Quickbooks Online Bill Pay Pricing – A Comprehensive Guide

Managing and paying bills is a crucial but often tedious task for businesses With Quickbooks Online Bill Pay, you can simplify and automate bill payments right within your Quickbooks account. Quickbooks offers flexible Bill Pay pricing plans to suit businesses of all sizes

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll provide an in-depth look at Quickbooks Bill Pay costs for individual users and accountants.

Overview of Quickbooks Bill Pay

Quickbooks Bill Pay allows you to track vendor bills, schedule payments, and pay bills directly within Quickbooks Online. Key features include:

• Automated bill creation from vendor invoices
• Payment scheduling and reminders
• Digital payment processing via ACH or check
• Unlimited users based on Quickbooks Online plan
• Roles and permissions controls
• 1099 tax form management and e-filing

Quickbooks Bill Pay is available as an add-on service for all Quickbooks Online subscriptions. It comes in three pricing plans – Basic, Premium and Elite.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Pricing for Users

For regular Quickbooks Online users, here are the current Bill Pay monthly prices:

• Basic – $0/month
• Premium – $15/month
• Elite – $90/month

These are the standalone prices if you subscribe directly through Quickbooks. The table below summarizes what’s included in each Bill Pay plan:

As you can see, the Basic plan is suitable for occasionally paying a few bills each month. The Premium plan fits users with more frequent vendor payments. Elite offers advanced features for larger businesses.

Payment Processing Fees

While the monthly fee covers a certain number of ACH payments, additional charges apply for extra transactions:

• ACH: $0.50 per payment after monthly limit
• Check: $1.50 per check payment
• Faster ACH: $10 per payment

Payment limits may also apply based on amount and volume of payments.

Accountant Discounts on Quickbooks Bill Pay

As a Quickbooks ProAdvisor, you can get substantial discounts on Bill Pay plans for your clients through ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing.

The table below shows current discounted monthly rates for accountants adding Bill Pay to client subscriptions:

That’s up to 80% off regular pricing! This discount applies when you pay for your client’s Quickbooks Online subscription and add Bill Pay.

If clients pay for their own Quickbooks subscription, they won’t qualify for discounted Bill Pay pricing.

How User and Accountant Pricing Works

To recap the two Quickbooks Bill Pay pricing scenarios:

• Users paying directly – Regular monthly plan rates apply based on subscription tier.

• Accountant-managed subscriptions – Discounted ProAdvisor pricing if accountant bills client for Quickbooks and Bill Pay.

Make sure you and your clients take advantage of ProAdvisor discounts for the biggest savings on Quickbooks Bill Pay!

Factors That Determine Quickbooks Bill Pay Costs

The main factors that influence your total Bill Pay costs include:

• Bill Payment Volume – More bills equals higher monthly fees for extra transactions.

• Payment Methods – Check payments cost more than ACH per bill.

• User Access – Multiple users boosts costs for Premium or Elite plans.

• Accountant Discounts – ProAdvisor pricing reduces user fees significantly.

• Recurring vs One-Time Bills – Auto-pay for repeating bills is more cost-effective.

Take these factors into account when selecting the right Bill Pay plan for your or your client’s needs.

Strategies to Minimize Quickbooks Bill Pay Expenses

Here are some tips to control your Bill Pay costs:

• Choose the right plan based on payment volume. Don’t overpay for unused transactions.

• Use ACH instead of checks to avoid per-payment check fees.

• Schedule recurring auto-payments for repeat bills.

• Limit user seats to essential personnel only.

• Opt for annual subscription billing to reduce average monthly fees.

• Take advantage of ProAdvisor discounts for major savings.

Should You Pay Annually or Monthly for Bill Pay?

Quickbooks Bill Pay plans are billed on a monthly basis by default. However, you can opt for annual billing to reduce average monthly costs.

The table below shows the effective monthly rates with annual subscription:

As you can see, annual billing doesn’t offer any cost savings for Bill Pay plans. You’ll pay the same effective monthly rate.

Monthly subscriptions offer more flexibility if your payment volume fluctuates. But if your needs are consistent, annual billing simplifies payments with a single annual charge.

How Many Bills Can You Pay with Basic Plan?

The Quickbooks Bill Pay Basic plan includes 5 free ACH payments per month. This is best suited for users who only have a few bills to pay each month.

You’ll incur additional fees if you exceed 5 ACH transactions:

• 6-10 ACH bills – $3 extra
• 11-15 ACH bills – $5 extra
• 16-20 ACH bills – $8 extra

Based on these overage charges, you can expect to pay an average of $1 for each payment after the 5 bill limit.

If you only occasionally go over 5 bills, Basic could still be cheapest. But for frequent payments, Premium is a better value.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Cost for Checks instead of ACH

With all Quickbooks Bill Pay plans, you can also pay bills via paper checks sent to vendors. However, checks cost more than ACH payments:

• ACH: $0.50 per extra payment (after monthly limit)
• Check: $1.50 per check payment

So if you need to pay 10 vendor bills in a month, here are the costs with different methods:

As you can see, checks will add $1 per payment compared to ACH. Run the numbers based on your payment methods to see if checks warrants a higher plan.

Do You Need Bill Pay with Quickbooks Online Advanced?

Quickbooks Online Advanced is the top-tier Quickbooks subscription that already includes Accounts Payable and bill management features. But you still need Bill Pay to actually pay bills electronically through Quickbooks.

So even with Advanced, Bill Pay provides added conveniences:

• Automated digital bill payment

• Unlimited ACH transactions (with Elite plan)

• Unlimited 1099 e-filing

• Centralized bill/payment reporting

• Additional user seats

If you heavily use Accounts Payable in Advanced, Bill Pay is worth the extra cost for seamless electronic bill payment.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Cost – The Bottom Line

ProAdvisor discounts offer major savings for accountants to equip clients with Bill Pay capabilities. Consider your unique payment frequency, methods, and user needs to select the most economical Bill Pay plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bill Pay come free with QuickBooks Online?

No, Bill Pay is a paid add-on service for Quickbooks Online. The base QBO subscription does not include automated bill payment capabilities.

What happens when I exceed my ACH limit?

You will be charged per-transaction overage fees of $0.50 for each additional ACH payment over the monthly limit for your Bill Pay plan.

Can I switch plans anytime?

Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your Quickbooks Bill Pay plan at any time. Your monthly or annual costs will be adjusted accordingly.

How long does Direct Pay last for?

Once enabled, Direct Pay bill payment capabilities will remain active as long as you maintain an active Bill Pay subscription. It does not expire.

Does Bill Pay integrate with QuickBooks Payments?

Yes, you can use QuickBooks Payments as the payment processing service behind Bill Pay. This enables seamless AC