Can you pay an employee with paper check or does online require direct deposit?

It's nice to have you here on the Community forum, @barbuto-metrocas.

Yes, you can pay your employee using a paper check. To do so, set the employee's payment method to a paper check. I'll guide you how.

1. Open your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account, then click on Employees at the left pane.
2. Click on the employee's name, then tap on the pencil icon beside the Pay section.
3. Scroll down to the number 7 section, then pick Paper check from the drop-down.

On the other hand, you can check out this link for more hints about the different payment methods in QuickBooks Online: Create and run your payroll.

Moreover, here's how you can print your paycheck and pay stubs when running payroll.

If you have any other follow-up questions about handling paychecks in QBO, please let me know by adding a comment below. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

Okay....so I either have to buy QB preprinted paycheck forms or "print paper check".  BUT NOWHERE DOES IT TELL ME HOW TO PRINT PAPER CHECK.  When I click print I only get the pay stub to print.  So do I have to go somewhere else to print  the check???? Then go back and insert number????  HELP!!!!

Hi, barbuto-metrocas.

I'll be happy to explain how to print payroll checks through QuickBooks Online.

You can set up your Paycheck Printing by following the steps below:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Select Payroll Settings.
3. In the Preferences section, select Paycheck Printing.
4. Select Plain paper stubs, then click OK.

Then to print your paychecks:

1. Go to the Payroll menu.
2. Select Employees.
3. Click Paycheck List.
4. Select the paychecks you'd like to print, then click Print.   

I recommend using the Paycheck list report to easily print the paycheck. 

1. Click Reports at the left panel.
2. From the search icon at the left corner, type Paycheck History.
3. Click Export to Excel dropdown and then select print or save PDF.
4. Hit the print button. 

In addition, here's an article you can check for more details: 

• Troubleshoot printing paychecks, pay stubs, and forms.
• Print pay stubs in QuickBooks Online.

Let me know if you have other concerns about printing your checks. I'm just a comment away. Take care!

Hi I found this question relavant to my own problem. My question is when QBO processed the paycheck, what amount will it show in the bank statement? Net amount of payroll or gross? Does QBO automatically debit the checking account? So what ever process in QBO will be the amount reflected on the check? Or the records in qbo is just for bookkeeping purposes and not really the actual amount debited to the company's bank account? The employee is not enrolled to autopayroll by the way. I ask this because I can't match the amount in check payment and bank feeds. The bank process the gross amount of salary while on payroll expense account its in net amount. As per my understanding the check must show the actual amount that was given to the employee right? Then it should also be the amount reflected on bank statement. So when the check issued was in gross pay how does it happen?

Hi, JoanDM.

Can I verify if we do the payroll manually? If so, data on the report will reflect the total pay, net pay, deductions, and taxes, as well as all costs associated with paying your employees.

For more details about how to enter the debits and credits for wages and taxes, as well as a sample paycheck, please check the following article: Manually enter payroll paychecks in QuickBooks Online.

We can also go to your payroll setting to correct and fix this issue. Let me show you how:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Payroll Settings.
2. Click Preferences.
3. Select Accounting Preferences.
4. In the Checking Account drop-down arrow, select the correct account.
   QuickBooks is like a diary of your business that keeps track of what’s happening to the actual transactions. The information that will show on the employee's paycheck is the gross pay and cost of all related payroll taxes (company paid).

If the employee is not enrolled in autopay, we can still match as long as we posted the payroll transactions to the correct account. 

In case you want to get a closer look at your business's finances, and information about your employees, there are several payroll reports you can use to view them. For further information, you can check out this resource: Run payroll reports in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

Feel free to reach us again if you need help with your employee's paychecks or other QuickBooks concerns. I’m always ready to assist further. Have a great rest of your day.

Hi Tirzah,

I was not the one who processed the payroll but my client. Iam just doing her bookkeeping. She processed it in Quickbooks online. That's why I am curious why the amount that was reflected on her bank statement is gross instead of net pay. Is it possible that she alter the paycheck amount before printing it without causing any changes on quickbooks records? That you can only notice it when it shows on the bank feeds or during bank recon? 

Hi there, @Cneal0602.

I appreciate you sharing this information in the Community. I'll ensure to access your account in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

When we process employees' paychecks, the net pay amount will clear in the bank. Once the payroll taxes and other deductions are subtracted, the gross amount will appear on the customer's statement.

In this case, I recommend contacting payroll support to know why the gross amount shows instead of net pay. In addition, our call support team can view and access your account in a private setting.

Refer to the steps below:

1. Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company.
2. Go to Help (?).
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Enter your concern, then select Let's talk.
5. Choose a way to connect with us:

• Start a chat with a support expert.
• Get a callback from the next available expert.
• Ask the Community to get help from businesses like yours.

For more details, see this article for the sample computation on how to gross up a paycheck: Understand gross pay and net pay.

Furthermore, I've got you this video tutorial for additional information on how to process wages with your employees: How to Run Payroll.

Do you pay your employees using pay schedules? Sort your employees based on their payment plan. This help in payroll management and increases processing efficiency. Refer to this article: Set up and manage payroll schedules.

Don't hesitate to reach out us again. We are available 24/7 to assist you.