Federal Tax withholding didn't occur with employees first payroll check?

Welcome to the Community, @stonehouse358.

This employee may have been set up as tax-exempt, causing the Federal Taxes to not withhold. If that's the case, here's how to remove the exemption.

The steps to do this may differ depending on the payroll subscription you're using. For QuickBooks Online Payroll (QBOP):

1. Go to the Workers or Payroll menu at the left pane to get to the Employees page.
2. Select the specific employee, then under Employee Details, click on the Edit (pencil) icon beside Pay.
3. In the question What are (employee's name) withholdings, tick the Edit (pencil) icon again.
4. Scroll down till the Tax Exemptions section and click on the drop-down.
5. Remove the unnecessary checkmarks, then hit Done to save.  

For Intuit Online Payroll (IOP), refer to this article for the detailed steps on how: Employee payroll tax exemptions.

Just in case, I'll add this article for future reference: What are the Payroll tax wage bases and limits?

Please know that I'm only a post away if you have any other issues or concerns. I'll be more than happy to help. Have a wonderful day!