QuickBooks Online Payroll & Intuit Payroll General Services Disclosures

QuickBooks Online Payroll

Tax Penalty Protection

What is the Tax Penalty Protection?

Our Tax Penalty Protection means we’ve got you covered. If you receive a federal, state, or local payroll tax penalty from an error made while using QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite, we’ll help you resolve it and will reimburse any penalty and interest cost—up to $25,000 a year. It doesn’t matter who made the error. We will make it right.

What you need to do:

You’ll need to meet the following requirements before you can be eligible for the Tax Penalty Protection. See “what’s not covered” below for more information.

  • Automated taxes and forms must be set to ON. This can be adjusted under Payroll Settings → Taxes and Forms
  • Submit your electronic services authorization forms to Intuit so we can enroll you with the applicable federal, state, and local authorities. This way we can submit filings and process tax payments on your behalf. If you expand to new states you’ll need to enroll in electronic services there as well.
  • Let one of our payroll experts help you complete our Elite Expert Review after your initial payroll set-up, and take any necessary actions the expert identifies when checking over your account. This will ensure you’re set up right from the start. Once this review is complete and you take action to resolve any identified issues, your Tax Penalty Protection will be activated and a badge will appear on your overview screen.
  • In order to receive full penalty and interest reimbursement up to $25K, you have 15 days from the date printed on your first notice to send us a copy of your payroll tax notice (all pages) to taxnoticeresolution@intuit.com. Our tax notice resolution team will take it from there. If the team needs additional information from you, they will contact you for follow-up. The team will make three attempts to reach you via email and/or phone, typically over the course of 5 business days. If you don’t respond by end of day after the third attempt, Intuit will no longer be liable for any incremental penalties or incurred interest.

What you’ll get:

  1. Tax notice research and resolution assistance for payroll tax errors that occurred after you started using QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite. We will represent you (before the IRS and other agencies) and help you resolve your problem. *
  2. We’ll cover the penalty and interest for the payroll tax error—up to $25,000 per year (see “what’s not covered” below). First, the notice resolution team will confirm instructions to resolve the notice, including what you should pay and where. We will then refund your bank account via ACH transfer or mail you a paper check. If anyone ever pays unnecessary penalty and/or interest amounts (for notices sent by mistake or for issues that resulted from a government error), the agency may reimburse you directly.
  3. If a tax agency refunds you for a tax penalty we reimbursed you as a part of this Tax Penalty Protection, you will need to reimburse us for those funds.

If you’re doing everything you can to be accurate and resolve problems quickly, we’ve got you covered.

What’s not covered:

  • Payroll taxes. You still owe taxes, but we’ll cover the penalties and interest incurred for any payroll tax mistakes.
  • This Tax Penalty Protection doesn’t apply to other offerings, such as HR advisory services or workers’ comp.
  • Penalties or interest incurred for any non-payroll tax error. These include:
  • Administering employee benefits like health insurance.
  • Situations when your account wasn’t in good standing—Non Sufficient Funds (NSF) holds or credit card billing holds.
  • Mistakes related to your federal, state, or local wage laws but not directly related to the calculation of pay and taxes (e.g. miscalculating overtime or labor law violations such as not paying minimum wage, hiring underage workers, or not paying workers for total hours worked)
  • Miscategorizing worker classifications (like labeling someone as a contractor when they should be an employee).


  • Penalties or interest incurred outside of QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite, including errors made during periods prior to your first payroll date with Elite, from any paychecks run outside of Elite, or from tax payments or tax form filings made outside of Elite, including tax payments or tax form fillings made in other QuickBooks Online Payroll offerings.
  • Penalties and interest incurred after 15 days from the payroll tax notice date (the date found on your notice, not to be confused with the date of receipt of the notice). We will still cover the original penalty and interest identified on your first notice, but will not cover additional penalty or interest accruements if you don’t submit your notice within 15 days of the first notice date.
  • Penalties or interest accrued on an issue that occurred previously, and where Intuit has previously provided instructions to fix. This includes the “What you need to do” section above and is not limited to instructions our specialists provide via email during onboarding, your ongoing product usage, or notice resolution.
  • Penalties or interest due to willful or fraudulent omission or inclusion of information inputted by you to the Payroll Services.
  • Combined penalties and interest over $25,000 per year per business. A payroll tax notice this large is very rare. So, we’ll be on the lookout for any issues that might cause it.

