Set up your QuickBooks Time in QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Payroll

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

With QuickBooks Online Plus, Essentials, or Advanced, and QuickBooks Payroll, your employees can track time with QuickBooks Time. Then, that time flows into QuickBooks for 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

Step 1: Launch your QuickBooks Time account

Note: QuickBooks Payroll Premium and Elite includes QuickBooks Time.

If you don’t have QuickBooks Time yet:

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Settings , then 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 Payroll, set up your pay period settings there. Otherwise, continue.

In the following steps, make sure the settings you enter in QuickBooks Time matches 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.

1. In QuickBooks Time, select QuickBooks Payroll, then select Preferences.
2. Under Other Options, select Payroll Item Mapping Tool.
3. On the Map Employees tab, select an employee's name.
4. For each time type, select one pay type from QuickBooks. Selections are saved automatically.

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 the QuickBooks dropdown, then 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.

Note: Options that import from QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks 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. 

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.