How to request time off in ADP
July 14, 2026
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How to request time off in ADP? How to Request Time Off in ADP (Web & Mobile Guide) 2026 | ADP Salary Calculator Payroll &
⚡ Quick Answers
Cheaper for very small teams
QuickBooks Workforce
Pricing transparency
QuickBooks publishes it; ADP quotes custom
QuickBooks entry price (2026)
~$50/mo + ~$6.50/employee
Best for multi-state / complex HR
ADP
If you’ve searched “ADP vs. QuickBooks Payroll cost,” you’ve probably noticed the two companies don’t make this an apples-to-apples comparison. QuickBooks publishes its pricing tiers openly. ADP, outside of its entry-level ADP Run product, generally requires a custom quote — which makes real cost comparisons harder to find.
This guide breaks down what each platform actually costs in 2026, where the hidden fees hide, how the two compare on features that affect your day-to-day payroll work, and which one tends to make more financial sense at different company sizes.
If you’re estimating what an employee’s paycheck will look like once payroll is running, our free ADP Salary Calculator can help with the employee side of the equation.
1 The Basics
ADP vs. QuickBooks Payroll: The Basics
ADP and QuickBooks Workforce (Intuit’s payroll product, previously branded QuickBooks Payroll) both automate paying employees, filing payroll taxes, and keeping you compliant with federal and state rules — but they come from very different starting points.
| ADP | QuickBooks Workforce | |
|---|---|---|
| Parent company | ADP, Inc. | Intuit Inc. |
| Core strength | Scalability, HR depth, compliance | Tight accounting integration, transparent pricing |
| Best fit | Growing or multi-state businesses with HR complexity | Small businesses already using QuickBooks accounting |
| Pricing model | Mostly custom quotes (except ADP Run) | Published tiered pricing |
| Standalone accounting product | No — payroll/HR focused | Yes — payroll is an add-on to QuickBooks accounting |
Because QuickBooks Workforce grew out of QuickBooks accounting software, it’s built to work best when you’re already using QuickBooks Online to run your books. ADP, by contrast, is a standalone payroll and HR platform that connects to your accounting software rather than living inside it.
2 ADP’s Lineup
Understanding ADP’s Product Lineup
One reason ADP pricing is confusing is that “ADP” isn’t one product — it’s a family of products aimed at different business sizes:
| ADP Product | Typical Business Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ADP Run | Small business (1–49 employees) | Priced comparably to QuickBooks Workforce; closest entry-level competitor |
| ADP Workforce Now | Mid-sized business | Adds deeper HR, benefits administration, and reporting; custom pricing |
| ADP Workforce Now Next Generation | Mid-to-large business | Modernized version of Workforce Now with expanded self-service and analytics |
| ADP TotalSource | Businesses wanting a PEO relationship | Bundles payroll with HR outsourcing and co-employment benefits |
| ADP Comprehensive Services | Larger or resource-constrained teams | ADP staff handle payroll functions directly, not just software |
💡 Why this matters for cost comparisons: When someone says “ADP is expensive” or “ADP is affordable,” it often depends entirely on which ADP product they mean. ADP Run competes directly with QuickBooks on price; ADP Workforce Now and TotalSource are aimed at a different tier of business entirely.
3 QuickBooks Pricing
QuickBooks Workforce Pricing Breakdown (2026)
QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll Core, Premium, and Elite) publishes its pricing directly, structured as a monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee:
| Plan | Approx. Base Fee | Approx. Per-Employee Fee | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce Payroll (entry) | ~$50/mo | ~$6.50/mo | Full-service payroll, tax filing, next-day deposit, employee portal |
| Workforce Premium | ~$85–$88/mo | ~$9–$10/mo | Same-day deposit, time tracking, expert setup review, HR support center |
| Workforce Elite | ~$125–$134/mo | ~$10–$11/mo | Tax penalty protection, personal HR advisor, white-glove setup |
⚠️ Prices change often: Intuit has raised per-employee pricing more than once in the past year and frequently runs “50% off for 3 months” promotions that make the sticker price look lower than the ongoing cost. Always check Intuit’s official pricing page for the current numbers before budgeting, and calculate your cost at the standard (non-promotional) rate.
Bundled vs. Standalone Pricing
QuickBooks Workforce can be purchased standalone (payroll only) or bundled with QuickBooks Online accounting plans (such as Simple Start, Essentials, or Plus). Bundles typically cost more in total but consolidate your accounting and payroll into one subscription and one login.
4 ADP Pricing
ADP Pricing: What Actually Drives the Quote
ADP doesn’t publish per-employee pricing for most of its products, which is a common criticism. Instead, an ADP quote is built from several inputs:
- Number of employees — the primary driver of your base cost
- Number of states you operate and pay employees in
- Pay frequency — weekly payroll costs more to process than monthly
- Which modules you need — basic payroll vs. benefits administration, time & attendance, HR support, or a full HR outsourcing relationship
- Contract length — longer commitments often unlock lower rates or waived setup fees
ADP Run, the small-business tier, is generally priced in a similar range to QuickBooks Workforce’s mid tiers once you account for per-employee costs — but because it isn’t published, the only reliable way to know your exact price is to request a quote.