If you have questions along the way, we’re here to help.* We cannot help resolve notices for customers in Collections with the IRS because IRS Collections will only work with businesses directly. We can, however, coach you through it.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Offer Disclaimers

QuickBooks Online Free 30-day Trial Offer Terms

First thirty (30) days of subscription to the QuickBooks Products, starting from the date of enrollment is free. At the end of the free trial, you’ll automatically be charged and you’ll be charged on a monthly basis thereafter at the then-current price for the service(s) you’ve selected until you cancel. If you add or remove services, your service fees will be adjusted accordingly. Sales tax may be applied where applicable. To be eligible for this offer you must be a new QBO customer and sign up for the monthly plan using the "Free 30-Day Trial" option. This offer can't be combined with any other QuickBooks offers. Offer available for a limited time only. To cancel your subscription at any time go to Account & Settings in QBO and select "Cancel." Your cancellation will become effective at the end of the monthly billing period. You will not receive a pro-rated refund; your access and subscription benefits will continue for the remainder of the billing period. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.

Discount offer Discount applied to the monthly or annual price for QuickBooks Online Payroll (“Payroll”) is for the duration stated , starting from the date of enrollment, followed by the then-current monthly or annual list price, dependent on the plan you choose. Your account will automatically be charged on a monthly or annual basis until you cancel. Each employee is an additional $6/month for Core, $9/month for Premium, and $11/month for Elite. Contractor payments via direct deposit are $6/month for Core, $9/month for Premium, and $11/month for Elite, per contractor payment. The service includes 1 state tax filing. If you file taxes in more than one state, each additional state is $12/month for only Core and Premium The discounts do not apply to additional employees and state tax filing fees. If you add or remove services, your service fees will be adjusted accordingly. Sales tax may be applied where applicable. To be eligible for this offer you must be a new Payroll customer and sign up for the monthly plan using the “Buy Now” option. This offer can’t be combined with any other QuickBooks offers. Offer available for a limited time only. To cancel your subscription at any time go to Account & Settings in QuickBooks and select “Cancel.” Your cancellation will become effective at the end of the monthly billing period. You will not receive a pro-rated refund; your access and subscription benefits will continue for the remainder of the billing period. Offer cannot be combined with any other Intuit offer. Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Features

QuickBooks Online Payroll Core Features

  1. Automated tax forms and filings: Automated tax payments and filing available only for state and federal taxes. Enrollment in e-services is required. Local taxes require the user to print the forms and upload it to the necessary local sites. QuickBooks Online Payroll Core does not offer local tax payments and filings. Automatic filings for state new hire paperwork available in QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium and Elite.
  2. Run Payroll Automatically: Auto payroll is available if setup for employees and the company are complete, all employees are salaried employees, all employees are set up on direct deposit, bank verification, e-services is enabled, all employees are located in the same state and the company is not a multi-state company, and the account has not been on hold in the last 6 months.
  3. Health Benefits: Health Insurance benefits are provided by Intuit Insurance Services Inc., a licensed insurance broker, through a partnership with Allstate Health Solutions. Requires acceptance of Allstate's Terms of use and privacy policy. Intuit Insurance Services is owned and operated by Intuit Inc. and is paid a percentage fee of insurance policy premiums by Allstate Health Solutions in connection with the services described on this page.
  4. Workers’ Compensation Benefits: Workers’ comp benefits are powered by NEXT and require acceptance of NEXT’s privacy policy and Terms of Service. Additional fees will apply.
  5. QuickBooks Workforce: Available to employees. Requires an Intuit Account and acceptance of the Intuit Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.
  6. Garnishment and deductions: Available for employees and contractors. User is responsible for making the garnishment payment to the appropriate entity.

Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice. 

QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium Features

  1. Time Tracking: Additional fees may apply. Time tracking included in the QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite subscription services. Features vary.
  2. Same-Day Deposit: Available to QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite users. Payroll processed before 7AM PST shall arrive the same business day (excluding weekends and holidays). Requires setup of direct deposit and bank verification. Same-Day direct deposit may be subject to eligibility criteria. Deposit delays may vary because of third party delays, risk reviews, or issues beyond Intuit’s control. Same-Day Deposit available only for employees..
  3. Expert Review: Available upon request for QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite
  4. QuickBooks Workforce: Available to employees. Requires an Intuit Account and acceptance of the Intuit Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.
  5. Garnishment and Deductions: Available for employees and contractors. User is responsible for making the garnishment payment to the appropriate entity.
  6. Automated tax forms and filing: Automated tax payments and filing available only for state and federal taxes. Enrollment in e-services is required. Local taxes require the user to print the forms and upload it to the necessary local sites. QuickBooks Online Payroll Core does not offer local tax payments and filings. Automatic filings for state new hire paperwork available in QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite only.
  7. Run Payroll Automatically: Auto payroll is available if setup for employees and the company are complete, all employees are salaried employees, all employees are set up on direct deposit, bank verification, e-services is enabled, all employees are located in the same state and the company is not a multi-state company, and the account has not been on hold in the last 6 months.
  8. Health Benefits: Health Insurance benefits are provided by Intuit Insurance Services Inc., a licensed insurance broker, through a partnership with Allstate Health Solutions. Requires acceptance of Allstate's Terms of use and privacy policy. Intuit Insurance Services is owned and operated by Intuit Inc. and is paid a percentage fee of insurance policy premiums by Allstate Health Solutions in connection with the services described on this page.
  9. Workers’ Compensation: Workers’ comp benefits are powered by NEXT and require acceptance of NEXT’s privacy policy and Terms of Service. Additional fees will apply.
  10. HR services: HR support is provided by experts at Mineral, Inc. See Mineral’s privacy policy and Terms of Use. The HR Support Center is available only to QuickBooks Online Premium and Elite subscriptions. HR Advisor support only available in QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite. HR support is not available to accountants who are calling on behalf of their clients.

Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.

QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite

QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite Features

  1. Tax Penalty Protection: If you receive a tax notice and send it to us within 15-days of the tax notice we will cover the payroll tax penalty, up to $25,000. Additional conditions and restrictions apply. See more information about the Tax Penalty Protection here.
  2. HR services: HR support is provided by experts at Mineral, Inc. See Mineral’s privacy policy and Terms of Use. The HR Support Center is available only to QuickBooks Online Premium and Elite subscriptions. HR Advisor support only available in QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite. HR support is not available to accountants who are calling on behalf of their clients.
  3. Support from Experts: Phone and messaging support is included with your paid subscription to QuickBooks Online Payroll. Phone support is available Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PT . Your subscription must be current. Intuit reserves the right to limit the length of the call. Terms conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.
  4. Elite Onboarding: Available to QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite users only.
  5. Same-Day Deposit: Same-Day Deposit available to QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite users. Payroll processed before 7AM PST shall arrive the same business day (excluding weekends and holidays). Requires setup of direct deposit and bank verification. Same-Day direct deposit may be subject to eligibility criteria. Deposit delays may vary because of third party delays, risk reviews, or issues beyond Intuit’s control. Same-Day Deposit available only for employees. QuickBooks Workforce available to employees. Requires an Intuit Account and acceptance of the Intuit Terms of Service and Privacy Statement.
  6. Garnishment and Deductions: Available for employees and contractors. User is responsible for making the garnishment payment to the appropriate entity.
  7. Time Tracking: Additional fees may apply. Time tracking included in the QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite subscription services. Features vary.
  8. Expert Review is available upon request for QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite
  9. Automated tax payments and filing available only for state and federal taxes. Enrollment in e-services is required. Local taxes require the user to print the forms and upload it to the necessary local sites. QuickBooks Online Payroll Core does not offer local tax payments and filings. Automatic filings for state new hire paperwork available in QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite only.
  10. Automatic Payroll: Auto payroll is available if setup for employees and the company are complete, all employees are salaried employees, all employees are set up on direct deposit, bank verification, e-services is enabled, all employees are located in the same state and the company is not a multi-state company, and the account has not been on hold in the last 6 months.
  11. Health Benefits: Health Insurance benefits are provided by Intuit Insurance Services Inc., a licensed insurance broker, through a partnership with Allstate Health Solutions. Requires acceptance of Allstate's Terms of use and privacy policy. Intuit Insurance Services is owned and operated by Intuit Inc. and is paid a percentage fee of insurance policy premiums by Allstate Health Solutions in connection with the services described on this page.
  12. Workers’ Compensation Benefits: Workers’ comp benefits are powered by NEXT and require acceptance of NEXT’s privacy policy and Terms of Service. Additional fees will apply.

