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, QuickBooks Online Plus, QuickBooks Online Advanced, QuickBooks Online 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
• Run and use the payroll report in ​QuickBooks Time​
• Add, edit, or delete timesheets from the payroll report

Step 1: Launch your QuickBooks Time account

Plan availability: QuickBooks Time is included with QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite. If you’re on Core Payroll, you can add QuickBooks Time Premium or Elite as an add-on, or upgrade your payroll plan. 

Note: QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite includes QuickBooks Time.

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 Tracking and select Find out more.
3. Select if you want QuickBooks Time Premium or Elite. Then add it to your subscription. Or, select Try it free for 30 days* to start a free trial.

Then, you can begin the setup:

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. 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.

Note: If you don't see the option to launch QuickBooks Time, you may need to upgrade your Payroll account or contact our support team to integrate an 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.

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company Settings.
2. Select Payroll & Overtime, then Pay Schedule.
3. Select your pay schedule in the section Default pay schedule.
4. Select a date from Select a recent closing date for payroll, then Save.

Payroll Schedule options:

• Weekly: Every week, based on a closing date.
• Every 2 weeks: Every two weeks.
• Twice a month: On two specific days per month.
• Every 4 weeks: Every 28 days.
• Monthly: Once a month on a chosen date.
• Custom: At least two defined custom end dates.

Step 3: Set up overtime settings

Double check that overtime pay is set up in your employee's payroll profile. Otherwise, their hours will show up as regular pay even if they worked overtime.

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company Settings.
2. Go to Payroll & Overtime and select 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 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.

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 Preferences.
2. 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.

Note: More detailed mapping options can be done by mapping payroll items to service items or class types.

Step 5: Add your team and time tracking options

Add team members to track time

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

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. To add an employee, select Add team members ▼ dropdown, then Add employee.
3. Fill in the required fields, then Add employee. 

Add other tracking options in QuickBooks Time

You can set up and manage breaks in QuickBooks Online so your team can track breaks, and you can add time off timesheets when you need to. 

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 or QuickBooks Payroll, 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. 
     • Billable Rate
   • Class: A class selection is required on timesheets.
   • Department
3. Selections are saved automatically. Depending on which options you select, those items will import automatically from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Time.

Step 6: Invite team members to track time

1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product
2. Select Invite team members.
3. Select the team members you want to invite, and select to invite them through text or email. 
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.

After your team members follow these steps, they can now track their time through QuickBooks Workforce, or the web. You can also track and manage time for your team members in QuickBooks Online, or use the Kiosk. 

Run and use the payroll report in QuickBooks Time

With everything set up, you can now run payroll reports to review hours worked, download timesheets, and ensure accurate data flows into payroll.

Add, edit, or delete timesheets from the payroll report

If you need to adjust time entries directly from a payroll report, here’s how to do it.