💡 Negotiating with ADP: Because pricing is custom, ADP sales representatives frequently offer discounted first-year rates, especially when a business is switching from a competitor. It’s reasonable to ask directly what promotional pricing is available and to get competing quotes before committing to a contract length.
6 Cost by Company Size
Cost Comparison by Company Size
Using published QuickBooks Workforce rates and typical ADP Run market rates, here’s roughly what monthly payroll software costs look like at different employee counts. Treat these as ballpark estimates — get an exact quote for your situation.
5 Employees
💰 Estimated Monthly Cost — 5 Employees
QuickBooks Workforce (entry tier, ~$50 + $6.50 × 5)~$82.50
ADP Run (estimated, comparable tier)~$80–$110*
25 Employees
💰 Estimated Monthly Cost — 25 Employees
QuickBooks Workforce Premium (~$85 + $9 × 25)~$310
ADP Run or entry Workforce Now (estimated)~$300–$450*
75 Employees
💰 Estimated Monthly Cost — 75 Employees
QuickBooks Workforce Elite (~$130 + $10.50 × 75)~$917.50
ADP Workforce Now (custom quote, HR features included)Custom quote — often $900–$1,500+*
*ADP figures are directional estimates based on typical small-business market pricing, not official published rates. QuickBooks Workforce operates as a hard employee limit per tier (25/50 for lower tiers), so growing past that limit forces a tier upgrade. Always request a current, exact quote from each provider before deciding.
💡 The crossover point: At very small headcounts, the two are often close in price. As HR complexity grows — more states, more compliance needs, more employees — ADP’s per-feature value tends to improve relative to QuickBooks, even though the sticker price may look higher upfront.
7 Features
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Employee Management
ADP supports complex organizational structures, multiple pay rates per employee, bulk employee updates, and automated onboarding workflows — useful once you have several departments or locations. QuickBooks Workforce keeps this simpler: employee profiles, direct deposit setup, and basic benefits deductions, which is enough for most businesses under about 50 employees.
Tax Filing & Compliance
ADP files taxes automatically across federal, state, and local levels and generally guarantees accuracy, taking responsibility for penalties caused by its own errors. QuickBooks Workforce also automates tax filing in most states and, on the Elite tier, adds tax penalty protection — though coverage details and dollar limits differ from ADP’s guarantee, so it’s worth reading the specific terms of each.
Time Tracking
QuickBooks Workforce includes QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) starting at the Premium tier, giving you built-in time tracking that flows directly into payroll. ADP doesn’t include time tracking natively in the same way but connects to time and attendance tools — including its own ADP Time & Attendance module — for similar functionality.
Reporting & Analytics
ADP’s reporting leans toward workforce analytics: labor cost trends, compliance metrics, and custom reports across departments. QuickBooks Workforce’s reporting is tightly linked to your accounting data, which is convenient for cash flow and budget planning but less specialized for HR-style analytics.
Benefits Administration
Both platforms offer benefits administration through partners rather than fully in-house: ADP through its Marketplace ecosystem, and QuickBooks Workforce through integrated partners like Allstate (health) and Vestwell (401(k)).
8 Support
Customer Support Compared
| ADP | QuickBooks Workforce | |
|---|---|---|
| Support hours | 24/7 phone support commonly cited for larger plans | Business-hours phone/chat on entry tier; weekend support added on Premium/Elite |
| Dedicated account rep | Common on mid-size and larger accounts | Not standard; higher tiers get more personalized setup help |
| Setup assistance | Structured onboarding process, especially on larger products | Guided Setup session on Premium/Elite; self-serve on entry tier |
| User-reported ease of use | More powerful but often described as having a steeper learning curve | Generally rated intuitive, especially for existing QuickBooks users |
In practice, support quality on both platforms can vary by plan tier and by the specific representative or account team assigned — it’s worth asking pointed questions about response times during the sales process rather than relying on general reputation alone.
9 Security & Compliance
Security, Data, and Compliance Considerations
Payroll data is sensitive — it includes Social Security numbers, bank account details, and compensation history — so security posture matters as much as price.