Terms, conditions, pricing, special features, and service and support options subject to change without notice.

Intuit Online Payroll

Intuit Online Payroll Basic

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Pay up to 150 employees. Intuit Online Payroll Basic does not include contractor payments or any federal or state form support including tax payment coupons whether electronic or manual. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. W2’s require an active subscription. You are responsible for printing W-2s for your employees and filing with the IRS. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-866-729-2925 or cancel within the product. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit Online Payroll Enhanced

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Pay up to 150 employees. E-File & Pay is available for federal and most state forms and taxes. Check availability at www.payroll.com/onlinefileandpay. You may need to register with tax agencies in order to use E-File & Pay. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. W2’s require an active subscription. You are responsible for printing W-2s for your employees and filing with the IRS. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-866-729-2925 or cancel within the product. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit Full Service Payroll

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Pay up to 150 employees. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. W2’s require an active subscription. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. If you are not completely satisfied, simply contact Intuit within 60 days of purchase for a full refund of the purchase price (excludes employees and other connected services fees). You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-800-446-8848 or 1-800-4Intuit. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit Desktop Payroll

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Basic

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Performance may slow when processing payroll for more than 100 employees. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Basic does not include any federal or state form support including tax payment coupons whether electronic or manual. W2’s require an active subscription. You are responsible for printing W-2s for your employees and filing with the IRS. Direct deposit to W-2s employees is free, but additional fees apply for direct deposit to 1099 vendors. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Basic requires a supported version of desktop QuickBooks. See www.intuit.com/policy for details. Not compatible with QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro for the Mac. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. If you are not completely satisfied, simply contact Intuit within 60 days of purchase for a full refund of the purchase price (excludes employees and other connected services fees). You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-800-446-8848 or 1-800-4Intuit. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Enhanced

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Performance may slow when processing payroll for more than 100 employees. E-File & Pay is available for federal and most state forms and taxes. Check availability at www.payroll.com/fileandpay. You may need to register with tax agencies in order to use E-File & Pay. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. W2’s require an active subscription. You are responsible for printing W-2s for your employees and filing with the IRS. Direct deposit to W-2s employees is free, but additional fees apply for direct deposit to 1099 vendors. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Enhanced requires a supported version of desktop QuickBooks. See www.intuit.com/policy for details. Not compatible with QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro for the Mac. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. If you are not completely satisfied, simply contact Intuit within 60 days of purchase for a full refund of the purchase price (excludes employees and other connected services fees). You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-800-446-8848 or 1-800-4Intuit. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Assisted Service

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Performance may slow when processing payroll for more than 100 employees. Support available Monday-Friday 6 am- 6 pm PST. See www.payroll.com/support for additional information. W-2s require an active subscription. Print W-2s yourself or Intuit can print and deliver to you for an additional fee. Direct deposit to W-2s employees is free, but additional fees apply for direct deposit to 1099 vendors. Intuit QuickBooks Payroll Assisted Service requires a supported version of desktop QuickBooks. See www.intuit.com/policy for details. Not compatible with QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Pro for the Mac. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. If you are not completely satisfied, simply contact Intuit within 60 days of purchase for a full refund of the purchase price (excludes employees and other connected services fees). You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-800-446-8848 or 1-800-4Intuit. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.

Intuit QuickBooks Payroll for Mac Enhanced

Active subscription, Internet access and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) required. 24/7 access requires Internet and is subject to occasional downtime. Pay up to 150 employees. E-File & Pay is available for federal and most state forms and taxes. Check availability at www.payroll.com/onlinefileandpay. You may need to register with tax agencies in order to use E-File & Pay. W-2s require an active subscription required. You are responsible for printing W-2s for your employees and filing with the IRS. QuickBooks Payroll for Mac requires QuickBooks Mac 2006 or higher. Plus sales tax where applicable. Check stock sold separately. You may cancel at any time. To cancel, call us at 1-866-729-2925. Terms, conditions, features, pricing, service and support are subject to change without notice.