How Much Does Quickbooks Payroll Cost? Hidden Fees & More

Q: Does QuickBooks Payroll support payments to overseas employees or contractors?

For overseas employees, QuickBooks Payroll generally cannot process them as standard employees as payroll tax calculations, reporting, and compliance are tied to local regulations. This means businesses with international staff would typically need to use a separate global payroll solution or an Employer of Record (EOR) service to legally employ and pay workers abroad. For overseas contractors or freelancers, payments through QuickBooks are possible , but they are typically handled outside of payroll processing . For example, payments would be sent through standard international bank transfers, payment platforms, or accounting transactions recorded in QuickBooks rather than run through payroll.

QuickBooks payroll software costs between £5 and £15 per month, plus between £1.50 and £3 per employee per month, depending on the plan you choose. QuickBooks also currently offers 90% off the base subscription price for the first six months on all payroll plans.

It’s important to note that QuickBooks Payroll is only available as an add-on to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks’ accounting software. For this reason, we only recommend QuickBooks’ payroll software to businesses looking for a combined accounting and payroll platform.

We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to all of QuickBooks’ Payroll options and how much they cost. It provides all the details you need on the features and pricing for each of QuickBooks’ payroll plans, and what is and isn’t available in the UK.

Summary of QuickBooks Payroll Costs

QuickBooks only offers two payroll software plans, the Core plan and the Advanced plan:

	Core Payroll	Premium Payroll	Elite Payroll
Cost	£5/month + £1.50 per employee/month	£10/month + £2 per employee/month	£15/month + £3 per employee/month
Current Offer	90% off base price for 6 months	90% off base price for 6 months	90% off base price for 6 months
Payroll Features	Real-time HMRC submissions Weekly or monthly pay runs Statutory payments Auto-enrolment pensions Automatic payroll calculations Payslip creation and sharing Employee portal Payroll reporting	Everything in Core, plus: More advanced payroll workflows Enhanced employee management tools Workforce time tracking and scheduling features Additional payroll reporting	Everything in Premium, plus: Advanced workforce management Project and job tracking More detailed analytics and reporting Enhanced employee and admin controls
HR Features	None	Employee timesheets and rotas Leave management Basic workforce management tools	Advanced workforce management Project tracking Enhanced reporting and employee management tools

The Core and Advanced payroll plans are only available as an add-on to QuickBooks Accounting. They can be added from the £16 per month Simple Start accounting software plan.

QuickBooks Payroll: Expert’s Summary

QuickBooks payroll can work well if you want everything in one place, but it only really pays off if you match the plan quite closely to how your business actually runs.

The product is sold in clear payroll tiers, each with a fixed monthly fee and a bundle of features, like Real-Time Information (RTI) filing, pension auto enrolment and employee self-service, so your job is to decide which of those you will genuinely use rather than just assuming “Advanced” is automatically better value.

Because the pricing is listed per month for each tier, and discounts are time-limited, I would plug the full, non-promotional monthly figure for the plan that fits your current headcount into your forecast.

Run it forward for two or three years and compare that total with what you already spend on payroll, pension admin and any separate tools that QuickBooks payroll would replace.

Paul Thomas HR and organisational change consultant

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Quick overview

QuickBooks is an accounting and payroll software launched in 1983 by US-based company Intuit. Primarily an accounting platform aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, it also packs a payroll solution that works seamlessly with its main product.

Its accounting prowess made it a juggernaut in that market, being used by over 8 million businesses worldwide.

Accounting	Price per month
Sel-employed (no payroll)	£10/month
Simple Start	£16/month (+ from £1.30/month for payroll)
Essentials	£38/month (+ from £1.30/month for payroll)
Plus	£56/month (+ from £1.30/month for payroll)
Advanced	£123/month (+ from £1.30/month for payroll)

How Much Does Each QuickBooks Payroll Plan Cost?

QuickBooks offers three main payroll plans:

Payroll Core: £5 per month + £1.50 per employee
Payroll Premium: £10 per month + £2 per employee
Payroll Elite: £15 per month + £3 per employee

QuickBooks is currently running an introductory offer that gives businesses 90% off the base subscription price for the first six months across all three payroll plans. Employee charges still apply during the promotional period.

There’s also a separate Bureau Payroll product designed for accountants and bookkeepers managing payroll for multiple clients. Unlike Core, Premium, and Elite, Bureau Payroll is a standalone payroll platform rather than an add-on to QuickBooks Online accounting software.

How much does QuickBooks Core Payroll cost?

