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Manage and approve shift swaps in QuickBooks Advanced Payroll

by Intuit•1• Updated 1 week ago

QuickBooks Online Advanced Payroll allows employees to swap shifts through the Employee Portal. Shift swapping helps manage absences, cover unexpected changes, and ensures managers remain in control of approvals and notifications. Learn how to enable, manage, and use shift swapping effectively.

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


Enable shift swapping

  1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product Open this link in a new window
  2. Go to Payroll Settings, then select Rostering.
  3. Turn on “Employees can swap shifts that have been assigned to them”.
  4. Configure additional options:
    • Swap cut-off period: Set how many hours before a shift employees can request a swap.
    • Manager approval: Decide if swaps require manager approval.

How shift swapping works

Employee 1: Requesting a swap

  1. Employee 1 receives a notification for a newly assigned shift.
  2. Click Swap in the Employee Portal.
  3. Select an eligible employee from the dropdown list.
  4. Add an optional comment for the other employee.

Employee 2: Accepting a swap

  1. Employee 2 receives a notification of the swap request.
  2. Logs into the Employee Portal to review shift details.
  3. Clicks Accept Swap.
  4. The shift status updates to Awaiting Approval (if manager approval is required).

Manager: Approving or rejecting

  1. Manager receives a notification for pending approval.
  2. Reviews the shift swap details in the roster.
  3. Clicks Approve to confirm or Reject with a reason.
  4. Employees receive a notification of the manager’s decision.
  5. Approved swaps automatically update the roster. Rejected swaps remain with the original employee.

Managers can:

  • See who has swapped shifts and with whom.
  • Approve or reject swaps before they apply to the roster.
  • Track swap activity over time via the Shift Swapping Report.

Managers can enable two types of email alerts:

  1. Daily reminder: Lists all pending shift swaps with shift date, employee initiating the swap, and the recipient.
  2. Instant notification: Alerts when a swap requires manager approval.
  • Set at the business level under Payroll Settings, then select Rostering.
  • Defines the latest time an employee can request a swap.
  • Example: If the cut-off is 48 hours, swaps cannot be requested the day before the shift starts.

Approval options are set in Payroll Settings, then select Rostering:

  1. No manager approval required:
    • Swaps are automatically applied once accepted.
  2. Approval required only if shift cost increases:
    • Manager approval is needed only when the swap increases the shift cost.
    • If the cost is equal or lower, the swap is automatically applied.
  3. All swaps require approval:
    • Every swap must be approved by a manager before updating the roster.
  • If a swap is rejected, the manager must enter a reason.
  • Both employees are notified.
  • The shift remains assigned to the original employee.
QuickBooks Online Payroll Advanced