Business owners are always on the lookout for better, more efficient ways to do things. When it comes to accounting, payroll and all of those other daily admin tasks, a solution like the high-profile QuickBooks makes a lot of sense.
However, it’s now possible to supplement this with Intuit Online Payroll. The two can work in unison to make one of the best payroll software options currently on the market.
The combination allows you to do a little bit of everything, which is exactly what business owners are looking for in these challenging times.
Intuit is a big corporation and its software is all-encompassing, meaning that business owners can carry out a lot of their workflow within one integrated package.
Using QuickBooks and Intuit Online Payroll as one entity can therefore allow your company and its employees to enjoy much more simplified processes.
This review aims to drill down into just how well the software integrates and discover if it provides all of the value that Intuit’s high-profile marketing suggests.
- Our guide to the best payroll software
Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Plans and pricing
Intuit is always running money-off deals across its entire portfolio of business-focused software, with a current 50% off for 3 months being fairly typical.
There’s a free trial too, which might help seal the deal. Meanwhile, plans are plentiful and varied, depending on your needs.
While Payroll Core and QuickBooks Simple Start used to kick off the range, Payroll Core + Simple Start is the latest iteration – a combination of the two, at $88 per month plus $6.50 per employee per month.
Payroll Core + Essentials only adds a few more features for $125 per month, while Payroll Premium + Plus is a much fuller package, but for a $203/month premium.
Thankfully, that $6.50 per person monthly fee is the same across all packages. Some companies think it’s okay to charge more when paired with higher tiers, so we appreciate Intuit’s standardized pricing here.
Three separate Payroll-only plans – Core, Premium and Elite – are available for $50, $88 and $134 per month, but they lack bookkeeping. QuickBooks Online users can also add payroll at any time from their accounts.
Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Features
What you get in terms of the pairing of QuickBooks and Payroll will obviously depend on which of the packages you head for.
Before, there were Core and Simple Start plans – now, the two have merged into Payroll Core + Simple Start. This plan comes with full-service payroll, 1099 E-File and Pay, next-day direct deposit and plenty more.
All plans can also track income and expenses, organize receipts, invoice and accept payments, track business miles, send estimates and manage 1099 contractors.
Despite being primarily a payroll suite, there are also some HR functionalities, like team management, health benefits and an employee portal.
Higher-tier plans add support for more users, sales channels and even inventory tracking.
In essence then, all plans come with unlimited payroll run capability, the power to calculate paychecks and all applicable taxes, as well as offering ease and convenience thanks to automated processing for taxes and their associated forms.
Companies with employees to consider will find the workforce portal very practical, while the coverage of the software extends to all 50 US states.
Similarly, there is extensive reporting on offer while the ability to manage garnishments and any or all deductions offers the final icing on the cake.
So important is security to Intuit that it actually has an entire security center, dedicated to keeping the entire product suite and its customers safe and secure. Intuit invests lots of money in ensuring its systems have multiple layers of security.
Using the software on a daily basis, you also soon realise just how well it has been engineered, with lots of potential obstacles in place that could foil the likes of scams and phishing attacks.
Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Ease of use
One of the most appealing things about QuickBooks and the Payroll packages Intuit offers is the ease of use that comes with it all.
There’s no doubt that Intuit’s UX teams and engineers have worked long and hard to create products that just work.
The interface experience is invariably a good one no matter where you happen to be inside the suite of software, with a clever use of fonts, colour (mostly green) and graphics.
If you already use Intuit software, you’ll know how easy it is to use, and you should have no learning curve adopting its Payroll software.
If you’re moving from a different provider or new to payroll altogether, Intuit’s software strikes a good balance of surfacing just the right amount of control while maintaining a pretty simple interface. Others in this space might look cleaner and slicker, but that comes at the cost of reduced one-step functionality (fewer of Intuit’s features are buried beneath multi-step processes).
Dealing with normally stressful matters such as payroll is nowhere near as complicated as it used to be, but Intuit makes the job even simpler. Expect lots of automated tasks, plenty of one-click solutions and a healthy supply of practical benefits such as the ability to carry out powerful reporting without become broken in the process.
What you also get with this software is the ability to use it anywhere, with cloud convenience and plenty of mobile or tablet-focused tools that mean you don't have to lug the office laptop everywhere.
Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Support
As you’d expect from a company the size of Intuit, if you’re looking for support then there is plenty on offer.
Certain plans, like Payroll Premium and Elite, offer 24/7 expert support for an upgrade, which is better than having to wait for office hours if you run around the clock.
Customers can use the support hub as their first port of call for everyday questions. There’s a chunky selection of toolbar options to choose from, such as getting started and dedicated topic sections covering core tasks including banking, invoices, taxes and more, plus a healthy training area too.
Intuit also has a healthy community, which is great for networking with likeminded business people who can often supply answers to any kind of question.
Naturally, you can also get directly in touch with support staff, but what is also of added value is the way the Intuit site can hook you up with a QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor, which is a real boon if you’re ever feeling bogged down by the weight of office administration. There’s even a live chat function to do that immediately if matters are pressing.
Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Final verdict
It’s really easy to see why Intuit still manages to rule the roost with so many businesses opting to use its suite of products.
If you’re looking for value then pairing QuickBooks with the Payroll package can solve a lot of headaches. This is a streamlined solution with plenty of potent features and functions that enable quick and easy management of office tasks.
We see it best suited to SMEs and businesses with relatively standard payroll needs, where its relatively affordable pricing and advanced options offer a good breadth of functionality.
Support is generally good and performance is great, plus it forms part of a much wider QuickBooks ecosystem. That means if you’re already using some of the company’s software, you’ll be able to share data between apps.
If you’re not entirely smitten with QuickBooks Payroll, although there’s a trial that lets you see its potential before committing, there are also plenty of alternatives like Gusto.
Anyone needing a muscular HR and payroll solution will find it hard to miss the appeal of Sage Business Cloud Payroll, which comes with the same sort of features as those found in Intuit’s suite of products.
- Read our guide to the best payroll software
