📝 Overview

If you've already paid workers through Square 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 Square Payroll 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 Square. This involves three parts: ensuring a Permission Set that includes Payroll exists, adding us as a Team Member using that Permission Set, and making our Team Member profile an Authorized Representative.

Step 1: Add Us as a Team Member

Log in to your Square Payroll account.
On your dashboard, click Staff, then select Team, then Team Members.
Click + Team Member.
Enter the following details:
- First name: Payroll (required)
- Last name: Admin (required)
- Email: [INSERT EMAIL HERE] (required)
Click Next.

⚠️Make sure the Permission Set you assign includes Payroll access. If you don't have one set up, create one before completing this step.

Step 2: Add Us as an Authorized Representative

Go to Settings, then Account & Settings, then select Business Information, then Business Security.
Click Assign Authorized Representative and select the Payroll Admin team member you just created.
Select the locations the Payroll Admin team member can view. If you have multiple locations, select all locations.
Click Save.

🛠️ Option 2: Download Reports Yourself

If you prefer to download and send reports directly, you'll need two different report types depending on where you are in the calendar year: one for the current quarter and one for any prior closed quarters.

Current Quarter: Paycheck Details Report

Use this report to capture all individual payroll runs in the current quarter.

Go to the History & Reports tab of your online Payroll Dashboard.
Click Payroll Reports.
Run the Paycheck Details report from the first date of the current quarter through the check date of your last payroll processed in Square. Make sure all employees are selected.
Click Download to save as a spreadsheet.
Email the report to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

⚠️ Payroll runs won't appear in reports until after the deadline to cancel that run has passed. If your most recent payroll isn't showing yet, send us the current report to get started. Once the payroll populates, send us the updated report as soon as possible so we can complete the migration.

Prior Quarters: Employee Totals Report

If you're joining us in Q2, Q3, or Q4, you'll also need quarterly summary reports for each closed quarter of the current calendar year.

🧠 Example: Joining in Q3 means you'll need an Employee Totals report for Q1 and Q2. Joining in Q4 means you'll need reports for Q1, Q2, and Q3.

Go to the History & Reports tab of your online Payroll Dashboard.
Click Payroll Reports.
Run the Employee Totals report for each closed quarter using these date ranges:
- Q1: 1/1 – 3/31
- Q2: 4/1 – 6/30
- Q3: 7/1 – 9/30
Click Download to save each as a spreadsheet.
Email all reports to [INSERT EMAIL HERE].

📆 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 Square Payroll, 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.

Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions