📊 Data source: Manual research + official pricing page•🔄 Updated April 2026•✅ 80% confidence score

Analytics

QuickBooks True Cost Calculator

Small business accounting software by Intuit. Plans from $30-$200/mo but payroll add-on ($45+/mo), per-employee fees, and time tracking add-ons create significant hidden costs.

Advertised Price

$30

/month

Estimated True Cost

$311

/month (typical usage)

Surprise Factor

10.4×

more than expected

Confidence

80%

Data source: manual

Calculate Your Exact Cost →

Hidden Fees & Gotchas

What the pricing page doesn't tell you

Payroll Add-On

QuickBooks Payroll is NOT included: Core $45/mo + $6/employee, Premium $80/mo + $8/employee, Elite $125/mo + $11/employee. A 10-person company adds $105-235/mo for payroll alone.

Trigger: payroll > 0

+$105

/monthly

Time Tracking Add-On

QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) costs $20/mo base + $8/user/mo (Premium) or $40/mo + $10/user/mo (Elite). 10 users on Premium = $100/mo extra.

Trigger: timeTracking > 0

+$60

/monthly

Per-Employee Payroll Fees

Every payroll plan charges per-employee per-month on top of base price. Adding employees directly increases your bill — $6-11/employee/mo depending on tier.

Trigger: employees > 0

+$6

/monthly

User Limits Per Plan

Simple Start allows only 1 user (+2 accountants). Essentials allows 3 users. Plus allows 5 users. Need 6 users? Advanced at $200/mo — a 122% price jump from Plus.

Trigger: users > 5

+$110

/monthly

Total hidden fees: +$281/mo on top of the $30 advertised price

QuickBooks Pricing Tiers

Plan	Monthly	Annual (per mo)	Key Limits	Overage Rules
Simple StartPOPULAR	$30	$30	Users: 1 Invoices: unlimited Tax Deductions: true Bank Connections: true	No overages
Essentials	$60	$60	Users: 3 Time Tracking: basic Multi Currency: true Bill Management: true	No overages
Plus	$90	$90	Users: 5 Budgets: true Classes: true Locations: true	No overages

About QuickBooks Pricing

QuickBooks Simple Start at $30/mo covers basic invoicing and expense tracking. Essentials at $60/mo adds bill management and 3 users. Plus at $90/mo adds inventory and project profitability. Advanced at $200/mo adds custom roles, batch invoicing, and dedicated support. But QuickBooks Payroll ($45-$125/mo + $6/employee), Time Tracking ($20-$40/mo + $8/user), and Live Bookkeeping ($250-$500/mo) are all separate.