📝 Overview

If you've already paid workers through QuickBooks Payroll this calendar year, we need that payroll data before your first run with us. This guide explains how to share it, either by adding us as an admin or by downloading and sending reports yourself.

⏱️ Before You Begin

Keep your QuickBooks account active while your payroll data is being transferred. Maintaining access allows you to:

Download additional reports if needed
Run additional payrolls if necessary

Do not close or cancel your account until we confirm it's safe to do so.

🧠 Why We Need Your Payroll Data

Migrating your historical payroll data ensures that worker tax payments and reporting are accurate. Without it, tax filings and year-end forms could be incorrect, which affects both you and your workers.

This applies to both active and terminated workers who were paid during the current calendar year.

📊 Data Requirements by Worker Type

Here is what we need from you, broken down by worker type:

W-2 Employees

Wages broken down by type (hourly, salary, commissions, etc.)
Both employee and employer taxes broken down by type
Deductions broken down by type
Employer contributions broken down by type
Pay period for each check date
A year-to-date report for all payrolls run in the calendar year

⚠️ Pay stubs don't always show employer taxes, so they may not be usable for migration purposes. Make sure your reports include employer tax data.

1099 Contractors

Check dates and associated pay periods
Payment amounts by type (service, commission, tips, etc.)

Download contractor reports as a CSV or PDF.

🔑 Option 1: Grant Us Admin Access (Recommended)

The easiest way to share your payroll data is to add us as an admin in QuickBooks. Our team can then download the reports we need directly.

Select Settings, then select Manage Users.
Select Add User, then enter the following details:
- First name: Payroll
- Last name: Admin
- Email: [INSERT EMAIL HERE]
Choose Company Admin from the Roles dropdown.
Select Send Invitation.

🛠️ Option 2: Download Reports Yourself

If you prefer to download and send reports directly, follow the steps below. The reports you need depend on where you are in the calendar year.

What Reports Are Needed

Current quarter: One report per individual payroll run, with a check date that falls within the current quarter
Prior quarters: One quarterly summary report per closed quarter, showing year-to-date amounts per quarter

🧠 Example: Your first payroll with us is planned for 8/30. You've processed payroll in Q3 with check dates of 7/15, 7/31, and 8/15. You'll need a report for each of those dates, plus summary reports for Q1 totals and Q2 totals.

Steps: QuickBooks Online

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Sign in to QuickBooks Payroll.
Select Reports.
Locate Payroll Details, which may appear under Employee Reports or Payroll.
Set the date range to cover the current year.
Click Run Report.
Download the report as an Excel spreadsheet using View in Excel or Export to Excel under the Share menu.
Repeat for each quarter, then email all reports to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

Steps: QuickBooks Desktop

If you're using QuickBooks Desktop instead of QuickBooks Online, the steps are slightly different.

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Click Reports.
Find Employee & Payroll and select Summarize Payroll Data in Excel.
Set the date range to cover the full year to date.
Email the report to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

⚠️ You'll need to run multiple reports: one quarterly report for each completed quarter of the current year (showing year-to-date amounts per quarter), plus one report for each individual payroll run in the current quarter.

📆 Weekly Payroll Employers

If your business runs payroll on a weekly schedule, follow this two-step process:

Submit initial data: Send us all payroll data accumulated so far for the calendar year. This lets us start the migration on our end right away.
Submit final payroll data: After your last weekly payroll with QuickBooks, send us that final payroll report as soon as possible.

🧠 Example: You run payroll every Monday for a Friday check date. Send us all payroll data except for the current week's run. We'll get started on the migration. Once your final weekly payroll has been run, send us that payroll report no later than Friday so we can complete the migration and have you ready to run your first payroll the following week.

❓Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

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