File No. 127
QuickBooks Payroll pricing, checked October 2026
QuickBooks Payroll is Intuit's payroll service for small businesses, sold on its pricing page under the name QuickBooks Workforce. Each plan bills a flat monthly base price plus a monthly fee per employee.
The short answer. QuickBooks Payroll pricing starts at a list price of $50 per month plus $7 per employee for Workforce Payroll, billed monthly. Workforce Premium is $88 plus $13 per employee and Workforce Elite is $134 plus $17. The page lists no free plan. New customers get 50% off the base price for 3 months. Read off quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing on 10 Oct 2026.
What each plan costs
| Plan | Price | Billed | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll | $50/mo + $7/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Full service payroll, auto payroll, 1099 e-file, next-day direct deposit and an employee portal. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $25/mo for the first 3 months for new customers; the $7 per employee is not discounted. | ||||
| Workforce Premium | $88/mo + $13/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Adds time tracking, same-day direct deposit, an expert review of payroll setup, hiring and onboarding, time off management and 5 automated HR workflows. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $44/mo for the first 3 months for new customers. | ||||
| Workforce Elite | $134/mo + $17/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Adds expert setup, tax penalty protection, a personal HR advisor, performance management, unlimited automated HR workflows, geofencing and mileage tracking. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $67/mo for the first 3 months for new customers. | ||||
| Workforce Payroll + Simple Start (bundle) | $88/mo + $7/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Workforce Payroll with QuickBooks Online Simple Start accounting. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $44/mo for the first 3 months for new customers. | ||||
| Workforce Payroll + Essentials (bundle) | $135/mo + $7/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Workforce Payroll with QuickBooks Online Essentials accounting, which includes 3 users. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $67.50/mo for the first 3 months for new customers. | ||||
| Workforce Premium + Plus (bundle) | $228/mo + $13/employee/mo | billed monthly, list price | Vendor page | |
| Workforce Premium with QuickBooks Online Plus accounting, which includes 5 users. On 10 Oct 2026 the page showed a base price of $114/mo for the first 3 months for new customers. | ||||
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What the free tier actually allows
- The page lists no free plan. The lowest price is Workforce Payroll at a list price of $50/mo plus $7/employee/mo.
- The offer terms describe a free 30-day trial of the monthly base price for new customers. It does not cover per-employee fees, and the plan is charged automatically when the trial ends.
- The trial and the 3-month discount are separate options, and the terms say offers for the same product cannot be combined.
What the pricing page does not say
- The large figures on the page ($25, $44 and $67) are the 50% discount, which lasts 3 months. The struck-through figures ($50, $88 and $134) are the list prices filed here, and the terms say billing continues at the then-current price.
- The discount applies to the monthly base price only. The offer terms exclude per-employee fees, per-contractor fees, state tax filing fees and other add-on fees, so the $7, $13 or $17 per employee is charged in full from the first month.
- The per-employee fee rises with the plan: $7 on Workforce Payroll, $13 on Workforce Premium and $17 on Workforce Elite. Moving 20 employees from Workforce Payroll to Workforce Premium adds 20 x $6 = $120 a month on top of the higher base price.
- Time tracking and same-day direct deposit are listed on Workforce Premium and Workforce Elite only. Workforce Payroll has next-day direct deposit, and the feature notes say next-day deposit for contractors carries an additional fee.
- Benefits administration is sold separately and needs 20 or more employees, according to the feature notes. Health benefits, workers' comp and background checks are provided by third parties with their own fees.
- Weekend phone and chat support is available with Workforce Premium and Workforce Elite only. Workforce Payroll support runs during business hours.
QuickBooks Payroll cost by team size
Every plan is a flat monthly base price plus a fee for each employee, so the bill grows with headcount. The figures below are arithmetic on the list prices read on 10 Oct 2026, before the introductory discount.
| Employees | Workforce Payroll | Workforce Premium | Workforce Elite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50 + 1 x $7 = $57 a month | $88 + 1 x $13 = $101 a month | $134 + 1 x $17 = $151 a month |
| 5 | $50 + 5 x $7 = $85 a month | $88 + 5 x $13 = $153 a month | $134 + 5 x $17 = $219 a month |
| 20 | $50 + 20 x $7 = $190 a month | $88 + 20 x $13 = $348 a month | $134 + 20 x $17 = $474 a month |
Over 12 months at those prices, Workforce Payroll comes to $684, $1,020 and $2,280 for 1, 5 and 20 employees. Workforce Premium comes to $1,212, $1,836 and $4,176. Workforce Elite comes to $1,812, $2,628 and $5,688.
