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dsharick
July 2, 2021
Question

Can I just use quickbooks online strictly for payroll only and export payroll into my desktop and continue to use qbs desktop

No text available

14 replies

Mich_S
Level 5
July 2, 2021

Hi there, @dsharick.

 

Thank you for posting in the Community. I'd be glad to help you today.

 

You can use QuickBooks Online for payroll. Depending on your business' needs, you can either subscribe to QBO Premium, Core, or Elite Standalone Payroll. 

 

Also, you can export payroll data to QuickBooks Desktop. First, set up your Export Preferences:

  1. Click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Payroll settings
  3. Hit the Pencil icon next to Export.
  4. Choose either QuickBooks Desktop for Windows: downloadable IIF (Intuit Interchange Format) file or QuickBooks Online and select Continue.
  5. If selecting QuickBooks Online, you may be prompted to log in to select the company. You will then be asked to select the company you want to export into.
    • You will then be prompted to select the accounts for each wage expense or liability
  6. If selecting QuickBooks Desktop for Windows, you will be asked to type in the name of each account you are exporting your liabilities and expenses to. We recommend that you have a copy of your QuickBooks chart of accounts handy for this. 

Once done, you can now export your payroll transactions:

  1. Click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Payroll settings
  3. Hit the Export transactions tab.
  4. A screen will appear letting you know how many transactions and of which type are being exported
    • You may need to allow popups if you are using the QuickBooks Desktop for Windows option
  5. Hit Export.

 

For more details, please review this article: Export into QuickBooks Online or Desktop from Core, Premium, or Elite Standalone Payroll.

 

Keep us updated by replying to the thread. Have a good one!

dsharickAuthor
July 4, 2021

What about desktop Mac can I strictly use online for payroll only and how do I do it.

DivinaMercy_N
DivinaMercy_NModerator
Moderator
July 4, 2021

Thanks for getting back here, @dsharick.

 

Ensuring that you can process your payroll on your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) for Mac program is a great help so you'll be able to pay your employee correctly each payment period.

 

When processing payroll in your QBDT Mac, you can use the online payroll service that integrates with QuickBooks Online and supports Safari v3.1 and later.

 

Then, to give you in-depth details on how this is done, please reach out to our QuickBooks Payroll for Mac team. Here's how:

 

  1. Head to the QuickBooks support page.
  2. Select QuickBooks Desktop for Mac and then Continue.
  3. Click the Search for something else button and enter a brief description of your concern in the box. Example: Use Online Payroll only in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.
  4. Once done, click Search. 
  5. Select Start a Message. 

 

For more info about this, please see this article: Using QuickBooks Payroll on a Mac.

 

Also, you can always visit our QBDT for Mac Help articles page to seek sources to guide you in performing any QuickBooks tasks. Simply type a keyword of your concern on the search field or open any of the categories displayed. 

 

I'm always here in the Community if you have further concerns processing online payroll in QBDT for Mac. Just post a comment below to notify me of your response. Have a good one. 

dbain1
March 31, 2022

It's extremely frustrating that the cost and features of Quickbooks Online Payroll are not also available for Quickbooks Desktop.  

 

I have a client that has asked me to move their company from Quickbooks Online to Quickbooks Enterprise Desktop.  They need to move to Enterprise Desktop because Quickbooks online does not have sufficient inventory features for their business.  BUT, they are very happy with QB online payroll, which has far better service than Desktop Assisted Payroll.

 

Why can't Intuit simply match its Payroll Service costs and features between Online and Desktop???

DivinaMercy_N
DivinaMercy_NModerator
Moderator
March 31, 2022

Thanks for joining this thread and sharing insights about the QuickBooks payroll services, @dbain1.

 

I've come to discuss further details about this. 

 

QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) and QuickBooks Online (QBO) are two different programs. In terms of managing payroll, they have dedicated services that you can use. For more information, feel free to visit these articles:

 

 

Your client can still use the online payroll service to manage their employees and taxes and then, export the data to their QBDT program later. To do so, they can follow the steps outlined by my colleague, Mich_S.

 

I've also got you here a compilation of reports that you can open to get a detailed view of your payroll information: Run payroll reports.

 

I'm always willing to lend a hand if you have an additional concern about using QuickBooks payroll services. Just leave a reply below and I'll get back to you. Thanks for dropping by. 

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