.
ReferenceIs QuickBooks Payroll being discontinued?
No. United States online payroll is currently sold as QuickBooks Workforce, an expanded offering announced May 6, 2026, and the plans remain available. For QuickBooks Desktop payroll, confirm status directly with your rep.
ReferenceWhy does the price I see first look higher than the standalone payroll price?
The main pricing page defaults to bundles combining payroll with QuickBooks Online accounting. Standalone payroll has its own page. Ask which view a number comes from before building any comparison.
ReferenceHow is QuickBooks Workforce payroll priced?
Each tier combines a fixed monthly base fee with a monthly fee per employee paid, both rising from entry to Premium to Elite. Our table lists figures verified September 21, 2026.
ReferenceShould I take a bundle if I already pay for QuickBooks Online?
Ask for the incremental quote first. Request one document showing standalone payroll cost beside the bundled cost, then choose the purchase that suits your renewal calendar and avoids paying twice for accounting.
ReferenceWhat does the Premium tier add over the entry tier?
Premium adds an expert review of your setup plus recruiting, onboarding and HR workflow tooling, alongside faster direct deposit. Elite includes expert setup and extends HR and time. Confirm inclusions on your order form.
ReferenceHow quickly can employees actually be paid?
Workforce Payroll lists next-day direct deposit; Premium and Elite list same-day, subject to eligibility and conditions. The published 7:00 AM Pacific cutoff applies to same-day. Ask how holiday weeks work.
ReferenceWhat should my accountant or bookkeeper watch during the demo?
Follow one run to the accounting entry: check categories match your chart of accounts, the entry carries date and department detail, corrections leave a reviewable trail, and reports export in usable formats.
ReferenceHow much HR functionality is included?
It grows with the tier. Recruiting, onboarding and HR workflow tooling appear at Premium, and the HR and time side expands at Elite. Name the tasks you want covered, then ask which tier fits.
ReferenceWhen is Gusto the more natural alternative?
When you are buying the payroll and people platform. Gusto lists three tiers, with multi state payroll and time tracking included at Plus and a dedicated advisor at Premium. Confirm add ons in your quote.
ReferenceWhat should I prepare before moving pay history from another provider?
Ask how much historical detail transfers, how year to date balances are established, who files for the period before the switch, and how mid quarter cutovers work. Cross check totals before the first live run.
ReferenceWhat is the single most useful thing to ask in a first demo?
Ask the rep to price the lowest tier meeting your written requirements, then show that same configuration as an incremental quote against the QuickBooks subscription you already hold.
ReferenceTake a closer look.
Compare Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll Sources & method
Official product and help pages checked September 21, 2026; individual G2 reviews inspected in Chrome. This is source-led analysis. Suitability, questions and priorities are editorial judgments; confirm current plan scope in a demo and written quote.
2 FAQ topics were adapted from Google US People Also Ask results collected through DataForSEO on September 21, 2026 (Paris time); the other 10 are editorial. Broad CPA opinion questions and unrelated competitor questions were excluded.
- investors.intuit.com/_assets/_f846a5f5d254e6139bb6691134938154/intuit/news/2026-05-06_Intuit_Unveils_QuickBooks_Workforce_Radically_1310.pdf
- quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle/
- quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/
- quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/direct-deposit/
- gusto.com/product/pricing
- quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/payroll/import-employee-pay-history-adp-paychex-gusto/L9c9yz9Ys_US_en_US