QuickBooks Payroll Pricing, Explained (2026)
Updated July 2026 · Prices verified against vendor sites — payroll pricing changes often; confirm before you buy.
Intuit raised QuickBooks Online Payroll prices effective July 1, 2026. The new structure: Core at $50/month + $6.50 per employee, Premium at $88/month + $15, and Elite at $134/month + $19. Bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting are priced separately and often discounted for the first months.
The tiers gate three things that matter: payment speed (next-day on Core, same-day on Premium and Elite), HR tools and time tracking (Premium and up), and tax-penalty protection up to $25,000 (Elite only). Everything else — automatic federal and state filing, W-2s, direct deposit — is included from Core.
What QuickBooks Payroll really costs per month (July 2026 pricing)
| Team size | Core ($50 + $6.50) | Premium ($88 + $15) | Elite ($134 + $19) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just you (1) | $56.50 | $103 | $153 |
| 5 employees | $82.50 | $163 | $229 |
| 10 employees | $115 | $238 | $324 |
| 25 employees | $212.50 | $463 | $609 |
| 50 employees | $375 | $838 | $1,084 |
Which tier should you actually buy?
Core covers most small teams: full-service payroll, automatic tax filing, next-day direct deposit and year-end forms. Upgrade to Premium when you need same-day pay, built-in time tracking (QuickBooks Time), or HR support — at 10 employees that jump costs $123/month more, so buy it for the features, not the badge.
Elite makes sense in two cases: multi-state complexity you want Intuit to own (white-glove setup, a personal HR advisor) or the $25k tax-penalty protection as insurance. If neither applies, Elite's extra ~$86/month over Premium at 10 employees is hard to justify.
Costs that aren't on the pricing page
Contractor-only payments bill per contractor paid. Multi-state filing is included on Elite but costs extra per additional state on Core and Premium. And the QuickBooks Online accounting subscription is separate — payroll alone doesn't include the books.
Compare before you commit: Gusto's Simple plan ($49 + $6) undercuts Core slightly with benefits admin included, and OnPay's single plan ($49 + $6) bundles HR features Core doesn't have. QuickBooks wins when the native QBO fit does the deciding — see our Gusto vs QuickBooks comparison.
Our verdict
Buy Core if your books are in QuickBooks Online and you need dependable payroll with next-day pay. Step up to Premium only for same-day deposit, time tracking or HR support. If you're not a QuickBooks shop, price out Gusto and OnPay first — at Core-level pricing they include more.
Criteria: post-July-2026 list pricing, feature gates per tier, and total monthly cost at 1–50 employees.
FAQ
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