Can you run an after the fact-the-fact payroll for a previous month?

Hi there, dave-hartstonebi.

Let me get the help you need in running the missed payroll. 

You can create an unscheduled paycheck for the current pay period all the way back to pay periods dating 6 months ago. As you're unable to create a check with a date in the past. The only check dates that are available are dates that fall after your last check date and before your next payday. The reason for this is to keep your payroll taxes error-free.

To create an unscheduled paycheck, here's how:

1. In the left menu, click Payroll. 
2. Go to the Employees tab. 
3. Click the Run payroll button.
4. Pick an employee and press Create another check.
5. Enter employee compensation, including any salary adjustments, vacation or sick hours, and other pay types.
6. Confirm your pay period and check date. The only dates available are ones that fall after your last one and before the next payday.
7. Click Preview Payroll, then Submit payroll.
8. If creating a paper check, handwrite or print the check and give it to the employee by the check date.
9. Click Finish payroll.

For more information about this process, see this article: Create Unscheduled Payroll Check.

Additionally, to know how you can pay your employees on time, visit this link: When do I need to submit payroll to pay employees on time?.

Please let me know how else I can help you with your payroll transactions. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

There are times when a payroll check needs to be posted after the month has past.  How can I over ride this feature in QB?  My 941 will not be correct if I am unable to add this payroll check in April.

Thanks for joining in the thread, @PR issues.

Since you want to correct your payroll, I recommend reaching out to our payroll team. They have special tools to access your account securely and help you from there.

To contact support:

1. Login to your QuickBooks Online company.
2. Click on Help (?).
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Type in your concern then hit Let's talk.
5. Select a way to connect with us: (Start a chat, Get a callback, Ask the community)

To check for their availability, you can also check for their support hours.

Just hit the Reply button if you have further questions about QuickBooks or payroll. Take care!

What if you dont need help and just want to run after the fact payroll????  

What if you dont need help and just want to run after the fact payroll????  

I admire you for joining the thread, @Mason360. I'll chime in to ensure you’ll be able to run after-the-fact payroll in QuickBooks Online.

I've got some steps to help you manually record your payroll in QBO. If you haven't already, follow the steps to create new accounts in your Chart of Accounts to track your payroll liabilities and expenses. Then, create these expense accounts and select Expense as the account type:

• Payroll Expenses: Wages
• Payroll Expenses: Taxes
  
  

From there, create these liability accounts and select Liabilities as the account type:

• Payroll Liabilities: Federal Taxes (941/944)
• Payroll Liabilities: Federal Unemployment (940)
• Payroll Liabilities: [State] SUI/ETT
• Payroll Liabilities: [State] PIT/SDI
  
  

Once done paying your employees outside of QuickBooks, we can now create a Journal Entry. Here's how:

1. Click + New.
2. Select Journal Entry.
3. Under the Journal date, enter the paycheck date.
4. If you want to track the paycheck number, enter it in the Journal no. field.
   
   

Then, use the info from Step 2 of this article to further guide you in creating a journal entry: Manually enter payroll paychecks in QuickBooks Online. However, this process requires an understanding of debits and credits. I encourage you to consult your accountant about the best process for your books.

Moreover, we have an extensive guide on the different payroll reports you can pull up in QuickBooks. This way, you can get a glimpse of your business finances. Please refer to the article to get started: How to run payroll reports.

If you have any other questions about payroll tasks in QBO, please feel free to leave a comment below. I'll get back here to help you again. Thanks for dropping by, and wishing you a good one. 

I work for a CPA firm. I want to enter the payroll checks that my clients write to their employees for purposes of creating quarterly payroll reports and getting the compensation, payroll liabilities and expenses on the books each month.  The end game is creating a financial statement for the client every month.  I do not need to create a payroll to actually paying employees, I just need to record  the payroll checks that the client already paid to employees.  Am I understanding that I cannot do that in Quickbooks online?  I have to create a journal entry to record after the fact payroll?  There is not "after the fact payroll" entry option as there was in the Desktop version?  How then can I prepare a report for the state unemployment quarterly report which needs to show wages for each employee?  Does QBO not generate W-2s either?  Im just now getting into QBO after using Desktop for many years and Im having a lot of trouble finding training and info for the accountants' side of the process.

