Prices checked 2026-10-19
OnPay vs QuickBooks Payroll: one flat fee vs bundles
OnPay sells one payroll plan; QuickBooks sells three, plus bundles with its accounting software. Here is what each costs by crew size at the regular price.
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The short answer
- Cheapest plan that files your payroll taxes: OnPay Payroll Essentials ($49/mo + $6/person) vs QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll ($50/mo + $7/person).
- By crew size, at regular prices: 1 to 50 people: OnPay costs less.
- For 5 people: OnPay $79/mo vs QuickBooks Payroll $85/mo ($948 vs $1,020 a year).
- Where those two plans differ, from each vendor’s pages: Job costing: OnPay Not stated, QuickBooks Payroll No; Multi-state: OnPay Yes, QuickBooks Payroll Not stated; Time tracking: OnPay Add-on, QuickBooks Payroll No; Workers' comp: OnPay Yes, QuickBooks Payroll Add-on; Next-day deposit: OnPay Not stated, QuickBooks Payroll Yes.
Price comparisons use regular monthly list prices on each vendor’s cheapest plan that files and deposits payroll taxes. Features differ by plan; check the table below.
Cheapest full-service plan, by crew size
Each side’s lowest-cost plan that files payroll taxes at that crew size: base fee + per-person fee × crew. Year = monthly × 12.
| Crew | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | Difference per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $55/moPayroll Essentials · $660/yr | $57/moWorkforce Payroll · $684/yr | OnPay $2 less |
| 2 people | $61/moPayroll Essentials · $732/yr | $64/moWorkforce Payroll · $768/yr | OnPay $3 less |
| 3 people | $67/moPayroll Essentials · $804/yr | $71/moWorkforce Payroll · $852/yr | OnPay $4 less |
| 5 people | $79/moPayroll Essentials · $948/yr | $85/moWorkforce Payroll · $1,020/yr | OnPay $6 less |
| 8 people | $97/moPayroll Essentials · $1,164/yr | $106/moWorkforce Payroll · $1,272/yr | OnPay $9 less |
| 10 people | $109/moPayroll Essentials · $1,308/yr | $120/moWorkforce Payroll · $1,440/yr | OnPay $11 less |
| 15 people | $139/moPayroll Essentials · $1,668/yr | $155/moWorkforce Payroll · $1,860/yr | OnPay $16 less |
| 20 people | $169/moPayroll Essentials · $2,028/yr | $190/moWorkforce Payroll · $2,280/yr | OnPay $21 less |
Every plan, priced for 1, 5 and 10 people
Regular monthly price. Intro offers are listed separately. Bundles with accounting or HR software are on the vendor pages.
| Plan | Regular price | Intro offer | 1 person | 5 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnPay Payroll EssentialsFull-service payroll; W-2 and 1099 workers; unlimited pay runs; multi-state at no extra cost; federal/state/local filings, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included; no implementation fees | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $55/mo | $79/mo | $109/mo |
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce PayrollNo time tracking | $50/mo + $7/person | $25/mo + $7/person (per-person fee not discounted) for 3 months | $57/mo | $85/mo | $120/mo |
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce PremiumIncludes time tracking | $88/mo + $13/person | $44/mo + $13/person (per-person fee not discounted) for 3 months | $101/mo | $153/mo | $218/mo |
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce EliteIncludes time tracking; tax penalty protection up to $25,000 | $134/mo + $17/person | $67/mo + $17/person (per-person fee not discounted) for 3 months | $151/mo | $219/mo | $304/mo |
Year one with the intro offer
Regular price × 12, and below it the year if you take the intro price for its months and then pay the regular price. Free-trial months are not counted.