How much does it cost? £5 per month, plus £1.50 per paid employee, per month (excluding accounting payroll costs).
What features are included? Real-time HMRC submissions, weekly/monthly pay periods, automatic pay runs, statutory payments, and auto pension enrolment, employee portal and basic reporting.
Who’s it for? Businesses run by a single director or small employers seeking a fast and straightforward payroll solution.

QuickBooks’ Core Payroll costs £5 per month, plus £1.30 per employee, and is geared towards small businesses with basic payroll needs that only pay a handful of employees regularly and want an easy way to remain compliant with HMRC.

However, Core Payroll can only be used as an add-on for QuickBooks’ general accounting software. You’ll need to purchase at least the £16 per month Simple Start plan or higher to add it. It can’t be added to QuickBooks’ most basic accounting software plan, the £10 per month Sole Trader plan, designed for self-employed people doing their own taxes and payroll.

What features do you get on the QuickBooks Core Payroll plan?

User-friendly setup: Since Core Payroll integrates directly with QuickBooks’ accounting software, the setup process is generally quick and easy. If there are problems you can find extensive support resources, including help articles, webinars, and customer service via online chat and phone.
HMRC compliance: Core Payroll features real-time information submissions to HMRC for compliance purposes.
Automated pay runs: You can schedule automatic pay runs for directors or salaried employees, along with notifications alerting them to any required actions.
Multiple pay schedules: Core Payroll allows you to accommodate your employees’ different payroll schedules. This means you can pay some employees weekly and others monthly.
Statutory pay support: The software helps calculate and manage statutory payments including Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), and other standard UK statutory payments.
Simplified pension management: Core Payroll has tools for employee assessment, automatic enrolment and pension contributions to providers including NEST.
Employee portal: Employees can easily view and download payslips using an online portal, eliminating the need to hand them out in person or via email.

Is the QuickBooks Core Payroll plan worth the money?

The Core Payroll plan is worth it for very small businesses running basic payroll that need a simple, cheap solution.

However, larger small businesses or medium-sized businesses may find its feature set lacking for the sorts of tasks they need to perform, like setting up multiple different pension schemes or managing timesheets.

Another major downside is that it’s only available as an add-on for QuickBooks’ accounting software.

How much does QuickBooks Premium Payroll cost?

How much does it cost? £10 per month, plus £2 per employee, per month.
What features are included? Everything in Core Payroll, plus more pension schemes and statutory payments, customisable pay frequency, employee self-service, HR features and advanced reporting.
Who’s it for? Employers with slightly more advanced payroll needs that also require basic HR capabilities and detailed, customisable reporting.

QuickBooks’ Premium Payroll plan costs £10 per month, plus £1.30 per employee, and is tailored towards larger businesses that need customisable payroll functionality as well as reporting and HR features for employee compliance and well-being.

Like Core Payroll, Premium Payroll is only available as an add-on for QuickBooks’ general accounting software. Again, you need to sign up for the Simple Start plan (£16 per month) or higher (up to £123 per month for the Premium accounting plan) to get the add-on. You won’t be able to get it with the £10 per month Sole Trader plan.

What features do you get on the QuickBooks Premium Payroll plan?

Customisable pay schedules: Choose from a range of pay schedules including weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll runs.
More pension options: Premium Payroll supports multiple pension schemes with up to five providers, including NEST, Smart Pension, The People’s Pension, NOW: Pensions, and Aviva.
Expanded statutory pay support: In addition to standard statutory payments like SSP, SMP, and SPP, Premium Payroll also supports adoption pay and shared parental leave, as well as other statutory leave calculations.
Comprehensive deductions management: The system can automatically manage deductions such as court orders, cycle-to-work schemes, salary sacrifice arrangements, and benefits in kind (BIKs).
Employee self-service: Employees can securely view and download payslips, and also access tools for submitting timesheets, requesting leave, and submitting expense information via the online portal.
HR and workforce tools: Premium Payroll includes HR features for managing timesheets, rotas, leave, and expenses from a central dashboard.
Enhanced reporting: Premium Payroll includes expanded reporting compared with Core Payroll, with additional payroll reports, customisable report creation, and options for scheduled report delivery.

Is the QuickBooks Premium Payroll plan worth the money?

The Premium Payroll plan is an affordable solution for growing small businesses (typically those with around 10 to 50 employees) that want more flexibility around pay schedules, pensions, employee management, and statutory pay.

Like the Core Payroll plan, the main drawback of the QuickBooks Premium Payroll plan is that it only works as part of QuickBooks Online accounting software.

Many businesses large enough to need the feature set offered by Premium Payroll may instead be looking for a standalone payroll solution and may not want to switch to QuickBooks for their full accounting system.

How much does QuickBooks Elite Payroll cost?

How much does it cost? £15 per month, plus £3 per employee, per month.

