QuickBooks Payroll Reviews

“Locked out after one bounced check”

Pros

It is user friendly for our small family-run shop, at least until we had a couple of rough months. Out of 30 checks, only one bounced during the last three payroll runs I processed and now I am completely locked out and cannot access any of my information.

Cons

There's no way for me to back up my files or keep copies of any records.

“helpful support every time”

Pros

Whenever I need help, reaching customer support is simple. The technicians are consistently knowledgeable, friendly and pleasant to work with.

Cons

The W2 filing process really needs clearer instructions. I have had to call several times with very basic questions because there just isn't enough written documentation available.

“Fast payroll and huge time savings”

Pros

Between the time it saves and how simple payroll is to run, this has been a big win for us. Not having to handle all of those government reports ourselves is a huge relief and the sync with TSheets makes the whole process even better. We really love how quickly we can get payroll done.

Cons

Honestly we don't have any complaints. We truly have no cons at all.

“user-friendly payroll navigation”

Pros

The interface feels very user friendly and most of the time it's simple to move around and find what I need.

Cons

There are moments when it can still get a little confusing, although some of that comes down to my own level of knowledge and experience.

“buggy app and broken support”

Pros

My accountant relies on it and the payroll service itself is useful.

Cons

Using the Mac app has been a mess. It constantly times out, runs slowly and feels full of bugs. Even the help options are broken as the email support link opens a null email so it's unusable. The callback scheduling button also doesn't work which means digging around to find a second callback option that actually functions. I tried chat support several times and after waiting forever, every conversation ended with sorry, we cannot help, you need to talk to someone on the phone and then phone support is only available during limited hours. If the software worked better, the support wouldn't bother me as much because I wouldn't need it nearly as often but it really feels like nobody cares.

“accurate payroll you can trust”

Pros

The biggest reason I value QuickBooks Payroll is also the one that matters most and that it's accurate. Tax rates and payroll rules stay updated which is essential when regulations keep changing. During payroll runs, it automatically calculates and tracks everything correctly, including annual salary, vacation and sick time, holiday pay, withholding tax and unemployment tax. That saves me from doing manual calculations, trying to keep up with tax law changes or worrying about costly errors.

Cons

One thing that really bothers me about QuickBooks Payroll is the price. I only use the Enhanced Payroll subscription that works with QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online so I am still handling the actual payroll processing and payroll tax work myself instead of getting a more complete full-service option. Because of that, paying several hundred dollars a year for the subscription feels unreasonable especially since the cost keeps going up. On top of that there's also a separate charge for each direct deposit check. Still, I depend heavily on what QuickBooks Payroll can do so I keep using it despite my frustration with the cost. I honestly haven't found a better alternative so it feels like I am stuck with it.

“paycheck and tax form access”

Pros

Having everything in one place makes this software really useful for checking paychecks and tax forms. Once your account is set up, you can look up paychecks from any time period, see the exact amount deposited into your bank for each check and also track the total paid to date. It also lets you download any paycheck whenever you need it, update your bank details and check how many days are included in each pay period.

Cons

The only limitation is that your employer or organization has to create the account and enter the information for you. On your side, it's mainly for viewing paychecks and making edits to tax-related details.

“clients should control tax timing”

Pros

Customer support has been excellent and the software itself performs well but there's a major concern.

Cons

A big issue is that my clients will no longer have the option to decide when or even whether, to pay their federal and state payroll taxes on their own schedule. I work only with new and small businesses and while I always make sure they understand the risks of paying payroll taxes late, there are plenty of situations where they choose a different payment date or decide to push those taxes into the following month. That flexibility is now gone. QuickBooks is making the call on when taxes get paid instead of letting my clients choose their own timing. Because of that, I'll likely be moving some clients away from QBO and IOP payroll if that's what it takes to keep them. At the end of the day, shouldn't the client be the one deciding their own financial path?

“reliable payroll and 1099 tracking”

Pros

QuickBooks Payroll has been a really great payroll tool. It was simple to get everything set up and paying employees by direct deposit or check is very convenient. It also works well for setting up 1099s and keeping track of employees' yearly pay.

Cons

One part that can be a little time consuming is setting up test accounts if you'd rather not use your bank information to sign in through QuickBooks Payroll. Aside from that, it's pretty easy to use.

“payroll filing and employee access”

Pros

Getting payroll done with this software is very easy. It also includes everything we need to manage deductions, different pay types, vacation accruals, 401K, flex plan deductions and more. Employees can view their check stubs online anytime by logging in and they automatically get an email when their paycheck is ready to review. Entering payroll data is simple and QuickBooks also handles the federal and state forms and payments for us. Since we already use QuickBooks for the business, we were able to set it up to post payroll directly into the general ledger automatically which saves a lot of time and helps cut down on mistakes.

