Quickbooks Online Bill Pay Review: Is It Right for Your Business?

Paying bills and managing vendor payments can be a real headache for small business owners Between printing checks, stuffing envelopes, and keeping track of who you paid and when, the process eats up a ton of time each month

That’s why online bill pay services like Quickbooks Bill Pay are becoming so popular. They automate the accounts payable process so you can get back to doing what you do best – running your business

But is Quickbooks Bill Pay right for your small business? I reviewed the features, pricing, and user experience so you can decide if it’s a good fit. Here’s what to know:

Overview of Quickbooks Bill Pay

Quickbooks Bill Pay is an accounts payable automation tool that’s built right into Quickbooks Online.

It allows you to manage vendor bills and payments entirely within your Quickbooks account. You can add bills, set up payment schedules, and pay bills by direct ACH transfer or check – no need to print, stuff envelopes, and mail payments.

Payments sync back to Quickbooks seamlessly, updating vendor balances and your books automatically.

The basic Quickbooks Bill Pay plan is free for Quickbooks Online users. It includes 5 free ACH transactions per month.

Paid plans offer additional features like unlimited ACH payments, customizable approval workflows, automated Bill Pay reminders, and more.

Pricing starts at $15/month for the Premium plan or $90/month for the Elite plan, in addition to your Quickbooks Online subscription.

I’ll dig into the features and pricing in more detail later in this review. First, let’s look at the key pros and cons of Quickbooks Bill Pay.

Pros of Quickbooks Bill Pay:

• Seamless integration with Quickbooks Online
• Send ACH or check payments from Quickbooks
• Scheduled/automatic payments
• Approval workflows (Elite plan)
• Unlimited ACH payments (Premium and Elite plans)

Cons of Quickbooks Bill Pay:

• Requires Quickbooks Online subscription
• Can’t process international payments
• No free trial for paid plans

Is Quickbooks Bill Pay Right for You?

Quickbooks Bill Pay is designed specifically for Quickbooks Online users.

It integrates seamlessly, syncing bill and payment data back to your Quickbooks account automatically.

But that tight integration comes at a cost – you can only use Quickbooks Bill Pay if you have a Quickbooks Online account.

If you use other accounting platforms like Xero or Sage, Quickbooks Bill Pay won’t work for you.

You’ll need a standalone bill pay service that integrates with multiple accounting tools, like Melio or BILL.com.

Quickbooks Bill Pay is best suited for Quickbooks Online users who:

• Have high volumes of contractor payments. Quickbooks Bill Pay makes it easy to track contractor payments and automatically generate 1099s.

• Need a basic bill pay service and only process a few payments each month. The free Basic plan includes 5 free ACH transactions monthly.

• Want a multi-user approval workflow. The Elite plan allows you to set up approval chains before payments get processed.

If you’re looking for a full-featured accounts payable solution, you may want to consider options like BILL.com or Rippling that offer things like purchase order management and expense reporting.

But for Quickbooks users needing basic bill pay features, Quickbooks Bill Pay is a great option that will save you time and headaches.

Next, let’s look at what real users have to say about Quickbooks Bill Pay.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Reviews From Users

Quickbooks Bill Pay is still a fairly new offering – it launched in late 2021 after Quickbooks ended its partnership with Melio.

So there aren’t many reviews available yet.

But looking at reviews for Quickbooks in general can give us clues into the overall user experience you might expect.

On G2, Quickbooks Online has over 5,000 reviews and a 4 out of 5 star rating. Positive reviews praise its ease of use, helpful customer support, integration with apps like payroll and POS systems, and convenient mobile access.

Negative reviews cite the high pricing, limitations of features in lower cost plans, and occasional bugs or glitches after major updates.

Pros from users:

• User-friendly interface
• Good customer support
• Seamless app integrations
• Access anywhere via mobile

Cons from users:

• Expensive compared to competitors
• Limited features on lower plans
• Some bugs and glitches after updates

Considering that Bill Pay is built directly into Quickbooks Online, you can expect a similar user experience – easy to use with good support, but potentially some minor technical issues.

Pricing is also comparable to Quickbooks Online plans. Now let’s look at what Quickbooks Bill Pay costs.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Pricing

Quickbooks Bill Pay has 3 plans ranging from free to $90/month.

Here’s an overview of the monthly pricing:

These prices are in addition to your Quickbooks Online subscription, which starts at $35/month.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s included with each plan.

Basic Plan

The Quickbooks Bill Pay Basic plan is free for all Quickbooks Online users. It includes:

• 5 free ACH payments per month
• Additional ACH payments: $0.50 each
• Check payments: $1.50 each
• Expedited ACH payments: $10 each

The Basic plan lets you get started with bill pay and process a few transactions each month for free. But for high volumes, you’ll need to upgrade to avoid overage fees.

Premium Plan

The Quickbooks Bill Pay Premium plan costs $15/month. It includes:

• 40 free ACH payments per month
• Additional ACH payments: $0.50 each
• Check payments: $1.50 each
• Expedited ACH: $10 each
• Automated bill reminders
• Unlimited 1099 filing

With 40 free ACH transactions, the Premium plan accommodates moderate to high transaction volumes. It’s a good choice if you want more included payments than Basic provides.

Elite Plan

The Quickbooks Bill Pay Elite plan costs $90/month. It offers:

• Unlimited ACH payments
• Check payments: $1.50 each
• Expedited ACH: $10 each
• Automated bill reminders
• Unlimited 1099 filing
• Custom user roles and permissions
• Multi-level approval workflows

The Elite plan is designed for larger businesses with high payment volume. Custom roles and approval chains help maintain financial controls across multiple employees.

Key Quickbooks Bill Pay Features

Now that we’ve looked at pricing, let’s dive into the key features available with Quickbooks Bill Pay.

Seamless Quickbooks Integration

Because it’s built directly into Quickbooks Online, Bill Pay seamlessly syncs payment details back to your Quickbooks account.

When you pay a bill in Quickbooks Bill Pay, it automatically:

• Updates the vendor’s account balance
• Records the transaction in your general ledger
• Updates cash balances on your cash flow statement

It saves you time on manual data entry and ensures your books are always up to date.

ACH & Check Payments

Quickbooks Bill Pay allows you to pay bills via ACH transfer directly from your connected bank account. ACH payments are typically received by the recipient within 5 business days.

You can also pay bills by printed check mailed to the vendor’s address. Check payments cost $1.50 each across all plans.

Expedited ACH delivery (typically within 1 business day) is available for an extra $10 per transaction.

Scheduled/Automatic Payments

You can schedule one-time or recurring payments to vendors in Quickbooks Bill Pay. It’s a convenient way to set and forget automatic bill payments.

Scheduled payments sync to Quickbooks automatically based on the payment date, so your books stay up to date.

1099 Reporting

Quickbooks Bill Pay helps you track payments to 1099 contractors automatically. This simplifies 1099 reporting at the end of the year.

With the Premium and Elite plans, you get unlimited 1099 filing directly through Quickbooks Payroll.

Approval Workflows (Elite Plan)

The Elite plan lets you set up approval workflows before payments get processed. You can assign specific employees to approve, review, or authorize payments based on rules you configure.

Multi-level approval chains help maintain financial controls across your organization.

Quickbooks Bill Pay Ease of Use

Most reviews of Quickbooks Online praise its simple, intuitive interface. And since Quickbooks Bill Pay is baked right