If you run your trade business on QuickBooks Online, your subscription is about to cost more. Intuit has confirmed that monthly prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are increasing starting August 1, 2026 (per Intuit’s official pricing-change notice). Here’s exactly what’s changing, who it hits, and what to do before the new rate lands on your bill.
What’s changing
Three things are worth pinning down:
- Essentials, Plus, and Advanced are going up. The higher pricing takes effect August 1, 2026 and shows up on your next billing date after that. The prices listed on the QuickBooks website update August 3, 2026.
- Simple Start and Ledger are not changing. If you’re on one of those lower tiers, your price holds for now.
- Two new cheaper tiers exist. Intuit also rolled out QuickBooks Free (basic income-and-expense tracking) and QuickBooks Lite (automated finances plus built-in tax support for the self-employed) — worth knowing if you’re a solo operator wondering whether you’re overpaying for Plus.
All of the above is straight from Intuit’s own notice, linked above.
How much more will you pay?
Here’s where we’ll be straight with you: Intuit published the exact new prices only inside a comparison-table graphic, not as plain text, so we’re not going to quote a hard new number we can’t verify line by line. What we can tell you:
- For reference, Intuit’s own documentation currently lists QuickBooks Online Essentials at $85/month (source), with Plus and Advanced above that.
- One accounting firm tracking the change estimates the increase lands in the 15–25% range across plans (Steph’s Books) — treat that as a third-party estimate, not an Intuit figure.
The reliable move is to check the exact number for your own plan in the email Intuit sends (more on that next) or in the pricing table on QuickBooks’ site once it updates August 3.
You’re paying more — but you’re also getting more (especially on Advanced)
This isn’t only a price grab; Intuit is bundling real capability into the higher tiers, and some of it is genuinely aimed at construction and project-based businesses:
- QuickBooks Advanced now includes construction and project tools — structured budgets by phase, AIA-style progress billing, and change-order management — which Intuit values at up to $900/year. If you’ve been running job budgets in a spreadsheet, that’s the line item to look at.
- Bill Pay Elite is now included in Advanced at no extra cost (Intuit pegs that at up to $540/year of value). Separately, the standalone Bill Pay Elite price actually dropped from $90 to $45/month on June 8, 2026.
- KPI scorecards and prebuilt dashboards (cash flow, P&L, balance sheet) are now available on Essentials and Plus, not just Advanced.
So the honest read: if you’re a smaller shop on Essentials or Plus, you’re mostly just paying more. If you’re on Advanced — or were eyeing it for job costing — the new construction features and bundled Bill Pay narrow the gap between “more expensive” and “actually worth it.”
What contractors should do before August 1
- Watch for the email. If you pay Intuit directly (client-billed), Intuit starts sending notification emails June 27, 2026, roughly 30 days before your next billing date. That email has your specific new price.
- If your accountant bills you for QuickBooks, you won’t get an email. Intuit confirms accountant-billed subscriptions get no direct notice — so if your bookkeeper resells you QuickBooks, ask them what your new rate will be.
- Re-check your tier. If you’re on Plus but barely use it, the new Free/Lite tiers (or Simple Start, which isn’t increasing) might fit. If you’re a growing shop doing real job costing, price out whether Advanced’s new construction tools beat bolting together a separate tool.
- New signups get a grace period. Brand-new QuickBooks Online customers get 6 months of price protection from their sign-up date before the new rate kicks in.
If you’re setting QuickBooks up for a trade business in the first place, our QuickBooks Online setup guide for trade contractors walks through the chart of accounts and job-costing basics. And if you’re still on a desktop version, QuickBooks Desktop is being retired — that’s a separate migration worth getting ahead of.
The bottom line
A price increase is never welcome, but this one is predictable and you have runway. Confirm your new number when Intuit’s email lands (or ask your accountant), decide whether your current tier still fits, and — if you’re on or considering Advanced — weigh the new construction and Bill Pay features against the higher bill. Software is a tool; the question is always whether it earns its cost on your jobs.
Not sure your current accounting and software stack is the right one for your shop? Run our free Tool Finder — answer a few questions and it builds you a custom shortlist, with the reasoning and pricing behind each pick. You can also see current QuickBooks plans here.
Frequently asked questions
When does the QuickBooks Online price increase take effect?
August 1, 2026, for Essentials, Plus, and Advanced. The new price appears on your next billing date after that, and the prices shown on QuickBooks’ website update August 3, 2026.
Which QuickBooks plans are not changing?
QuickBooks Simple Start and QuickBooks Ledger pricing is unchanged at this time, per Intuit.
Will I be notified of my new price?
If you pay Intuit directly, yes — emails begin June 27, 2026, about 30 days before your next billing date. If your accountant bills you for QuickBooks, Intuit does not send you a notice, so ask your accountant.
How much is the increase?
Intuit published exact new prices only in a graphic, so check your plan’s figure in your notification email or on QuickBooks’ site after August 3. A third-party estimate puts the increase around 15–25% across plans; that is not an official Intuit number.
Is there anything new for contractors in the higher tiers?
Yes. QuickBooks Advanced now bundles construction and project features (phase budgets, AIA-style billing, change-order management) and includes Bill Pay Elite at no extra cost, per Intuit’s notice.
Michael is the founder of Augmented Trades, an independent site that tests and reviews AI tools for trade contractors. Tools are recommended on fit for your shop — affiliate partnerships never decide coverage.