Hello DSL23,

Welcome to the QuickBooks Community! I will be more than delighted to assist you here. You need to run a Payroll Summary Report based on the information you want. It will give you a review of your payroll totals, including employee taxes and contributions, and customize it for any date range or group of employees in QuickBooks. Here is how:

1. Go to Reports and select Standard.
2. Go to the Payroll section, then choose Payroll Summary. 
3. Add the date ranges, then select Apply.
4. If you want to include or hide a specific detail in this report, select Customize, then Run report.

That should do it! To answer your second question, Yes, QuickBooks Online generates W2 if you select that option for us to file it. If you aren’t sure, check your automatic tax payments and form filing status first.

These resources below are instrumental for more information about Payroll Summary Report and W2, and so forth.

• Get answers to your W-2 questions.
• Create a payroll summary report in QuickBooks

If you have any other questions, let me know below! I am only one click away! Take care! 

I do not share a file with my client.  They do not use quickbooks at all.  This is an in house file at our CPA office I use to do their bookkeeping.   THe client does not have access to it.  I do not prepare their payroll either.    I need to be able to enter the payroll checks previously prepared by the client into the QBO file that i keep for my client.     Example:  The client writes payroll checks on July 1st.  I do not receive their info with which to do the books until after the end of July when the bank statement is available, therefore I have to recreate what transactions they performed and enter it all in quickbooks.  If I"m looking at my client's check stubs or check register and they wrote a payroll check how do I enter that in quickbooks online? I want to perform the same function as I would using the "after the fact payroll" option in Quickbooks Desktop under the "employee" menu.

Hello @DSL23,

I appreciate you for getting back to us with some clarification about the task you want to achieve in QuickBooks Online. Allow me to chime in and help you record the payroll data.

The ability to add pay history is available during initial set up process of payroll with no paychecks yet created. You'll have the option to enter prior data by employee or company totals for each payday. For more details about the process, check out this link: Add pay history to QuickBooks Online Payroll.

Once you've entered payroll data, you have two options to record payroll information each month. You can create a journal entry or contact payroll support to enter data.

Here's how

1. Get your employees' payroll pay stubs or a payroll report from your payroll service.
2. Select + New.
3. Select Journal Entry.
4. Under the Journal date, enter the paycheck date.
5. If you want to track the paycheck number, enter it in the Journal no. field.

If you want to contact support, our dedicated team for QuickBooks Online Payroll - Core, Premium is available from 6 AM - 6 PM PT (Monday - Friday). For QuickBooks Full Service Payroll, QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite/Premium, any time, any day.

You can reach them through these steps:

1. Click the Help tab in the upper-right corner.
2. Go to the Assistant tab.
3. Click Get help from a human.
4. Choose Chat with us or Have us call you.

Also, there are reports to view important payroll information about your business and employees. To learn more about these reports and how to access them, I've attached this article: Run payroll reports in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

Let me know if you have additional questions about recording payroll data in the Online version. I'll keep an eye on your response. Have a great day.

So basically there is no option to enter a payroll check after the fact other than a journal entry?  How then, does one capture quarterly payroll information with which to prepare forms 941, state unemployment and withholding reports etc...?  Does QBO not have the ability to generate these reports? Or do I need to purchase the version that allows me to prepare live payroll in order to enter a payroll check as a check rather than as a journal entry? Also, a separate journal entry would have to be made for any payroll checks that were outstanding at the end of the month or the bank won't reconcile.   Can you direct me to a QBO online class that is specific to accountants rather than a business owner?  I cannot find online any classes that address the accounting side rather then the business owners' side.

I appreciate your prompt reply, @DSL23.

I'm here to answer all your questions about entering after-the-fact payroll and joining a class for accountants training.

Creating a journal entry or contacting our support team is the best option to enter after-the-fact payroll. Also, if you're starting QuickBooks in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th quarter, employee paychecks or payroll reports dated on or before the last day of the closed quarter. 

I'll be adding this article for more information: Add pay history to QuickBooks Online Payroll.

On the other hand, you can go to this website to join a class for accountants training: Training & Certification - QuickBooks - Intuit.

Our Community forum is always open to help you again if you have additional questions about this. Have a great day ahead.