Hi there, @wigail9251.
I'll be glad to help you in activating your payroll service in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Pro 2020.
If you purchase QBDT Payroll online or by phone, you need to enter the service key in it to activate the service. If you don't have it, you can use our Automated Service Key/Disk Delivery Key Tool and sign in using your Intuit Account login.
Please take note that this tool will only work if:
- The business phone number that you've provided matches to our records
- You don't have multiple payroll orders in your company.
- If you purchased the product through online/phone and not from a retail store.
To enter the service key in QBDT, you can follow these steps:
- Go to the Employees menu and select Payroll.
- Click Enter Service Key.
- If you have an existing payroll subscription, you are prompted to specify if you want to add this file to your payroll subscription. Select Skip to go to the Service Key window, or Add File to add this file to an existing Payroll subscription.
- Proceed by clicking Add and then enter the service key.
- Continue by selecting Next.
- Once a confirmation message appears, click Finish.
After this, QuickBooks Desktop will download the latest tax table and verifies your payroll subscription. Then, you will now see the Payroll Center on the Employees menu after you enter your service key
However, if you purchase it from a retail store, you must activate your payroll license online to get the service key. You can follow the steps in steps this article to activate your payroll service: How to activate your QuickBooks Desktop payroll service purchased from retail.
If you need more information about managing Payroll subscription and keeping your information up-to-date, check the following articles:
If there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know. I'll be around to help you.