What the 3-month discount is worth
The page leads with 50% off for 3 months. The offer terms apply it to the monthly base price only, not to per-employee fees. That makes the saving the same at any headcount: 3 x $25 = $75 on Workforce Payroll, 3 x $44 = $132 on Workforce Premium and 3 x $67 = $201 on Workforce Elite. A 5-employee company on Workforce Payroll would pay $1,020 - $75 = $945 in the first year at the prices on the page.
Payroll with accounting
The vendor's payroll and bookkeeping bundle page prices three bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting (see QuickBooks Online's price file). The per-employee fee is unchanged, and the base price rises by $88 - $50 = $38 for Simple Start, $135 - $50 = $85 for Essentials and $228 - $88 = $140 for Plus.
Billing details
Every figure on the page is a monthly price in USD. No annual price was shown, and the offer terms describe a monthly plan charged at the then-current price until cancellation. The terms also name per-contractor fees and state tax filing fees without giving an amount, so those are not filed here.
Other tools of this kind are in the payroll drawer. Two of them publish no price at all: see Rippling's price file and Paychex's price file.
If this one does not fit
- Rippling Quote only
- Payroll and HR software in the same drawer that publishes no price and is sold by quote, as recorded in its Tooldossier file.
- Paychex Quote only
- Payroll and HR services in the same drawer, also sold by quote, as recorded in its Tooldossier file.
- Gusto not published
- Payroll and HR software for small businesses. No Tooldossier file yet.
Questions
- What does QuickBooks Payroll cost?
- QuickBooks Payroll cost at list price is $50 a month plus $7 per employee per month for Workforce Payroll, $88 plus $13 per employee for Workforce Premium and $134 plus $17 per employee for Workforce Elite, billed monthly. Read on 10 Oct 2026. New customers can take 50% off the base price for the first 3 months.
- What are the QuickBooks Payroll plans?
- The page shows three QuickBooks Payroll plans, sold as QuickBooks Workforce: Workforce Payroll, Workforce Premium and Workforce Elite. It also prices three bundles that add QuickBooks Online accounting: Workforce Payroll with Simple Start, Workforce Payroll with Essentials, and Workforce Premium with Plus.
- Is QuickBooks Payroll free?
- No. The page lists no QuickBooks Payroll free plan. The lowest list price is $50 a month plus $7 per employee per month. The offer terms describe a free 30-day trial of the base price for new customers, which cannot be combined with the 3-month discount and is charged automatically when it ends.
- What is the QuickBooks Payroll price per user?
- There is a fee per employee, not per user: $7 a month on Workforce Payroll, $13 on Workforce Premium and $17 on Workforce Elite, added to a flat base price. On Workforce Payroll, 20 employees cost $50 + 20 x $7 = $190 a month, which is $190 / 20 = $9.50 per employee.
- Is time tracking included with QuickBooks Payroll?
- The page's feature notes say time tracking is available in Workforce Premium and Workforce Elite only. It is not listed on Workforce Payroll, the lowest plan.
- Does QuickBooks Payroll include setup help?
- The page says setup is done for the customer on Workforce Elite, and that the setup is reviewed on Workforce Premium. Neither is listed on Workforce Payroll.
- Does the QuickBooks Payroll discount cover per-employee fees?
- No. The 50% offer covers the monthly base price only. The terms exclude per-employee fees, per-contractor fees, state tax filing fees and other add-on fees, so $7, $13 or $17 per employee is charged in full from the first month.
- Is QuickBooks Payroll billed monthly?
- Yes. Every plan is a monthly base price plus a monthly fee per employee, at list price $50 plus $7 per employee on Workforce Payroll. The page shows no annual price.
- Is there a minimum number of employees for QuickBooks Payroll?
- The page states no minimum for payroll itself. Benefits administration is sold separately and needs 20 or more employees, according to the feature notes.
What this check confirmed
Read off https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/ on 10 Oct 2026 from a US connection, as loaded and after its See all plans button, which opens the payroll-only plans at https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/bundle/. Confirmed: three payroll-only plans in USD with struck-through monthly list prices of $50 + $7/employee (Workforce Payroll), $88 + $13/employee (Workforce Premium) and $134 + $17/employee (Workforce Elite), beside discounted base prices of $25, $44 and $67 marked 50% off for 3 months; three payroll and accounting bundles at list prices of $88 + $7/employee, $135 + $7/employee and $228 + $13/employee, beside $44, $67.50 and $114; the feature lists on each plan card; the page's answer to its question on setup help; and the section Important pricing details and product information, opened in the same capture, whose offer terms and feature notes are used in the catches and the FAQ. Not confirmed: the amounts of the per-contractor fees and state tax filing fees that the offer terms name; whether an annual billing option exists; how the free 30-day trial in the offer terms is chosen, since the page showed only the discount; QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, which the page sells by phone; taxes. The screenshot shows the payroll-only plans, with the offer terms window opened below the prices.
Figures on this file were read off the vendor's own pricing page on the dates shown. Prices change without notice; check before buying.
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