- Both ADP and Intuit (QuickBooks’ parent company) are large, established financial-data processors subject to routine security audits and regulatory oversight
- ADP, as a long-standing dedicated payroll/HR provider, often markets deeper compliance tooling for scenarios like certified payroll, union reporting, and multi-jurisdiction tax complexity
- QuickBooks’ security posture is tied to the broader Intuit ecosystem that also handles TurboTax and QuickBooks accounting data
- Whichever platform you choose, confirm details like data encryption standards, backup practices, and breach notification policies directly with the vendor — these specifics can change and are best verified against current vendor documentation rather than assumed
10 Switching Providers
Switching Providers: What to Expect
Moving from one payroll provider to the other is common and both companies support it, but timing and preparation matter:
- Both ADP and QuickBooks Workforce offer migration assistance to import employee records and year-to-date payroll totals
- Switching mid-quarter requires careful handling of taxes already filed for that quarter to avoid duplicate or missing filings
- Most payroll professionals recommend switching at the start of a new quarter or, ideally, the start of a new calendar year to simplify year-end tax form (W-2/1099) processing
- Implementation timelines differ: QuickBooks Workforce setup is often measured in weeks, while ADP’s larger products (Workforce Now, TotalSource) can take longer due to a more involved onboarding process
- Budget time for testing at least one parallel or trial payroll run before fully cutting over, to confirm calculations match your expectations
11 Pros & Cons
Pros and Cons Side by Side
ADP
✓ Strengths
- Scales well from small to very large businesses
- Deep HR, benefits, and compliance tooling
- Strong multi-state payroll support
- Large third-party Marketplace ecosystem
✗ Watch-Outs
- Pricing isn’t published for most products
- Can feel more complex to learn initially
- Possible add-on fees for certain features
- Longer onboarding for larger product tiers
QuickBooks Workforce
✓ Strengths
- Transparent, published tiered pricing
- Seamless sync with QuickBooks accounting
- Generally easier learning curve
- Faster typical setup timeline
✗ Watch-Outs
- Hard employee limits on lower tiers
- Less flexible outside the QuickBooks ecosystem
- HR feature depth is lighter than ADP’s
- Per-employee pricing has increased more than once recently
12 Decision Guide
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose QuickBooks Workforce if…
You already use QuickBooks Online for accounting, have a small and relatively simple team, and want predictable, published pricing.
Choose ADP if…
You’re growing quickly, operate in multiple states, need deeper HR and benefits tools, or expect payroll complexity to increase over the next year or two.
Neither platform is universally “cheaper” — the right answer depends on your headcount, growth trajectory, and how much you value having payroll and accounting in a single connected system versus a dedicated payroll and HR platform with room to grow into.
13 Myth Busting
Common Misconceptions
MYTH“ADP is always more expensive than QuickBooks”
FACT
ADP Run, the small-business tier, is generally priced comparably to QuickBooks Workforce for similar-sized teams. ADP’s larger products cost more because they include substantially more HR and compliance functionality — not because ADP is inherently pricier for the same feature set.
MYTH“QuickBooks Payroll’s advertised price is what you’ll pay long-term”
FACT
Advertised prices often reflect a limited-time promotional discount, commonly 50% off for the first three months. Budget using the standard, non-promotional monthly rate to avoid a budget surprise later.
MYTH“You need QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Workforce”
FACT
QuickBooks Workforce can be purchased as a standalone payroll product without a full QuickBooks Online accounting subscription, though the deepest integration benefits (automatic ledger sync) only apply if you’re using both together.
MYTH“Switching payroll providers mid-year is too risky to attempt”
FACT
Mid-year switches happen regularly and both providers support them with migration assistance. The main risk is around quarter-end tax filings, which is why many businesses time the switch to a quarter boundary rather than avoiding it altogether.
Keep Learning
Frequently Asked Questions
ADP vs. QuickBooks Payroll Cost — FAQs
Is ADP or QuickBooks Payroll cheaper?
For very small teams, QuickBooks Workforce is usually cheaper and more predictable since its pricing is published — roughly $50/month plus about $6.50 per employee for the entry tier, scaling up from there. ADP’s entry-level product, ADP Run, is priced similarly but isn’t published, while ADP’s larger products (Workforce Now, TotalSource) are quoted individually and can cost more or less depending on negotiated discounts, company size, and required features.
Why doesn’t ADP publish its pricing?
ADP customizes pricing based on company size, number of states, required HR and compliance features, and contract length, similar to many enterprise software vendors. This lets ADP tailor deals but makes it harder to comparison-shop without requesting a quote directly.
Does QuickBooks Payroll charge hidden fees?
QuickBooks Workforce’s base pricing is transparent, but additional costs can appear for same-day direct deposit on lower tiers, multi-state tax filing on some plans, and a required QuickBooks Online subscription if you want the full accounting integration benefits.
Which is better for a business with employees in multiple states?
ADP generally handles multi-state payroll compliance more comprehensively, with dedicated support for varying state tax requirements. QuickBooks Payroll covers most states but may charge extra per additional state on some plans and can require more manual attention for unusual state tax situations.
Can I switch from QuickBooks Payroll to ADP or vice versa mid-year?
Yes. Both providers offer migration assistance and can import year-to-date payroll totals and employee records. Switching mid-quarter requires careful transfer of tax filings already made for that period, so many businesses prefer to switch at the start of a quarter or calendar year instead.
Does ADP or QuickBooks Workforce have a hard employee limit?
QuickBooks Workforce’s lower pricing tiers cap out at a set number of employees (commonly 25 or 50, depending on the tier), forcing an upgrade once you exceed it. ADP’s products are generally built to scale without a hard cap, though your quote will be recalculated as your headcount grows.
Is ADP compatible with QuickBooks accounting?
Yes. ADP offers integration options that sync payroll data into QuickBooks accounting, allowing you to use ADP for payroll and HR while keeping QuickBooks as your accounting system of record, rather than being limited to QuickBooks Workforce specifically.
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