QuickBooks Workforce
Intuit's payroll and HR service, sold alone or with QuickBooks
QuickBooks Workforce report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for businesses already keeping books in QuickBooks
QuickBooks Workforce is Intuit's payroll, and if your books are already in QuickBooks Online it's the natural pick: taxes filed, salaried staff paid automatically, 1099s e-filed. It's $85 a month for five people. The extras most teams want, time tracking and HR, sit on Premium at $153.
Who QuickBooks Workforce is for
- Great if your books already live in QuickBooks Online
- Handy when salaried staff are paid the same every time and payroll can run itself
- Good for owners who want an expert to set payroll up for them, on Elite
Who QuickBooks Workforce is not for
- Pricey if you need time tracking, which starts on Premium at $88 plus $13 an employee
- Skip it if the intro price sold you: the half-price base lasts 3 months, and per-employee fees are full from the start
- Not for you if you pay staff in Canada, which has its own QuickBooks payroll site and prices
Why QuickBooks Workforce gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyWorkforce 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.
- DFree plan and trialA 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.
- BFeaturesIntuit 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.
- BEase of use4.65 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, sitting alongside QuickBooks Online, with QuickBooks Time, Checkr, Vestwell, NEXT Insurance and Mineral connected. No desktop app in the listing.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Intuit's own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/quickbooks-payroll#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/quickbooks-payroll.svg" alt="QuickBooks Workforce: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where QuickBooks Workforce stands among payroll services
QuickBooks Workforce's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9.
It stands best on features (B, above 6 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 14).
Its paid plans start at $50 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. QuickBooks Workforce’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 18, level with 11
- DFree plan and trialAbove 14 of 18
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 18, level with 12
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 18, level with 3
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 18, level with 16
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 payroll services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep QuickBooks Workforce, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace QuickBooks Workforce you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $600 a year.
What you could make
- Time tracking: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time and Checkr among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. QuickBooks Workforce’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is QuickBooks Workforce?
QuickBooks Workforce is Intuit's payroll service, the product its app listings still call QuickBooks Payroll. Every plan calculates, files and pays payroll taxes, runs automatic payroll for salaried staff and e-files 1099s. Premium adds time tracking, hiring and HR tools, and Elite adds expert setup and cover for IRS penalties. It can be bought on its own or bundled with QuickBooks Online accounting.
QuickBooks Workforce is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly. See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
QuickBooks Workforce pricing
- Starts at
- $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the base price, taken instead of the 3-month discount; per-employee fees still apply
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll | $50per 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 | $88per 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 | $134per 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. |
Read from quickbooks.intuit.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with QuickBooks Workforce before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savings50% 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.
Stated on quickbooks.intuit.com
How people rate the QuickBooks Workforce app
4.6
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars84%
- 4 stars7%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars1%
- 1 star5%
197,223 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
- QuickBooks Online
- QuickBooks Time
- Checkr
- Vestwell
- Allstate
- NEXT Insurance
- Mineral
QuickBooks Workforce alternatives
- QuickBooks Workforce vs Gusto
From $49/mo
- QuickBooks Workforce vs OnPay
Free trial · from $49/mo
- QuickBooks Workforce vs Square Payroll
From $6/mo
Common questions
Is QuickBooks Workforce free?
No, QuickBooks Workforce is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial of the base price, taken instead of the 3-month discount; per-employee fees still apply.
How much does QuickBooks Workforce cost?
QuickBooks Workforce lists 3 plans. Workforce Payroll: $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly. Workforce Premium: $88 per month, plus $13 per employee, billed monthly. Workforce Elite: $134 per month, plus $17 per employee, billed monthly. Prices were read from quickbooks.intuit.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does QuickBooks Workforce work on?
QuickBooks Workforce is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does QuickBooks Workforce offer any discounts?
QuickBooks Workforce publicly lists the following: 50% off the base fee for 3 months.
How is QuickBooks Workforce rated?
QuickBooks Workforce's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 197,223 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does QuickBooks Workforce have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. QuickBooks Workforce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does QuickBooks Workforce have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. QuickBooks Workforce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is QuickBooks Workforce open source?
QuickBooks Workforce is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does QuickBooks Workforce integrate with?
QuickBooks Workforce's listing names QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, Checkr, Vestwell, Allstate, NEXT Insurance and Mineral. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes QuickBooks Workforce?
QuickBooks Workforce is made by Intuit Inc.
What are the alternatives to QuickBooks Workforce?
The closest alternatives to QuickBooks Workforce in our directory are Gusto, RUN Powered by ADP, OnPay, Square Payroll and Paychex Flex. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with QuickBooks Workforce.
How does QuickBooks Workforce compare with other payroll services?
QuickBooks Workforce's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9. It stands best on features (B, above 6 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 14).
Is QuickBooks Workforce good value for money?
ToolGPA grades QuickBooks Workforce C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $50 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of QuickBooks Workforce?
To replace QuickBooks Workforce you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $600 a year. What you could not make: Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. It plugs into other products, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time and Checkr among them. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.