QuickBooks Desktop Payroll
Payroll software
Employee leave management software
Farm payroll software
Payroll management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if QuickBooks Desktop Payroll and its alternatives fit your requirements.
$70.00 per month
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Real estate and property management
- Construction
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
What is QuickBooks Desktop Payroll
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is an add-on payroll solution for QuickBooks Desktop accounting products that helps small businesses calculate pay, withholdings, and payroll taxes and produce paychecks and payroll reports. It is typically used by organizations that run payroll inside a locally installed QuickBooks Desktop environment and want payroll entries to post directly to their company file. The product is offered in tiers that vary by tax form e-filing/e-payment support and access to tax rate updates, and it relies on Intuit payroll services rather than being a standalone HR platform.
Tight QuickBooks Desktop integration
Payroll runs inside the QuickBooks Desktop workflow and posts payroll expenses, liabilities, and payments directly to the same company file. This reduces duplicate data entry compared with using a separate payroll system and then importing or journalizing results. It also supports payroll reporting that aligns with the Desktop general ledger and job/class tracking where configured.
Tax forms and compliance workflow
The service supports payroll tax calculations and preparation of common payroll tax forms, with capabilities depending on the subscription tier. For eligible tiers, it supports e-filing and e-payment workflows for payroll taxes and provides payroll tax rate updates. This can reduce manual maintenance compared with running payroll calculations without an integrated tax table update mechanism.
Direct deposit and paycheck options
It supports multiple paycheck delivery methods, including printed checks and direct deposit (availability and setup depend on plan and eligibility). The product includes standard payroll items such as earnings, deductions, and employer taxes that map into accounting. This fits businesses that want payroll execution and accounting posting handled in one desktop-based process.
Desktop-first deployment constraints
Because it is tied to QuickBooks Desktop, access and administration are constrained by the desktop installation and the hosting approach used (local PC or third-party hosting). This can be less flexible for distributed teams than browser-based payroll platforms. It also increases dependency on maintaining the Desktop environment, updates, and backups for the company file.
Limited HR and leave management
The product focuses on payroll processing and payroll tax workflows rather than full HR functionality. Leave tracking is typically handled as payroll items/accruals and does not provide the breadth of dedicated leave management features such as advanced policy automation, approvals, and employee self-service found in specialized HR suites. Organizations needing broader HR, onboarding, and device/app management generally require additional systems.
Geography and scaling limitations
Coverage and supported tax forms are primarily oriented to U.S. payroll and may not meet multi-country payroll requirements. As headcount, locations, and compliance complexity grow, administration can become harder to standardize compared with platforms designed for multi-entity and multi-jurisdiction payroll operations. Pricing and feature availability also vary by plan tier, which can affect total cost as needs expand.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll (Enhanced - standalone) | $70.00 per month or $700.00 per year (base) + $7.00 per active employee per month | QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic/Standard discontinued and migrated to Enhanced. Unlimited employee direct deposits included in the employee fee; contractors: $4.00 per direct deposit. Source: Intuit support article. |
| QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (Enhanced payroll included — Gold & Platinum) | Payroll included; per-employee fees billed monthly: First 1–9 employees $3.00/mo; Next 10–29 $2.50/mo; Next 30–99 $1.50/mo; Next 100–219 $1.00/mo; 220+ $0.00/mo | Enhanced payroll tools included with Enterprise Gold/Platinum. Per-employee fees apply only if you run payroll through Enterprise Gold/Platinum; fees billed monthly and capped (per-license cap applies). |
| QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (Assisted Payroll — Diamond) | Assisted Payroll included; $2.50 per employee per pay period (for Diamond) | Assisted Payroll (Diamond) automates filing and payments for you (tax penalty guarantee). 1099 contractor direct deposit: $1.75 per transaction. |
| Free trial (Enterprise) | Free 30-day trial available for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise | QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise free 30-day trial (no credit card required) — Enterprise includes payroll. |
Notes: All pricing and fees sourced exclusively from Intuit/QuickBooks official site (support & product pages). Pricing and terms are subject to change; some legacy Desktop Payroll products were discontinued and migrated to Enhanced.
Seller details
Intuit Inc.
Mountain View, CA, USA
1983
Public
https://www.intuit.com/
https://x.com/intuit
https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuit/
