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Set up and manage pay run approvals in QuickBooks Advanced Payroll

by Intuit• Updated about 12 hours ago

Manage pay run approvals in QuickBooks Online Advanced Payroll, from setting up approvers and pay schedules to notifications and approvals.

This article is for customers who use QuickBooks Online Advanced Payroll.


Set up a pay run approver

Before you can create pay schedules that need approval, set up a user with Pay run approver access.

There are two types of users:

  • Full access users: Automatically have pay run approval rights. You can add them to receive approval notifications.
  • Restricted users: Have read-only access to pay runs and employee details.
  1. Go to Payroll, then Payroll Settings.
  2. Select Manage Users under Business Management.
  3. Select +Add.
  4. Enter the user’s name and email address.
  5. Select Full access.
  6. Select Save.
  1. Go to Payroll, select Payroll Settings, then Manage Users.
  2. Select +Add and enter the user’s name and email address.
  3. Select Restricted access.
  4. Turn on Pay run approval.
  5. Select the pay schedules you want this user to approve.
  6. Select Save.

The user will receive an email to create a password and log in.

  1. Go to Payroll, select Payroll Settings, then Pay Schedules.
  2. Select the pay schedule you want to set for approval.
  3. Select the pencil icon to edit Pay run approval settings.
  4. Select Yes to show users with full or pay run approver access.
  5. Choose the users to notify for approval.
  6. Optionally, customise the notification email.
  7. Decide if you want a reminder email if the pay run isn’t approved, and after how many days.
  8. Review the approval summary and select Complete.

You can update or remove approval settings anytime:

  1. Go to Payroll, select Payroll Settings, then Pay Schedules.
  2. Select the pencil icon next to the relevant pay schedule.
  3. Make your changes or select No if approval is no longer required.
  4. Select Complete to save changes.

Create a pay run that needs approval

When creating a pay run with approval:

  1. Start a new pay run as usual.
  2. At Finalise Pay Run, complete two steps:
  • Confirm if the pay run requires approval.
  • Select which users to notify.
  • Set reminder email options.
  • Select Next.
  • Review notification settings, payslips, and report packs.
  • Select Finalise.
  • The pay run will remain Pending until approved by an authorised user.

Approve or decline a pay run

Full access users: Can approve or decline any pay run, even without a notification email.

Pay run approvers

  • Can approve/decline via the notification email or employee/manager dashboard.
  • Can view draft payslips, draft audit, and variance reports.

Limitations

  • Cannot unlock or edit the pay run.
  • Must provide a reason when declining a pay run; this appears in the pay run record.

Pay run approval notifications

  • Users set to receive notifications get an email linking directly to the pay run needing approval.
  • A notification is sent again once the pay run is approved or declined.

Should I send a follow-up email if a pay run is neither approved nor declined?
You can set a reminder to notify the approver.

Can a pay run be unlocked after approval?
Yes, full access users can unlock and restart the pay run. Approval is optional and not required to process a pay run.

Can a pay run approver decline a pay run after approval?
No. They must contact the payroll admin to reset the pay run if changes are needed.

Can multiple pay schedules be set for approval at the same time?
No. Each pay schedule must be set up individually.