What features are included? Everything in Premium Payroll, plus advanced workforce management tools such as project tracking, geofencing-based time tracking, enhanced job costing, and more detailed reporting and analytics.

Who’s it for? Larger small businesses or scaling teams that need more advanced workforce control, project visibility, and deeper payroll reporting alongside standard payroll and HR features.

QuickBooks’ Elite Payroll plan costs £15 per month, plus £3 per employee, and is designed for businesses that need the most advanced payroll and workforce management features in the QuickBooks ecosystem.

Like the other payroll plans, Elite Payroll is only available as an add-on to QuickBooks Online accounting software, so you’ll need a compatible QuickBooks Online subscription before you can use it.

What features do you get on the QuickBooks Elite Payroll plan?

Geofencing and mobile workforce tracking: Use location-based geofencing technology to prompt employees to clock in and out, helping ensure accurate time tracking for mobile or site-based teams.
Project-based collaboration: Employees can add notes and updates within specific projects, improving communication and visibility across teams working on the same jobs.
Job costing and project profitability: Track payroll costs against individual projects or jobs to understand profitability and compare estimated vs actual costs.
Advanced reporting: Access detailed workforce and payroll reports, including deeper insights into job costs, project performance, and labour efficiency.
Time tracking and scheduling tools: Includes integrated time tracking, employee access, and job/shift scheduling features, with mobile app support for remote teams.
Employee self-service portal: Employees can view payslips, P60s, and other documents, and manage basic HR-related tasks through an online portal.
Enhanced pensions support: Connect with a wider range of pension providers and manage contributions more flexibly within payroll.

Is the QuickBooks Elite Payroll plan worth the money?

The Elite Payroll plan is generally worth it for larger or more complex small businesses, but not for every company.

At £15 per month plus £3 per employee, it is the most expensive QuickBooks Payroll option, but it includes the most advanced functionality — especially around workforce management, job costing, and risk reduction.

For businesses that rely on multiple teams, job sites, or project-based work, Elite can add real value. Features like geofencing time tracking, project profitability reporting, and deeper job costing help reduce admin time and improve visibility over labour costs.

How much does QuickBooks Bureau Payroll cost?

Pricing for QuickBooks’ Bureau Payroll software is only quote-based.

Unlike the Core and Advanced Payroll add-on plans, QuickBooks Bureau Payroll is a fully standalone payroll solution geared towards independent accountants who run payroll for clients.

Its feature set includes:

Automated workflow enhancement
Mobile payroll management
Collaborative multi-user access

It can be used with QuickBooks as well as other accounting software solutions, including Xero, Sage, FreshBooks and FreeAgent.

How Much Does QuickBooks Accounting Software Cost?

QuickBooks has five accounting software plans that cost between £10 and £123 per month. However, the payroll add-on is only available from the £16 per month Simple Start plan.

Remember, QuickBooks’ main payroll plans, Core Payroll and Advanced Payroll, are only available as add-on products to QuickBooks’ accounting software.

For more details on how much QuickBooks Accounting costs, see our full pricing guide.

What Hidden Fees Does QuickBooks Have?

While QuickBooks is generally fairly transparent about its pricing, businesses should be aware of less obvious costs which can add up over time — including add-on services, payment processing fees and instant deposit costs.

Payroll add-ons: QuickBooks Payroll is not included in standard accounting subscriptions and must be purchased separately. In the UK, Core Payroll costs around £5 per month, plus £1.30 per employee, per month, while Advanced Payroll costs around £10 per month, plus £1.30 per employee.
Payment processing fees: If you use QuickBooks Payments to accept card or bank payments from customer invoices, transaction fees apply on every payment received. Typical charges include 2.99% for online card payments, 2.5% for in-person card payments, and 3.5% for manually entered card details.
Same-day payout fees: QuickBooks promotes fast invoice payments, but quicker deposits and some ACH/bank transfer options can involve additional processing charges or premium payment rates.
Chargeback fees: If a customer disputes a card payment, QuickBooks can apply chargeback penalties in addition to reversing the original payment. Users commonly report fees of roughly £20–£40 per disputed transaction, depending on the merchant account setup.

What Are the Best QuickBooks Payroll Alternatives?

QuickBooks is an ideal payroll platform for businesses looking to handle bookkeeping and payroll tasks on one platform, through its single-pane-of-glass management. However, the service’s reliance on its accounting platform makes it less cost effective for those who only need standalone payroll software.

Xero is often preferred by accountants thanks to its cleaner interface, stronger bank reconciliation tools and larger integration ecosystem, with plans starting from around £16 per month for basic accounting software. However, payroll features and additional users can quickly increase the monthly cost, especially for growing businesses.

