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Compare QuickBooks Payroll plans

by Intuit•38• Updated 2 weeks ago

QuickBooks Payroll is designed to grow with your business. You can start with the features you need today and add capabilities like time tracking or advanced reporting as your needs evolve. This three-plan structure allows you to upgrade or downgrade seamlessly as your business changes, without the need for complex data migration.

Learn more about QuickBooks plans and pricing here.


Core, Premium, and Elite

QuickBooks Payroll comes in three plans designed for different needs. Here is a brief overview of who each product is for:

  • Core: Simple, accurate, and compliant payroll for first-time employers or directors.
  • Premium: The Core Payroll plan plus key features. With time tracking and expert setup, ideal for growing businesses or accountants managing multiple clients.
  • Elite: A comprehensive payroll and workforce management solution with job costing and advanced reporting, built for complex, mid-market, or project-based businesses.

Use the feature checklist below to compare options and choose the best fit for you.


Feature comparison checklist

To help you compare, features are grouped by category.

FeatureCore PayrollPremium PayrollElite Payroll
HMRC recognised✔✔✔
Automatically calculates NI, tax and student loans✔✔✔
Pay schedulesWeekly, Monthly, 2 Weekly, 4 WeeklySame as CoreSame as Core
Generate payslips✔ ✔✔
Automated payroll✔✔✔
Automatically submit FPS to HMRC✔✔✔
Calculates Statutory PaymentsSSP, SMP, SPP, SNCPSame as CoreSame as Core
Reporting✔✔✔
FeatureCore PayrollPremium PayrollElite Payroll
Supports multiple pension schemes✔✔✔
Automatic pension submissionsNESTNEST, Smart Pensions, The People's PensionNEST, Smart Pensions, The People's Pension
Post payroll costs to QuickBooks (Journals)✔✔✔
Automatic tax code updates ✔✔✔
Report CIS suffered to HMRC✔✔✔
FeatureCore PayrollPremium PayrollElite Payroll
Employee self-serve portal (Workforce)View payslips, org chart, document upload, employee profile, HMRC documents (P60)Same as CoreSame as Core
QuickBooks Time integrationâś–Time Tracking, Employee access, Job and shift scheduling, Workforce mobile app accessTime tracking, employee access, job & shift scheduling, workforce mobile app access, geofencing, project-based collaboration, project reports
FeatureCore PayrollPremium PayrollElite Payroll
Multi-currency support✖✔✔
Number of users1 userIncludes up to 3 usersIncludes up to 5 users
Track project profitabilityâś–âś–âś”
Track stock✖✖ ✔
Create and manage budgets✖✖ ✔
Track classes and locationsâś–âś–âś”