| Plan | 1 person, year one | 5 people, year one | 10 people, year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll | $684with intro $609 | $1,020with intro $945 | $1,440with intro $1,365 |
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Premium | $1,212with intro $1,080 | $1,836with intro $1,704 | $2,616with intro $2,484 |
| QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Elite | $1,812with intro $1,611 | $2,628with intro $2,427 | $3,648with intro $3,447 |
One flat payroll fee vs QuickBooks bundles
OnPay has one payroll plan, $49/mo + $6/person, whatever books you keep. QuickBooks sells payroll bundled with QuickBooks Online at a lower per-employee rate than its standalone plans. If you run QuickBooks Online either way, here is OnPay plus that QBO plan, bought separately, against the matching bundle, at regular monthly prices:
| Books plan | OnPay + books, 1 person | OnPay + books, 5 people | OnPay + books, 10 people | QuickBooks bundle, 1 person | QuickBooks bundle, 5 people | QuickBooks bundle, 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start | $93/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $117/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $147/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $94.50/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Simple Start | $120.50/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Simple Start | $153/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Simple Start |
| QuickBooks Online Essentials | $140/moOnPay + QBO Essentials | $164/moOnPay + QBO Essentials | $194/moOnPay + QBO Essentials | $131.50/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Essentials | $157.50/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Essentials | $190/moWorkforce Payroll + QBO Essentials |
| QuickBooks Online Plus | $195/moOnPay + QBO Plus | $219/moOnPay + QBO Plus | $249/moOnPay + QBO Plus | $213/moWorkforce Premium + QBO Plus | $253/moWorkforce Premium + QBO Plus | $303/moWorkforce Premium + QBO Plus |
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start | $93/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $117/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $147/moOnPay + QBO Simple Start | $52/moContractor Payments + QBO Simple Start | $60/moContractor Payments + QBO Simple Start | $70/moContractor Payments + QBO Simple Start |
OnPay and QuickBooks Online: OnPay syncs payroll general-ledger data to QuickBooks Online automatically with each pay run (sync is on by default; it can be set to manual). Mapping is customizable, in summary or in detail. Source: onpay.com/app-directory/category/accounting/quickbooks-online/ and help.onpay.com setup guide. That page also lists stale QBO prices (Simple Start $30 etc.); not used.
QuickBooks’ intro offer cuts the bundle’s base price for 3 months.
Features on each plan
From each vendor’s own pages. “Not stated” means we couldn’t find it either way, not that the feature is missing. Certified payroll isn’t listed: neither vendor states it on the pages we checked.
| Feature | OnPay Payroll Essentials | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Premium | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files and deposits payroll taxes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pays 1099 contractors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Job costing | Not stated | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-state | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Time tracking | Add-on | No | Yes | Yes |
| Workers' comp | Yes | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Next-day deposit | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year-end W-2 / 1099 filing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What each vendor says (11)
- OnPay, time tracking: An add-on for Payroll Essentials ($15 + $4/worker). Included in the "Payroll + Time Tracking" bundles.
- OnPay, multi-state: Multi-state payroll is included at no extra cost.
- OnPay, workers' comp: Integrated pay-as-you-go workers' comp through ERGO NEXT.
- OnPay, next-day deposit: The vendor direct-deposit page says "maximum of 4-day turnaround". Next-day is not stated.
- OnPay, job costing: The construction page mentions labor cost breakdown reporting but not job costing.
- QuickBooks Payroll, job costing: "Allocation of payroll costs by class or project only available to QuickBooks Workforce Premium and Elite users who have a QuickBooks Online Plus, QuickBooks Online Advanced, or Intuit Enterprise Suite plan." So it is true only when paired with QBO Plus or Advanced. Elite also lists GPS mileage and a project activity feed.
- QuickBooks Payroll, time tracking: "Time Tracking: Available in QuickBooks Workforce Premium and Elite only."
- QuickBooks Payroll, next-day deposit: Workforce Payroll: next-day direct deposit. Premium and Elite: same-day direct deposit. Subject to eligibility and cut-off times. Next-day for contractors costs extra (amount not published).
- QuickBooks Payroll, files and deposits payroll taxes: "We'll calculate, file, and pay your payroll taxes for you." Federal and state on all plans. "Certain local taxes available in QuickBooks Workforce Premium and Elite only."
- QuickBooks Payroll, year-end w-2 / 1099 filing: 1099 E-File is listed. The page says payroll tax forms are filed for you, but W-2 filing is not named explicitly on this page.
- QuickBooks Payroll, workers' comp: Workers' comp is offered through ERGO NEXT Insurance. "Additional fees apply." Not available in OH, ND, WA or WY.
Who gets counted, trials and fees
| OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is billed per person | $6 per paid worker per month | Per ACTIVE employee per month (counted even at $0 earnings); intro discount does not apply to per-employee fees |
| Free trial or offer | 'Get one month free' (pricing page) | 30-day free trial on base price OR 50% off base for 3 months (not both); neither applies to per-employee fees |
| Pay runs and optional fees | Regular pay runs: no per-run fee published; Off-cycle runs: no extra charge | Regular pay runs: no per-run fee published; Off-cycle runs: fee not published; Next-day direct deposit for contractors: fee not published |
Optional fees are shown as notes, not added to the totals: you pay them only if you use them.
