Loading desktop data online - error saying it can't move the data b/c I need to delete employees online. I don't want to delete my employees. How do I get my data moved?

Do you already have the employee data in your QBO account?

Yes we already have employee data in QBO. We have been using QBO payroll for past 9 months. But had still been using QBD. Now we want to roll everything into the QBO. I have the access set up, but keep erroring out on the data migration because of payroll. 

Hello there, @turfintelligence.

I understand you'll need to move your data including your employees. You'll encounter that kind of error when QuickBooks Online detects your payroll features are activated like Billing Hold, Direct Deposit, and E-Services Enrollment.

We can fix this error by turning the payroll in Desktop on and turning off the payroll in QuickBooks Online.

Here's how:

1. From your QuickBooks Desktop company, click the Edit menu. Then select Preference.
2. Choose Payroll & Employees.
3. From Company Preferences, select Full Payroll or Online Payroll.

Check out this article for additional details on fixing different errors in converting from QBDT to QBO.

For future reference, read through this article to learn more about the data that doesn't convert when you migrate from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online: What to expect when you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. 

Let me know if you have additional concerns about migrating your data. I'll be here to help you more. 

Similar issue to above, but we are no longer using QuickBooks for payroll in March 2021. Get this same error tranferring data to online, but there are NO EMPLOYEES in the online file to delete. What do we do?

Thanks for joining this thread, Dave3311.
 

When you receive an error stating all employees already entered in QuickBooks Online must be deleted, it means payroll is turned off in your QuickBooks Desktop preferences or there's no information to work with.
 

To fix this, you'll want to turn on payroll in QuickBooks Desktop. You can rest assured that you won't be charged for changing this setting.
 

Here's how:

1. In the top menu bar, go to Preferences.
2. Choose Payroll & Employees.
3. Access your Company Preferences section.
4. Select Full Payroll or Online Payroll.

Now you'll be able to complete your conversion process without the error displaying.
 

You'll also be able to find many detailed resources about using QuickBooks in our help article archives.
 

Please feel welcome to send a reply if there's any additional questions. Have an awesome day!

Hello, I'm having the same problem and cannot solve it using these steps. In your response, you stated, "We can fix this error by turning the payroll in Desktop on and turning off the payroll in QuickBooks Online."

But how do you "turn off" the payroll in QuickBooks Online?

I am having the same issue and tried what you suggested but it did not work.  Still got the error message to delete employees in QBO.

Hello,

When exporting QB Desktop data to QBO, it will either create a whole new QBO file (if you ask it to) or if you are trying to export into an existing QBO file, it will overwrite the existing QBO data completely.

Currently there is no way to take QB Desktop data and export it to a QBO file to "add" to the existing QBO file.

Here is the support article regarding migration desktop to online.  https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/move-quickbo...

Hey there, MDPWW2011! We're thrilled to have you as an active member of our Community space. We genuinely value your presence and want to make sure you have all the information you need about transferring data from QuickBooks Desktop to the Online version. We also understand that dealing with runtime errors can be frustrating, and we're here to help you through it.

Employees cannot be replaced when data is moved in QuickBooks Online because they are related to payroll items, year-to-date history, and other payroll configurations. Furthermore, you can not delete employees with paychecks or pay histories in QuickBooks Online. I suggest editing the employee names in your QuickBooks Desktop data and then migrating again. If the issue persists, You'll need to create a new QuickBooks Online company without a payroll setup to move your data.

You can read this article for more information: Fix errors when you move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to refer to this article if you want to know the difference in how your books move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online: Learn how features and data move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.

Moreover, if you're having trouble importing your company file from QuickBooks Desktop for Windows into QuickBooks Online, visit this article: How to resolve issues when importing from QuickBooks Desktop for Windows to QuickBooks Online.

If I have been using Quickbooks Online Payroll for a while now, is that considered a "QBO file" that you are referencing above?

I do not have any employees set up in QB Desktop.  I use QB Online Payroll and export my paycheck information into QB Desktop.

@MDPWW2011 

You can buy a 3rrd party service to covert data from QB Desktop to your current QB Online account or use a migration tool.

https://get.transactionpro.com/qbo

I’m here to share some insights about exporting your payroll data into QuickBooks, MDPWW2011.

The .QBO Files are one of the many web files used in QuickBooks and are commonly associated with the QBO file format. It includes an electronic bank statement obtained from the financial institution's website. The online bank statement file is referred to as a QBO file.

On the other hand, if you need to export your QuickBooks Online Payroll data to QuickBooks Desktop after you have set up your payroll, just set up your payroll preferences in your payroll account. Here's how:

1. Go to your Core, Premium, or Elite payroll account.
2. Go to the Gear icon and select Payroll settings.
3. In Export, Tap Edit.
4. Choose your accounting software:
   • QuickBooks Desktop for Windows
   • QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
   • QuickBooks Online - You’ll be asked to sign in to your QuickBooks Online account to sync them. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online, then select the company your payroll transactions should sync to.
   • Quicken for Windows or Mac
5. Hit Continue.
6. QuickBooks will create default accounts for your wages, expenses, and liabilities. Select Edit ✎ to modify these accounts as it appears on your QuickBooks chart of accounts.
7. When complete, press Done twice.

Then, export your payroll transactions. Just follow the steps and details in this article: Export your payroll data into QuickBooks. Additionally, I encourage you to visit our Help page to check guides and articles that'll help your navigation. From there, you'll find helpful resources and tutorials based on the topic you've searched. You can also bookmark them in your browser for easy access in the future.

Please fill me in if there's anything else I can do to help you manage your payroll transactions. You can click the reply button below to add your response. Keep safe always!