The Pros & Cons of QuickBooks Online vs Desktop

pros and cons of quickbooks payroll

This clearinghouse for payment and filing information makes it easy to see past and anticipated activity at a glance. Employers can now upload IRS notices they’ve received into QuickBooks Payroll and receive assistance and updates on the notice’s status. If you provide benefits like paid time off, you have to fill in the blanks and choose from lists to describe how they are accrued (per hour? each pay period?) and how many hours are added at that point. QuickBooks Payroll lists HSA plans, health insurance, retirement plans, and Flexible Spending Accounts, though you can add loan and cash-advance repayments and other deductions. Phone and messaging support is included with all QuickBooks Payroll subscriptions. All payroll support is U.S. based, and available during regular business hours.

  • Furthermore, with the QuickBooks Assisted payroll service, you can get all your tax filings, and the experts will handle payroll management processes.
  • When choosing a new (or your first!) payroll program, one of the first things to consider is whether you need a cloud payroll solution or a desktop solution.
  • Employers can now upload IRS notices they’ve received into QuickBooks Payroll and receive assistance and updates on the notice’s status.
  • For business owners who prefer to pay employees via paychecks, QuickBooks Payroll has check printing capabilities.
  • Contact ADP to get a get a quote for how much ADP would cost for your business.
  • OnPay educates employees about the retirement plan and how it benefits them.

Additionally, businesses that are first-time users of QuickBooks’ contractor payments package can get either a 30-day free trial or 50% off its base fee. However, if you must pay both employees and contractors, you must sign up for one of QuickBooks Payroll’s plans. QuickBooks Payroll offers transparent pricing, so you know just how much you need to pay when running payroll through its platform. While its monthly fees are reasonably priced, its unlimited pay runs also help to keep the costs down, unlike other payroll providers that charge fees on a per-employee and per-pay run basis. These factors contributed to QuickBooks Payroll getting perfect marks in this criterion. Intuit® boasts of devising the industry’s best accounting solutions for small and mid-sized businesses.

Procedure for QuickBooks Migration from Online to Desktop

ADP’s two highest-tiered plans — Complete and HR Plus — automatically come with benefits administration. Small businesses with the Essential or Enhanced plan must pay additional fees for this service. Customization is a major perk with ADP, and this extends to benefits administration too. Intuit Online covers all the basic functions of payroll across its three plans. The admin portal is straightforward and intuitive, with separate tabs for employees, contractors, and benefits.

pros and cons of quickbooks payroll

Learn more about QuickBooks Online Payroll to determine whether it is an ideal solution for your business. Gusto users can get same-day direct deposit if they sign up for Gusto Wallet. QuickBooks Payroll Core has next-day direct deposit while the pros and cons of quickbooks payroll Premium and Elite plans have same-day deposit. QuickBooks Payroll calculates, files and pays all federal and state payroll taxes automatically. All the relevant tax forms for regular employees as well as contractors are generated automatically.

Product and Service Reviews

PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. The payroll reports include Employee Details, Payroll Summary, Total Payroll Cost to Workers’ Compensation, among others. Once you’ve customized one, you can save the format as a custom report. «How much do you pay Dave?» is the introduction to the next task, where you indicate whether Dave is paid an hourly rate, salary, or on commission only. If Dave’s work schedule is generally the same, you can set it as the default and change it during payroll when necessary.

  • We can provide clear, in-depth, and up-to-the-minute insight into your business, allowing you to spend less time on finances, and more time on the big picture.
  • Your payroll numbers will automatically sync with your QuickBooks Online account, which makes e-filing payroll taxes about as easy as possible.
  • Some of Knit’s standout HR features include an employee database, e-signature documents, employee performance reviews, employee onboarding, a cloud-based document repository, and vacation tracking.
  • Run payroll on any device with taxes, compliance & reporting built-in.
  • Jamie has written about a variety of B2B topics like finance, business funding options and accounting.

With its mobile app, your staff can clock in/out, switch jobs or tasks, and check their attendance while on the go. It has GPS functionalities, allowing you to check your field employees’ location when they clock in. QuickBooks Payroll files state and federal unemployment insurance and works with AP Intego for workers’ comp to get you the best plan price. Managing workers’ compensation is also made easy since AP Intego integrates your plan directly into QuickBooks Payroll.

Remote Access

Try our free TEC Advisor Tool for a hassle free comparison of leading solutions. You can currently save 50% on the first three months of your QuickBooks Online + QuickBooks Payroll subscription now with their extended Cyber Monday deal. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

pros and cons of quickbooks payroll

With OnPay you can group employees by schedule, which allows you to pay each group uniquely at specific times. On the downside, if you use the online version of QuickBooks instead of the on-premises software program, you run the risk of exposing important financial information to Internet hackers. Intuit and QuickBooks Online also offer a mileage and expense tracking app called QuickBooks Self-Employed. Former Business.org staff writer Kylie McQuarrie has been writing for and about small businesses since 2014. Her work has been featured on SCORE.org, G2, and Fairygodboss, among others.

QuickBooks Payroll’s key features

Inventories are critical to the survival of any company, from retailers with ready-made products to manufacturers with raw materials. Time and money are two of the most important resources that any business can utilize to work efficiently and improve performance. The invoice also calculates the taxes on sales of every invoice so that you can always know what you owe and earn. Reports are a part of your daily analysis that help you understand the business’ position and trends. With QuickBooks, you can customize these reports to meet your specific needs.

Intuit and QuickBooks Online provide a mobile app called QuickBooks Accounting. Some user reviews aren’t favorable for the mobile app, which offers limited features. Try using your mobile device web browser to access more QuickBooks Online features if you’re in the field with Internet access. Both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users can apply for optional QuickBooks Payments processing by Intuit Merchant Services. IMS charges transaction fees and other fees for accepting customer credit card, debit card, online invoice, and ACH payments.

As a full-service payroll provider, QuickBooks Online Payroll automatically calculates paychecks, deducts payroll taxes , and remits those taxes on your behalf. QuickBooks’ payroll service also prepares end-of-year tax filings, draws up W-2 and 1099 payroll tax forms, and submits those forms to the IRS on your behalf. Note that 1099 e-filing costs extra and applies to federal taxes only. Payroll software can save you time and money by automating tax filing, direct deposit and employee self-service. It can also help you manage your payroll, HR, benefits and talent from a single platform.

pros and cons of quickbooks payroll

QuickBooks Online doesn’t offer these features, and there’s no support for inventory management. It is general accounting software, which explains the lack of such features. Getting started with QuickBooks Payroll is surprisingly easy, especially if you’re already using the vendor’s accounting software. Existing QuickBooks customers can just sign into their account and add on the payroll package. If you’re interested in the payroll-only plans but have complex needs, you may want to speak to a customer service representative.

What are the benefits of QuickBooks Payroll?

  • Automated federal and state tax calculation, filing and payments.
  • Automatic pay runs when set up.
  • 1099 e-filing and payment.
  • Next-day direct deposit.
  • Expert product support.
  • Health benefits and 401(k) administration.
  • Robust payroll reports that can be saved as well as downloaded.