Overview
You can connect your QuickBooks Online account application to When I Work Payroll during the implementation process. This option is available during the Set Up Accounting step of the Company Onboarding process.
Connect Quickbooks Online
When prompted during the Set Up Accounting step, choose QuickBooks Online and click Connect.
FAQs about QuickBooks Online integration
| Which categories must be mapped to the chart of accounts to create payroll journal entries in the general ledger? |
|
Payroll categories must be mapped to your companyʼs chart of accounts to enable the proper flow of payroll data to the QuickBooks Online general ledger. Optional categories can be marked in the dropdown selection as “N/A”. However, it is recommended to attempt to map all the categories to accounts in the event that the category is used in the future to prevent errors. See the details table for more information. |
| What happens if “auto-push” toggle is enabled? |
| If “auto-push” is enabled, then the payroll will be automatically pushed to the general ledger as a new journal entry when the payroll moves to the “processing” status from the “pending” status. |
| Which payrolls can be pushed to QuickBooks Online? |
|
Only managed payrolls can be pushed to QuickBooks Online. Non-managed (historical) payrolls cannot be pushed between these systems. |
| Can I manually push a payroll to a QuickBooks Online account? |
|
Payroll Support Specialists can help manually push a payroll to QuickBooks Online. This will create a new journal entry for the chosen payroll. Note: There is no guard against duplicate entries in the general ledger. |
| What is the date used for the journal entry? |
| The journal entry’s transaction date will reflect the approval deadline. This date coincides with the date that the cash requirement is pulled from the company bank account. If a payroll doesn’t have an approval deadline, the transaction date will default to the payroll’s payday. |
| Are cash and/or accrual accounting supported? |
|
Cash accounting is the “cleanest” method of payroll accounting, and the easiest to understand. For each payroll, a single journal entry will be created at the employer level. An entry will be created for each pull from the company’s bank account used to fund payroll (the cash requirement debit and each individual check paid to an employee). |
| What’s an example of a journal entry that I would see in my general ledger? |
|
Journal entries will be structured as shown in the below example. See an example of a journal entry below.
|
| What happens if you remove an account that’s been mapped to a category? |
| If an account is missing when a payroll entry is pushed to QuickBooks, then the entry will fail. Payroll Support Specialists will redirect you to the accounting setup experience in Company Onboard link again. You will see a notification for the category that is no longer mapped to an account. Complete the mapping to continue. |
| What happens if a user’s authentication to QuickBooks Online expires? |
|
If your QuickBooks Online account authentication expires, then the payroll entry will fail. A Payroll Support Specialist will redirect the you to the accounting setup experience in Company Onboard link again. Once you re-authorize your Quickbooks Online account, you will see the mappings you had previously configured and can proceed with using this feature again. |
| Question | Answer |
| Which categories must be mapped to the chart of accounts to create payroll journal entries in the general ledger? |
Payroll categories must be mapped to your companyʼs chart of accounts to enable the proper flow of payroll data to the QuickBooks Online general ledger. Optional categories can be marked in the dropdown selection as “N/A”. However, it is recommended to attempt to map all the categories to accounts in the event that the category is used in the future to prevent errors. See the details table for more information. |
| What happens if “auto-push” toggle is enabled? | If “auto-push” is enabled, then the payroll will be automatically pushed to the general ledger as a new journal entry when the payroll moves to the “processing” status from the “pending” status. |
| Which payrolls can be pushed to QuickBooks Online? |
Only managed payrolls can be pushed to QuickBooks Online. Non-managed (historical) payrolls cannot be pushed between these systems. |
| Can I manually push a payroll to a QuickBooks Online account? |
Payroll Support Specialists can help manually push a payroll to QuickBooks Online. This will create a new journal entry for the chosen payroll. Note: There is no guard against duplicate entries in the general ledger. |
| What is the date used for the journal entry? | The journal entry’s transaction date will reflect the approval deadline. This date coincides with the date that the cash requirement is pulled from the company bank account. If a payroll doesn’t have an approval deadline, the transaction date will default to the payroll’s payday. |
| Are cash and/or accrual accounting supported? |
Cash accounting is the “cleanest” method of payroll accounting, and the easiest to understand. For each payroll, a single journal entry will be created at the employer level. An entry will be created for each pull from the company’s bank account used to fund payroll (the cash requirement debit and each individual check paid to an employee). |
| What’s an example of a journal entry that I would see in my general ledger? |
Journal entries will be structured as shown in the below example. See an example of a journal entry below.
|
| What happens if you remove an account that’s been mapped to a category? | If an account is missing when a payroll entry is pushed to QuickBooks, then the entry will fail. Payroll Support Specialists will redirect you to the accounting setup experience in Company Onboard link again. You will see a notification for the category that is no longer mapped to an account. Complete the mapping to continue. |
| What happens if a user’s authentication to QuickBooks Online expires? |
If your QuickBooks Online account authentication expires, then the payroll entry will fail. A Payroll Support Specialist will redirect the you to the accounting setup experience in Company Onboard link again. Once you re-authorize your Quickbooks Online account, you will see the mappings you had previously configured and can proceed with using this feature again. |
Payroll categories mapping details
| Wages and Salaries |
| Expense, Debit |
| All earnings paid to employees and contractors in the pay period. (Also known as “Compensation”. ) |
|
| Contractor Payments |
| Expense, Debit |
| All earnings paid to contractors in the pay period. (Also known as “Compensation”. ) |
|
| Expense Reimbursements |
| Expense, Debit |
| All reimbursements paid to employees and contractors in the pay period. |
|
| Employer Taxes |
| Expense, Debit |
| All employer taxes for the pay period. |
|
| Employee Benefits |
| Expense, Debit |
| All benefits paid by the employer and remitted by the employer for the pay period. |
|
| Bank Account |
| Liability, Credit |
| The account that funds the amount that the employer is liable for over a given pay period. |
|
| Payroll Taxes Payable |
| Liability, Credit |
| All employer taxes to be paid |
|
| Cash Tips |
| Liability, Credit |
| All cash tips paid to employees directly |
|
| Imputed Income |
| Liability, Credit |
| Other imputed income such as use of a company car or gym membership |
|
| Other Payroll Liabilities |
| Liability, Credit |
| All employer benefits and PTDs to be paid out by the employer |
|
| Category | Flow | Description | Sample Entries |
| Wages and Salaries | Expense, Debit | All earnings paid to employees and contractors in the pay period. (Also known as “Compensation”. ) |
|
| Contractor Payments | Expense, Debit | All earnings paid to contractors in the pay period. (Also known as “Compensation”. ) |
|
| Expense Reimbursements | Expense, Debit | All reimbursements paid to employees and contractors in the pay period. |
|
| Employer Taxes | Expense, Debit | All employer taxes for the pay period. |
|
| Employee Benefits | Expense, Debit | All benefits paid by the employer and remitted by the employer for the pay period. |
|
| Bank Account | Liability, Credit | The account that funds the amount that the employer is liable for over a given pay period. |
|
| Payroll Taxes Payable | Liability, Credit | All employer taxes to be paid |
|
| Cash Tips | Liability, Credit | All cash tips paid to employees directly |
|
| Imputed Income | Liability, Credit | Other imputed income such as use of a company car or gym membership |
|
| Other Payroll Liabilities | Liability, Credit | All employer benefits and PTDs to be paid out by the employer |
|
Journal entry example
The following is an example of a journal entry:
