QuickBooks Desktop Payroll: Basic vs Enhanced vs Full Service

QuickBooks is a popular accounting software program which enables small businesses to manage their finances and taxes. The company offers three main types of desktop payroll services, each with different features and benefits.

Basic Payroll, Enhanced Payroll, and Assisted Payroll are the three payroll services offered by Intuit QuickBooks for desktop users. Paychecks and payroll taxes are calculated in all three QuickBooks Desktop payroll choices. Basic Payroll and Enhanced Payroll are self-service payroll choices. Intuit’s full-service payroll option, Assisted Payroll, allows you to delegate payroll processing to Intuit’s payroll accountants.

When Should You Use QuickBooks Desktop Payroll?

Basic Payroll for QuickBooks Desktop is intended for companies that just need to produce paychecks, compute payroll taxes, and issue direct payments. This is a suitable alternative only if the company is willing and able to produce and send its own payroll tax forms, such as 940, 941, and W-2.

When Is Enhanced Payroll for QuickBooks Desktop Appropriate?

For organizations who wish to conduct payroll in-house, QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll delivers all of the functionality they need. Paychecks are generated, payroll taxes are calculated, and direct deposits are sent using Intuit Enhanced Payroll. Enhanced Payroll also produces and electronically submits federal and state tax forms such as the 940, 941, and W-2. Enhanced Payroll allows you to pay your payroll tax deposits online.

When Should You Use Full-Service Payroll in QuickBooks Desktop?

Full-Service QuickBooks Desktop assists small companies who wish to outsource their payroll. Intuit’s payroll accountants create paychecks, direct payments, payroll tax forms, and remit payroll tax deposits on your behalf when businesses input employee hours in QuickBooks. Intuit promises that its payroll tax returns will be submitted correctly, on schedule, and without penalties.

When Should You Use a QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Alternative?

Users of the QuickBooks Desktop accounting program have additional payroll choices. If you want to conduct your own payroll and don’t want to use QuickBooks Payroll, we suggest payroll software such as QuickBooks Online Payroll. Its plans are all full-service, which means they include payroll calculations, paper check printing, and direct deposit. It’s very simple to set up because it files and pays payroll taxes online.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Plans

We compared the costs, features, simplicity of use, customer service, and what genuine users had to say about QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. Finally, professional payroll services should assist you with payroll from start to finish, from computing payroll checks to submitting and making payroll tax payments.

We looked at the following elements while reviewing QuickBooks Desktop Payroll:

• Cost: The payroll service provider should give a plan that is cheap for most small companies while still delivering the essential functionality required to handle payroll for all of their workers.
• Features: The program should cover all elements of payroll processing. This includes the ability to calculate pay, print pay, or make direct deposit payments, as well as the capacity to submit and pay payroll taxes.
• Ease of use: The software or service should be simple to use and not need any prior knowledge of bookkeeping or accounting.
• Customer service: Live customer service should be accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer queries and fix problems.
• Customer feedback: Overall, the payroll product/service should get positive feedback.
• Guarantees of penalties: The payroll provider should accept responsibility for any errors it makes, including interest and penalties for late tax reports and payments.

Which Is Better: QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic, Enhanced, or Full Service?

We suggest QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll based on the considerations analyzed since it enables you to manage payroll in-house for less than half the price of QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Payroll. Calculating paychecks, printing checks, and submitting direct deposit payments are all simple with Enhanced Payroll. You may also use the program to prepare payroll tax forms and make tax payments online.

Ease of Use

You can make paychecks, calculate tax withholdings, pay workers by check or direct deposit, and generate payroll reports in all three versions of QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. Enhanced payroll takes a step farther than Basic payroll by including all payroll tax forms as well as the option to online submit tax forms and payments. You simply need to provide employee hours with Assisted Full Service Payroll; Intuit will compute paychecks, file tax forms, and make tax payments on your behalf.

QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll

QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll is designed for small businesses that need software to compute payroll checks, print paychecks, and make direct deposit payments. Because it does not contain W-2 forms or payroll tax forms, you will need to file and pay payroll taxes manually via your CPA or tax expert.

QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll

The QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced payroll plan adds the ability to prepare payroll tax forms, submit and make electronic payroll tax payments to the Basic plan. This plan is great for small company owners who wish to maintain payroll in-house while keeping costs down.

QuickBooks Desktop Full Service Payroll

Full-Service QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is great for small company owners who want to have their payroll handled by a professional. You simply have to report the hours worked for workers each paid month with this plan, and Intuit will take care of the rest. The initial payroll setup, processing paychecks, printing paychecks, sending direct deposit payments, and filing and paying payroll taxes are all included in this service.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic vs. Enhanced vs. Assisted Full Service

Full-Service QuickBooks Assisted Customers just input the number of hours worked by workers, and Intuit’s accountants handle the rest. QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll is more user-friendly, with simple tools for producing payroll tax forms and making tax payments.

Because you cannot complete tax forms or make tax payments inside the program, QuickBooks Basic Payroll needs the most work of the three alternatives. As a result, you’ll either have to fill out the tax forms and pay the taxes yourself or engage a CPA to do it for you.

QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Full Service Payroll

All you have to do is input the employee’s hours and go through the payroll information. Customers don’t have to mess around with payroll settings or fill out tax forms since Intuit’s trained accountants handle it all for them.

QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll

QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll includes the same in-depth features as QuickBooks Basic Payroll to help clients set up new workers and pay them. In contrast to the manual procedure in Basic Payroll, Enhanced Payroll provides step-by-step tools for paying payroll taxes and creating quarterly and yearly payroll tax forms.

QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll

QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll comes with self-explanatory on-screen features that walk users through customizing payroll settings, adding new workers, and paying employees. Preparing payroll tax returns is a manual activity done outside of Basic Payroll, which is not as simple as using Enhanced Payroll’s payroll tax form tools.

Customer Reviews

Because all support options are accessible with each of the three QuickBooks Desktop Payroll subscriptions, they tie in terms of customer service. They provide a number of options that you may utilize to get assistance. All three options, like QuickBooks Online, feature unlimited live customer assistance through phone or chat. In addition, all three options include email help and support to wrap out the year at no extra cost.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic vs. Enhanced vs. Full Service:

Overall, client feedback on QuickBooks Desktop payroll solutions is mixed. The ease of use of QuickBooks Desktop payroll software has gotten a lot of positive feedback. Negative feedback suggested that there is space for development in terms of the customer support team’s quality.

QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll

Customers like how straightforward and easy QuickBooks Desktop Basic Payroll is to use. Customers, on the other hand, say it’s difficult to fix problems on earlier paychecks. Customers have also claimed that after terminating their payroll service, they are still charged monthly costs. On the Mac version of QuickBooks Desktop, users have reported issues configuring payroll.

QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll

Customers like how QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll streamlines the payroll process and saves time. One client, however, claims that QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is unable to correctly manage state payroll deductions for workers who work in several states. Even though money was removed from the business’s bank account, some customers claim that Enhanced Payroll failed to pay payroll taxes.

QuickBooks Desktop Assisted Full Service Payroll

Customers that use QuickBooks Desktop Assisted enjoy how this plan enables them to outsource payroll processing so they may concentrate on other aspects of their company. Intuit takes care of payroll and submits payroll taxes and documents on schedule without interrupting users, according to positive evaluations. According to negative customer reviews, this service is a little costly, but worth it.

Conclusion

Basic Payroll has just the bare minimum of features for computing paychecks and payroll taxes. Enhanced Payroll has a comprehensive set of payroll features for creating and submitting tax forms. By processing paychecks, submitting and making payroll tax payments, and giving a no-penalty guarantee, Assisted Full-Service Payroll removes payroll from your “to do” list.

QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll comes highly recommended. It comes with everything a company needs to make paychecks, submit payroll tax filings, and transmit payroll tax payments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between QuickBooks enhanced payroll and full-service payroll?

A: With QuickBooks enhanced payroll, you will be able to generate a 1099-MISC form. The full-service option is used for employers who are not required by law to use it.

What is the difference between full service and self service payroll?

A: The main difference is that with self-service payroll, your employee handles the entire process themselves. With full service, a company has an in-house team of people who take care of everything related to payroll and taxes.