Can I Get Enhanced or Assisted Payroll for Free?

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is an on-premise solution designed to be used with QuickBooks Desktop products, including Pro, Premier, and Enterprise. It offers essential payroll features for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), such as the ability to create paychecks, pay employees and contractors, and automatically calculate earnings and tax deductions.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is available in three options: Enhanced Payroll, Assisted Payroll, and full-service payroll (Enhanced or Assisted Payroll bundled with QuickBooks Enterprise). 

If you wish to learn more about the differences between Enhanced and Assisted Payroll, read our Enhanced vs Assisted Payroll comparison guide.

Enhanced or Assisted Payroll with Pro: Is it Worth It?

If you were using QuickBooks Pro, then it would cost you $500 per year plus $5 per employee per month to add Enhanced Payroll ala carte and $109 per month plus $2 per paycheck to add Assisted Payroll. For mid-size to larger enterprises with an unlimited budget, Enhanced and Assisted Payroll fees may not be a problem, but for most small businesses, these payroll costs can make up a large portion of their overhead expenses. 

Is QuickBooks Pro Still Available?

QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been discontinued since May 2022 and is no longer available from Intuit or retail channels. 

Can I Get Enhanced or Assisted Payroll for Free?

Yes, you can! 

If you have been using Enhanced or Assisted Payroll with QuickBooks Pro, then it’s time to upgrade to a full-service package (Enhanced Payroll or Assisted Payroll + QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise).

Enhanced Payroll, which costs $500 per year plus $5 per employee, is free with you bundle it with Enterprise Gold. Assisted Payroll, which costs $109 per month plus $2 per employee, is free with Enterprise Diamond, plus only $1 per paycheck for up to three companies. Simply put, you will save $500 per year on Enhanced Payroll with Gold and over $100 per month on Assisted Payroll with Diamond.

What’s Great About the Full-Service Package?

In addition to $0 Enhanced or Assisted Payroll, the monthly-service package also has business productivity tools to help you get more work done. For instance, Enterprise Diamond bundles Assisted Payroll with accounting, invoicing, and time tracking (Elite version of QuickBooks Time), inventory management, and job costing features. These tools help businesses become more productive while saving on monthly expenses as they don’t have to use separate solutions. Additionally, the Enterprise bundle includes payroll tax filing services, next-day direct deposits, and 24/7 customer support.

When to Purchase the Full-service Package? 

Businesses that want to improve business productivity while having the ability to use Enhanced or Assisted Payroll for free should consider purchasing the full-service package. Also, it’s ideal if you have multiple accounting users, as Diamond offers access for up to 40 simultaneous users. It’s also great for tracking income and expenses, managing fixed assets like machinery and equipment, and customizing pricing structure for your customers. Learn more about the key features and benefits of QuickBooks Enterprise Diamond.