QuickBooks Workforce vs Tax1099
We give QuickBooks Workforce a 2.4 GPA and Tax1099 a 1.8, out of 4.0. QuickBooks Workforce grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. Tax1099 grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
QuickBooks Workforce
Intuit's payroll and HR service, sold alone or with QuickBooks
Tax1099
E-filing for 1099s, W-2s and other IRS information returns
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAQuickBooks WorkforceFair | 1.8GPATax1099Weak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CWorkforce Payroll is $50 a month plus $7 an employee, so $85 for five, the middle of this category. Half-price base for the first 3 months makes that $60 at first. Time tracking and HR need Premium, which is $153 for five. | BGraded against its own alternatives, as it files forms rather than running payroll. Essential has no yearly fee: 1099s and W-2s are $2.99 each for the first 20, falling to $0.72, plus $0.50 a copy by eDelivery. Teams is $249 a year. Payroll services like Gusto start at $49 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 30-day trial, but it only waives the $50 base: the $7 per employee is still charged, so running a real payroll costs money from day one. Taking the trial also means giving up the 3 months at half price. | FNothing free. Signing up for Essential needs no card or subscription, but every form you file is charged, and there's no trial. That's paying as you go, not trying it out. |
| Features | BIntuit files and pays payroll taxes, pays salaried staff automatically, e-files unlimited 1099s and pays next day. Premium adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, and Elite adds IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year. That covers the whole job. | DNext to its alternatives it does one slice of the job, and does it fully: federal, state and SSA filing, corrections, W-9 collection, TIN checks and recipient copies. But it runs no payroll and pays nobody, so it sits beside your payroll or your books. |
| Ease of use | B4.65 from about 197,000 App Store ratings for the QuickBooks Workforce app, where staff clock in. Premium includes an expert review of your setup, and Elite has an expert set it up for you. | CNo store rating on record. You'll bring in payee names, tax IDs and amounts from a spreadsheet or QuickBooks, Xero or BILL, then choose how the copies go out. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, sitting alongside QuickBooks Online, with QuickBooks Time, Checkr, Vestwell, NEXT Insurance and Mineral connected. No desktop app in the listing. | BWeb only, with QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, BILL, FreshBooks, Sage Intacct, NetSuite and Zapier, and an API on Scale at $349 a year. No phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | businesses already keeping books in QuickBooks | filing 1099s without a payroll service |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: QuickBooks Workforce and Tax1099. How we grade
Price against what you get
QuickBooks Workforce starts at $50 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tax1099 starts at $20.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0.
QuickBooks Workforce scores higher, and starts $29.25 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 2 score higher than QuickBooks Workforce for less, and 4 score higher than Tax1099 for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- QuickBooks Workforce starts at $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly. Tax1099 starts at $249 per year (Teams); Essential has no yearly fee and charges per form.
- Tax1099 has a free plan. QuickBooks Workforce does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only QuickBooks Workforce lists iOS and Android apps.
- QuickBooks Workforce also covers time tracking and payroll.
At a glance
| QuickBooks Workforce | Tax1099 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly | $249 per year (Teams); Essential has no yearly fee and charges per form |
| Free plan | None | Essential plan: no subscription or card needed, but each form filed is charged, from $2.99 for the first 20 1099s or W-2s down to $0.72 each at 501 to 1,000. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the base price, taken instead of the 3-month discount; per-employee fees still apply | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Intuit Inc. | Zenwork, Inc. |
| Price read from | quickbooks.intuit.com | tax1099.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
QuickBooks Workforce
- US businesses already keeping their books in QuickBooks Online
- Small teams that want payroll, time tracking and HR from one vendor
- Employers who want an expert to set up payroll for them
Tax1099
- Small businesses filing 1099s for contractors and vendors
- Accountants and CPAs filing for many clients from one login
- Companies that collect W-9s and check tax IDs before filing
Worth knowing
QuickBooks Workforce
- The advertised prices are 50% off the base fee for the first 3 months; per-employee fees are charged in full from the start.