OnPay price history
List-price changes first seen on OnPay’s own pricing page in archived snapshots.
| First seen at the new price | Plan | Price | Old → new | Change | Effective date (announced) | Sources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between 2025-02-10 and 2025-05-12wide gap between snapshots | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Base fee per month | $40 → $49 | ▲ +$9 (+23%) | Not announced | After · Before | Still $40 on 2024-12-27 and 2025-02-10. The 2025-09-14 snapshot title says "Starts at $55 Per Month", which is the $49 base + $6 for one worker, not a separate price. |
| 2022-08-12old price last seen 2022-05-28 | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Base fee per month | $36 → $40 | ▲ +$4 (+11%) | Not announced | After · Before | Single-plan pricing at the time (no bundles). $36+$4 still shown on 2021-06-03. |
| 2022-08-12old price last seen 2022-05-28 | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Per employee per month | $4 → $6 | ▲ +$2 (+50%) | Not announced | After · Before | — |
Every change we track: payroll price tracker.
QuickBooks Payroll price history
List-price changes first seen on QuickBooks Payroll’s own pricing page in archived snapshots.
| First seen at the new price | Plan | Price | Old → new | Change | Effective date (announced) | Sources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between 2026-06-16 and 2026-10-17wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll | Per employee per month | $6.50 → $7 | ▲ +$0.50 (+8%) | Not announced | After · Before | Change date unknown. The last archived snapshot (2026-06-16) shows the old rate, and the archived bundle page on 2026-07-02 still shows Workforce Payroll at +$6.50/employee. "date" is the date of our live check, not the effective date. Base fees were unchanged ($50 / $88 / $134). |
| Between 2026-06-16 and 2026-10-17wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Premium | Per employee per month | $10 → $13 | ▲ +$3 (+30%) | Not announced | After · Before | Change date unknown. The last archived snapshot (2026-06-16) shows the old rate, and the archived bundle page on 2026-07-02 still shows Workforce Payroll at +$6.50/employee. "date" is the date of our live check, not the effective date. Base fees were unchanged ($50 / $88 / $134). |
| Between 2026-06-16 and 2026-10-17wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Elite | Per employee per month | $12 → $17 | ▲ +$5 (+42%) | Not announced | After · Before | Change date unknown. The last archived snapshot (2026-06-16) shows the old rate, and the archived bundle page on 2026-07-02 still shows Workforce Payroll at +$6.50/employee. "date" is the date of our live check, not the effective date. Base fees were unchanged ($50 / $88 / $134). |
| Between 2025-05-17 and 2025-10-03wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payrollthen: Payroll Core / QuickBooks Payroll Core | Per employee per month | $6 → $6.50 | ▲ +$0.50 (+8%) | 2025-07-01Announcement | After · Before | There are only two archived full-service snapshots in this window. The archived payroll bundle page (/payroll/pricing/) changed between 2025-06-21 and 2025-07-08, which fits the July 1, 2025 date in the Intuit community post. "date" is the first archived full-service snapshot showing the new prices. |
| Between 2025-05-17 and 2025-10-03wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Premiumthen: Payroll Premium | Base fee per month | $85 → $88 | ▲ +$3 (+4%) | 2025-07-01Announcement | After · Before | There are only two archived full-service snapshots in this window. The archived payroll bundle page (/payroll/pricing/) changed between 2025-06-21 and 2025-07-08, which fits the July 1, 2025 date in the Intuit community post. "date" is the first archived full-service snapshot showing the new prices. |
| Between 2025-05-17 and 2025-10-03wide gap between snapshots | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Premiumthen: Payroll Premium | Per employee per month | $9 → $10 | ▲ +$1 (+11%) | 2025-07-01Announcement | After · Before | There are only two archived full-service snapshots in this window. The archived payroll bundle page (/payroll/pricing/) changed between 2025-06-21 and 2025-07-08, which fits the July 1, 2025 date in the Intuit community post. "date" is the first archived full-service snapshot showing the new prices. |
All of them: QuickBooks price increase log · payroll price tracker.
OnPay pricing · QuickBooks Payroll pricing · Payroll calculator for any crew size · Cheapest payroll for 1, 2 and 5 employees
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