Sage is another strong alternative, particularly for small businesses with tighter budgets or simpler payroll requirements. Unlike QuickBooks, Sage offers more flexible payroll-only options, allowing businesses to avoid paying for accounting features they may not need, and lets businesses access payroll and accounting services from just £31.60 per month.

		Price range	Key features
SPONSORED Xero	QuickBooks	Iris Staffology	TopSource	Sage

Accounting: From £16/month Payroll: £1.50/employee/month	Accounting: From £16/month Payroll: From £5/month + £1.50/employee	From £39/month	Custom pricing	Accounting: From £21.60/month Payroll: From £10/month
Accounting software with native payroll software add-on	Native add-on payroll tool Mobile time-tracking integration Tipped employee support Customizable pay types	Integrates with several accounting tools: Sage Xero Reckon One AccountsIQ QuickBooks Twinfield	Payroll software/services with accounting service and accounting software integrations: Xero Sage MS Dynamics Navision Coda QuickBooks Tally	Offers native payroll, HR and accounting software

See our full review for a more detailed look at the best accounting and payroll software platforms.

How We Reviewed QuickBooks Payroll

We regularly research a wide range of market-leading payroll products and services to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, data security and customer support, so we can make the most useful recommendations for UK businesses.

Our rigorous research process means these products have been scored and rated in five main categories of investigation and 10 subcategories — in fact, we covered 56 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting’ to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs and requirements of Expert Market readers.

Our main testing categories for payroll products and services are:

Control: The level of customisation and flexibility provided by the payroll software in managing and processing payroll, such as the ability to define pay periods, set up tax withholding rules and manage employee data.
Data security: The measures and protocols implemented by the payroll software to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive payroll information.
Expertise: The level of knowledge and guidance provided by the payroll software vendor or support team. This can include resources such as documentation, tutorials and training materials.
Scalability: The ability of the payroll software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of a business, including the capacity to handle an increasing number of employees and support multiple locations or entities.
Customer support: The various channels and methods available for users to seek assistance and support from the payroll software vendor, such as email or ticket-based support, phone support, or live chat.

Verdict: How Much Does QuickBooks Payroll Really Cost?

QuickBooks’ Core Payroll plan costs £5 per month + £1.50 per employee per month,
The Premium Payroll plan costs £10 per month + £2 per employee per month
The Elite Payroll plan costs £15 per month + £3 per employee per month.

Both are only available as paid add-ons to a QuickBooks accounting software plan, with the cheapest plan payroll is available on being the £16 per month Simple Start plan.

Additionally, QuickBooks offers a Bureau Payroll plan, which is a standalone plan with custom pricing aimed at independent accountants managing payroll for multiple clients and across a variety of third-party accounting software.

For payroll-focused alternatives to QuickBooks Payroll, check out our article on the five best cloud-based payroll solutions.

Meet our Expert author

Paul Thomas

Paul Thomas is an organisational development specialist with more than 20 years of senior HR and change management experience at global companies, including Morgan Stanley, HelloFresh and Babbel. He designs practical, behaviour-driven systems that improve workforce operations, leadership capability and digital tool adoption. His work aims to bridge strategy and execution, helping organisations create the conditions for smoother workflows, clearer communication and sustained performance.

FAQs

How do I switch from another provider to QuickBooks Payroll?

Switching to QuickBooks Payroll typically involves transferring your employee payroll data, tax information, and pay schedules from your current provider into the new system. Most businesses can complete the setup within a few days, especially if switching at the start of a tax month or financial quarter.

To make the transition smoother, gather key records in advance, including employee details, year-to-date payroll totals, tax filings, pension information, and bank account data. QuickBooks Payroll provides guided onboarding tools and migration support to help import payroll information and reduce manual entry.

Does QuickBooks Payroll support payments to overseas employees or contractors?

For overseas employees, QuickBooks Payroll generally cannot process them as standard employees as payroll tax calculations, reporting, and compliance are tied to local regulations. This means businesses with international staff would typically need to use a separate global payroll solution or an Employer of Record (EOR) service to legally employ and pay workers abroad.

For overseas contractors or freelancers, payments through QuickBooks are possible, but they are typically handled outside of payroll processing. For example, payments would be sent through standard international bank transfers, payment platforms, or accounting transactions recorded in QuickBooks rather than run through payroll.

What are the UK phone support hours for QuickBooks Payroll?

QuickBooks Payroll UK phone support is typically available during standard business hours, usually Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (UK time), excluding public holidays.

Support availability will vary depending on your subscription plan, though, with higher-tier plans offering extended support options or faster response times. Outside of these hours, users can still access help through the online knowledge base, community forums and in-app support resources.

QuickBooks Payroll: How Much Does it Actually Cost?