Set up QuickBooks Time in QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll

Learn how to set up QuickBooks Time with your QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll account.

With QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, Advanced, Accountant, or QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium or Elite, your team members can track time with QuickBooks Time. Then, that time flows into payroll, invoicing, and more.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Launch your QuickBooks Time account
• Set up pay period
• Set up overtime settings
• Review payroll item and time mapping
• Add your team and time tracking options
• Invite team members to track time

Step 1: Launch your QuickBooks Time account

If you don’t have QuickBooks Time yet:

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings and select Subscriptions and billing.
2. Go to QuickBooks Time and select Learn more.
3. Choose if you’d like QuickBooks Time Premium or Elite, then add it to your subscription now, or start a 30-day free trial.

Then, you can begin the setup:

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then select Go to classic QuickBooks Time.

Information from QuickBooks Online automatically transfers to your QuickBooks Time account. There are only a few pieces of information you need to set up manually.

Not seeing this option? You can either upgrade your Payroll account or give our support team a call to help integrate your existing QuickBooks Time account.

Step 2: Set up pay period

Note: If you use QuickBooks Online Payroll, set up your pay period settings there. Otherwise, continue.

In the following steps, make sure the settings you enter in QuickBooks Time match what’s in QuickBooks Online. 

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company Settings.
2. Select Payroll & Overtime, then Pay Schedule.
3. Select your Week Start and Pay Schedule.
4. Select a recent closing date for payroll, then Save.

Step 3: Set up overtime settings

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company Settings.
2. Select Payroll & Overtime, then Overtime.
3. Make your selections, then Save.
   1. If you need more detailed overtime policies, select Use Pay Rate Engine to customise your overtime calculations.

Note:

• If you have QuickBooks Payroll and your employee tracks overtime in QuickBooks Time, they need to have the overtime pay type set up in Payroll. Otherwise, their tracked overtime will not be exported accurately.
• If you have more personalisation needs to fit your business, you can set them up in Company Settings later.

Step 4: Review payroll item and time mapping

Note: This is only available if you have an active payroll subscription.

Your payroll items from QuickBooks automatically map to the matching time type in QuickBooks Time. For example, a “regular pay” pay type will map to the “regular” time type.

If you want your employees to track unpaid time off, you need to set up unpaid time off as a payroll item in QuickBooks. Your time off codes, rules and balances will import into QuickBooks Time from QuickBooks.

Double-check the mapping and make adjustments as needed, so time transfers to payroll linked to the correct pay rates.

Step 5: Add your team and time tracking options

Note: Additions and changes in QuickBooks Online will automatically import into QuickBooks Time. The sync log will display (Auto) next to the automatic imports. A manual import can still be performed, if needed.
In QuickBooks Time, select QuickBooks menu, then select Import.

Add team members to track time

When you add new employees or contractors to QuickBooks Online, they’re automatically added to QuickBooks Time in My Team.

Add other tracking options in QuickBooks Time

Note: Options that import from QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll (employees and suppliers, customers, payroll items, service items, billable items, class, and location) need to be managed there.

If you need your team members to track time against service items, billable items, or classes:

1. In QuickBooks Time, select QuickBooks menu, then select Preferences.
2. Make your selections:
   • Customers & sub-customers: a customer selection is required on timesheets. You can assign these customers later. Note: Customers can be added or edited in either QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Time and the change will reflect in both places.
   • Service Items: a service item selection is required on timesheets. You can assign service items later.
   • Billable yes/no choice: mark timesheets as billable or not billable. Billable timesheets can be used when invoicing in QuickBooks.
     • Require billable yes/no choice: the billable choice is required before clock-out. 
   • Class: a class selection is required on timesheets.
3. Selections are saved automatically. Depending on which options you select, those items will import automatically from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Time.

For more information, see about QuickBooks integration preferences. 

Step 6: Invite team members to track time

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to My Team.
2. In the Add team members ▼ dropdown, select Send invitations.
3. Select the team members you want to invite.
4. Select Invite (#) Team members.

Make sure your employee sees the invite

Once you invite your employees to QuickBooks Time, they'll need to do a few things before they can start tracking time:

1. Be on the lookout for a text message with the invite.
2. Accept the invite.
3. Create a user ID and password (if they haven’t already).
4. Download QuickBooks Workforce.

There are many ways for you and your team members to track and manage their time with QuickBooks Time. Find out more about tracking and managing time in QuickBooks Time to see what works best for your company.