2026 price list
What QuickBooks Online really costs in 2026
The four list prices, the discount that expires, the per-employee fees people forget, and one calculator that gives you a realistic annual number before you sign up.
US list prices are $38 / $85 / $140 / $340 per month for Simple Start, Essentials, Plus and Advanced. Essentials, Plus and Advanced rose on 1 August 2026. A 30-day free trial is standard, introductory discounts typically run three months, and payroll is billed separately from about $50/month plus a per-employee fee.
| Plan | Monthly list | Users included | What it adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solopreneur | $20 | 1 | Invoicing, expenses, simple reports; no bills or full chart of accounts | Side businesses and single-invoice freelancers |
| Simple Start | $38 | 1 + accountant | Full invoicing, bank feeds, sales tax, basic reporting | One-person service businesses |
| Essentials | $85 | 3 + accountant | Bills, time tracking on invoices, multi-currency | Small teams that pay suppliers |
| Plus | $140 | 5 + accountant | Inventory, purchase orders, project profitability, budgeting | Product sellers, job-based firms |
| Advanced | $340 | 25 + 3 accountant | Custom roles, batch invoicing, workflow automation, consolidation | 10–25 staff with approval processes |
List prices in USD for US subscriptions, as published by Intuit and verified 26 October 2026. Promotional rates, annual prepayment (usually ~10% off) and accountant-billed plans change the amount you actually pay. Check today's live offer on the official site →
Before you budget
The discount is real. It is also temporary.
Almost every QuickBooks price you see advertised is an introductory rate: typically 50% off for the first three months, occasionally steeper for a single month. After that, the list price above applies to every invoice.
That is not a trick, but it does mean the number in the ad and the number in month four are different. The table on the right models a full first year at 50% off for three months — a conservative version of the offers running through 2026.
Budget on the list price. If $140/month for Plus is uncomfortable at full price, it will be uncomfortable in month four — pick a lower tier or a smaller tool instead of relying on a promo.
| Plan | First 3 months | Next 9 months | Year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Start | $57 | $342 | $399 |
| Essentials | $128 | $765 | $893 |
| Plus | $210 | $1,260 | $1,470 |
| Advanced | $510 | $3,060 | $3,570 |
Estimate your year
Cost calculator, including payroll
Most "how much is QuickBooks" answers stop at the plan price. Yours should not.
Estimates use published list prices and are not a quote. Payroll per-employee fees and promos change; confirm on the official pricing page.
The four extra costs
What the headline price leaves out
None of these are hidden in the shady sense — they are on the pricing page, in smaller text. They are still the reason a $38 plan can turn into a $120 month.
Payroll
$50–$134/month plus a per-head fee. The single biggest add-on, and the one that scales against you as you hire.
Card payments
Processing fees apply when you take a card through QuickBooks Payments — typically a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction.
Extra company files
A second set of books for a second entity usually means a second subscription — worth knowing before you buy one plan for two businesses.
Add-on apps
Advanced inventory, CRM, e-commerce sync. Useful, but each one is another monthly line item on top of the plan.
Payroll, separately
What payroll adds per month
Payroll is not included in any accounting plan. It is a second subscription with its own tiers, and the per-employee charge is the part that decides whether it is good value for you.
- 1–2 employees: usually cheaper through a standalone payroll service.
- 3–10 employees: the bundled version starts to win on time saved filing taxes.
- 10+ employees: compare against a dedicated provider before renewing — per-head fees compound fast.
| Payroll tier | Base | Per employee | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll | $50/mo | ~$7/mo | Federal & state tax filing, direct deposit |
| Premium | $88/mo | ~$13/mo | Same-day deposit, HR workflows, expert setup review |
| Elite | $134/mo | ~$17/mo | Penalty protection up to a cap, full-service setup, HR adviser |
List prices; roughly 50% off the first three months is common. Multi-state filing can carry an extra per-state charge. Verify current figures before you buy.
Cheaper routes
Five legitimate ways to pay less
Start on the trial, not the promo
Thirty days is enough to connect a bank feed and see whether categorisation works for you. Cancel before it ends and you have paid nothing.
Buy annually if you are sure
Annual prepayment is usually about 10% cheaper and fixes your rate for twelve months — useful in a product that reprices most summers.
Right-size the tier
Most overpaying comes from buying Plus for 2 users, or Advanced for a team of four. Check the tier you actually need.
Ask your accountant to bill it
Many firms resell QuickBooks at their own rate and fold support into the relationship. It is often cheaper than list plus a support subscription.
Drop to a lower tier after year one
If you stopped holding stock or hired a bookkeeper who works in their own system, check whether the tier above Simple Start is still earning its keep.
Run the numbers on a real trial
A calculator gives you a budget. Thirty days gives you an answer — connect your bank, categorise a week of transactions, and see how much correcting you actually do.
You will be asked for a payment method at the end of the trial, not at the start. Cancel any time before day 30.
Not sure the plan is the problem? Read where QuickBooks fits and where it does not before you spend anything.
Pricing questions
What owners ask about the bill
Why did QuickBooks get more expensive in 2026?
Intuit raised US list prices on 1 August 2026: Essentials moved from $75 to $85, Plus from $115 to $140 and Advanced from $275 to $340. Simple Start stayed at $38. The increase applied to subscriptions renewing on or after that date, and Intuit pointed to the AI bookkeeping features and bundled tools added to the higher tiers.
Is the advertised discount the price I will pay?
For a few months, yes — then it reverts. Introductory offers are typically 50% off for the first three months (some campaigns are steeper). If you are budgeting, multiply the list price by 12. Businesses that sign up during a promo often get a short price-protection window, but the new list price eventually applies.
What hidden costs should I expect?
Four are common: payroll (from about $50/month plus per-employee fees), payment processing fees when you take cards, additional company files, and premium support or add-on apps. None of these are tricks, but none of them appear in the headline plan price either.
Does QuickBooks Online have a free plan?
There is no permanent free plan for QuickBooks Online. The cheapest paid tier is Solopreneur at $20/month (often discounted further for the first months), and every paid plan starts with a 30-day free trial you can cancel at no cost. If you want genuinely free accounting software, Wave's entry tier is the usual alternative — see our comparison page for where it stops being enough.
Can I switch plans later?
Yes, up and down, from inside the product. Switching up is instant; switching down takes effect at the next billing cycle and you lose access to the higher-tier features immediately, so export anything you need (custom reports, class tracking) first.
Is annual billing cheaper?
Usually around 10% cheaper than paying monthly, and it locks the rate for the year — worth considering if you are sure the software fits. The trade-off is that refunds on annual terms are limited, so use the free trial before you commit to a year.