Intuit and QuickBooks Online Payroll Reviewed
What I don’t like:
Not US-based support. This wasn’t always the case. Years ago when I had any questions, I would get someone in the US for support. Now, when you call, you get someone in the Philippines. They are very cordial, but I don’t think they fully understand all the IRS rules (much less for any state) for payroll.
Long Wait Times. It’s very hard finding a number to call and when you do find it, plan on being on hold for what could turn into over an hour (including being put on hold after getting an agent). I have tried their Chat option, but that seems to take forever, as if each agent is chatting with multiple people at once. I kept having to ask if they are still there while I wait for an answer or resolution.
Glitchy. On more than one occasion was I not reminded of a tax payment due or form due. The excuse that I always got was that it was a “glitch” in their system. And don’t expect any compensation for any penalties or fees due to their error.
Having to Do It Yourself. The responsibility is always on the business owner for correct withholdings, even when using a payroll service. Therefore, if something isn’t set up correctly, errors will occur. I have seen the tax tracking type 401k used for 401k loan repayments by more than one client. Of course, this is wrong for these deductions to be pre-tax. I don’t necessary blame my clients since the software shouldn’t expect anyone to guess to use “Other deduction” as the tax type instead and use loan repayment.
Corruption. Not a good thing when running a Payroll Checkup in QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll and it creates liability adjustments that don’t affect the liability account(s). This has caused the 941 to be wrong quarter after quarter until fixed. I was told by support that they have seen issues like this when running payroll checkup, so it is not recommended.
Multiple Price Increases, No Improvements. The software (Intuit Online Payroll) looks outdated and hasn’t been changed graphically or functionally. It doesn’t make sense to increase prices when the core payroll product has not been updated or improved and the support has gone down. Adding new tiers for auto payroll, HR support, and a tax penalty fee guarantee seem like improvements, but the fact that the following link doesn’t even work, is a bad sign (just a more expensive bandaid on a lacking core product):
Not So Elite, Not So Automatic. Even at this highest and most expensive tier, the user is still responsible for making garnishment payments to the appropriate entities. With my current payroll service, the deduction is paid automatically to the agency, depending on which states offer this capability.
I have been very happy with my current payroll platform and so have my clients!
Since I already provide my own value-added full service payroll and for the reasons stated above, I can only support QuickBooks payroll and related products on a limited basis.