- Time tracking, HR tools and same-day deposit need Premium; IRS penalty cover and a personal HR advisor need Elite.
- Bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting start at $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee (Workforce Payroll with Simple Start).
- It is Intuit's US payroll, filing with the IRS and US states; Canada has its own QuickBooks payroll site and prices.
Tax1099
- It files information returns and payroll tax forms but does not run payroll or pay anyone, so it is narrower than the payroll services here.
- Each form is charged: $2.99 apiece for the first 20 1099, 1098 or W-2 forms, falling to $0.72 at 501 to 1,000. Over 1,000 forms is quoted.
- Recipient copies cost extra: $0.50 a form by eDelivery, $1.95 printed and mailed in the US, $4.99 abroad. Mail in the season's last 5 days adds $1 each.
- It files only with the IRS, the SSA and US states, runs in a browser with no mobile app, and API access needs Scale at $349 a year.
Key features
QuickBooks Workforce
- Full-service payroll taxes
- Intuit calculates, files and pays payroll taxes, sets up garnishments and deductions, and keeps reports on pay history, tax payments and time off.
- Auto payroll and fast deposits
- Salaried staff on direct deposit can be paid automatically. Payroll pays next day; Premium and Elite pay the same day if run by 7 am.
- Payroll AI
- Collects hours from staff by text or app, spots inconsistencies and drafts a payroll for you to approve. The plans list it by name on Premium and Elite.
- Time tracking in the Workforce app
- Premium and Elite include time tracking by phone or an on-site kiosk, with job schedules; Elite adds geofenced reminders and GPS mileage.
- Hiring and HR
- Premium and Elite add offer letters, digital onboarding, automated I-9s, recruiting, time-off policies and a documents center with e-signatures.
- 1099 e-filing
- Every plan e-files unlimited 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms with the IRS and sends copies to contractors.
Tax1099
- Federal and state e-filing
- Files 1099, 1098, W-2, 94x, 1042-S, 1095 and 990 forms with the IRS and SSA, and state copies through the combined federal and state program or directly.
- Corrections and scheduling
- Files corrected and void forms, schedules filings ahead, resubmits forms the IRS rejected and produces 1096 and W-3 summaries for reference.
- W-9 and W-8 collection
- Requests W-9 or W-8 forms from payees online, priced from $1 for one request to $95 for 1,000, and imports W-9s from PDF.
- TIN matching and address checks
- Checks payee name and tax ID pairs in real time for $1 each or within 24 hours for $0.37, and validates US addresses against USPS records.
- Imports and integrations
- Pulls payee data from CSV or Excel and 12+ no-code integrations such as QuickBooks, Xero, BILL and NetSuite; Scale adds an API for automated filing.
- Recipient copies
- Sends copies to recipients by eDelivery for $0.50 a form, or prints and mails them for $1.95 in the US and $4.99 abroad.
Plans
QuickBooks Workforce
Workforce Payroll$50
per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $25 a month for the first 3 months. Full-service payroll and tax filing, auto payroll, 1099 e-filing and next-day direct deposit.
Workforce Premium$88
per month, plus $13 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $44 a month for the first 3 months. Adds same-day direct deposit, time tracking, hiring, recruiting and an expert setup review.
Workforce Elite$134
per month, plus $17 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $67 a month for the first 3 months. Adds expert setup, IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year, performance reviews and an HR advisor.
Tax1099
Essential$0
No yearly fee; pay per form from $2.99 each. Federal, state and SSA filing, corrections, scheduling, USPS address checks and accounting imports.
Teams$249
per year
Formerly eFile Plus. Everything in Essential plus several users, team creation and 250 free TIN matches.
Scale$349
per year
Formerly Enterprise. Adds API filing, workflow and user management, action tracking, IRS notice management and a free first bulk TIN match.
Ways to pay less
QuickBooks Workforce
- Other savings
50% off the base fee for 3 months
New customers on a monthly plan pay half the base price for the first 3 months, then the regular price. Per-employee and state filing fees are not discounted.
Tax1099
No public discounts listed.