Cons

One limitation is that if you do not begin using this payroll software when you first set up QuickBooks, you cannot retain your previous payroll history. If you are planning to switch from another payroll system, it is best to make the change at the start of your fiscal year.

“simplicity hurt by sunset policies”

Pros

Tracking income and expenses is pretty easy and the overall setup is simple to use.

Cons

The bigger frustration is the company's sunset policies. With the new 2020 program, it looks like the option to add a client company to my accountant payroll subscription is no longer available. I spent about 1.5 hours searching the website for anything that clearly explained this change but found nothing. The information they provide about adding a company feels misleading since it only references 2017, 2018 and 2019. By leaving out 2020, they seem to expect users to assume the service is no longer offered. If that turns out to be the case, these sunset policies will prevent me from continuing to provide this service to my clients. I don't understand why they cannot just plainly say, This service is no longer available. I'll be calling on the next business day to confirm what appears to be a very poor policy change.

“payroll tasks handled brilliantly”

Pros

Handling payroll checks through QuickBooks Payroll has been really convenient and it automatically calculates all the taxes for you. On top of that you can pay your liabilities directly in the software and it also generates all the payroll forms you need.

Cons

I do like the software but the pricing keeps increasing every year which makes it difficult for some people to keep paying that much.

“simple payroll savings”

Pros

The visual layout made the software look really user-friendly and once I went through the steps a couple of times, repeating the process became pretty simple. It didn't take too long to get comfortable with how everything worked and being able to handle payroll myself instead of paying someone else to do it helped me save money.

Cons

Learning the system still took more effort than with some other software I have used before. On top of that customer support wasn't very responsive and getting timely answers or useful suggestions was frustrating.

“helpful for family finances”

Pros

QuickBooks Payroll worked well for our family business and helped us keep our finances organized.

Cons

After a long day of work, it was tiring to sit down and work through the system just to navigate everything and enter all the information.

“payroll is a complete mess”

Pros

At this point nothing really feels like a benefit anymore. The service is terrible and the system is so restricted that it doesn't even function the way it should.

Cons

Seriously, avoid QuickBooks Online Payroll if you care about your time or your sanity. The service is awful, the whole payroll system is a mess and it feels like they should stop trying to force this version. QuickBooks works well enough for bookkeeping but payroll is where it completely falls apart. I used the desktop version for more than 20 years and never had these kinds of problems. Moving books to the cloud makes sense now but when it comes to cloud payroll, they really missed the mark. And judging by what you can find online, this is clearly not just my experience.

“reliable payroll records kept us going”

Pros

A few years back, we handled payroll for a daycare and used QuickBooks Payroll to manage everything.

Cons

It wasn't always the most user-friendly system. The pricing was higher than we anticipated and added charges for extras like 1099s made it harder to justify. Even so, we kept using it because all of the payroll information was already in there and transferring or updating records was simple enough.

“smooth payroll integration”

Pros

Having everything so accessible has been a big plus. I have used Intuit Payroll with QuickBooks Desktop for years and having the two integrated has really made things much simpler on my end.

Cons

The transition ended up being more involved and took more time than I originally expected. I assumed moving from Intuit Full Payroll Service to QBO Full Payroll would happen quickly but there were clearly some behind-the-scenes factors I wasn't aware of that slowed things down. Even with that, the switch has been very positive overall. It's not really a downside but I'd definitely suggest that future customers make sure their desktop version is fully up to date before exporting, then put the desktop version aside and continue with the online version. That will save a lot of bookkeeping time.

“poor proadvisor support experience”

Pros

QuickBooks is fairly simple to work with and the pricing is reasonably affordable. That said it keeps becoming less compatible with other platforms and it feels like it is turning more and more outdated for what my business needs.

Cons

Dealing with QuickBooks Pro Advisor support has been one of the most frustrating support experiences I have had. I have spent multiple calls, each lasting more than an hour, just trying to get help with ongoing issues. Nothing has been resolved yet and I still cannot reach anyone who can give me a clear answer. It is definitely not a customer-friendly support setup.

“fantastic payroll reporting”

Pros

Using this software has been very easy. It makes the accounting process much more efficient and the reports include all the information I need.

Cons

I honestly haven't run into anything I dislike about this software.

“handy app for payroll on the go”

Pros

Having a QuickBooks app makes a big difference because we can get into our account even while working on the road. The program is also very user-friendly so it doesn't take much effort to find what we need and get things done.

Cons

One downside is that the help feature isn't always as useful as I expect it to be. That said once I am connected with an actual person, they consistently answer all of my questions.