How do I transfer payroll data per employee from the desktop version to the online version of QB?

Hi there, @n-nowak.

When importing employee information from QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) to QuickBooks Online (QBO), there are a few things you need to know. Some payroll info doesn’t transfer because QBDT has more payroll features. Here is the list: 
 

• QBO imports the current year's paycheck information as lump sums. If it doesn’t come over, you’ll need to enter past year-to-date payroll info for each employee.
• Employee addresses transfer but may require fixing. Addresses for states outside supported states (such as PR, AS, VI) will be left blank.
• Paychecks will transfer as regular checks. Once you set up your payroll in QBO, you can create paychecks.
• You can convert the date of birth, gender, Social Security number, routing numbers, direct deposit account numbers.

 If you haven't created any paychecks yet, you can enter your old data as prior payroll. Here's how:

1. Go to the Payroll menu and select Employees.
2. Select the name of the employee and click the Pay pencil icon. 
3. Under Step 8, How much did you pay [employee] this year?, select +Enter [year] prior pay details.
4. Answer 1-2 questions to select the time period the employee got paid.
5. Depending on your answers, use the reports and pay stubs you gathered to enter how much you’ve paid your employee so far this year in the Year-to-date totals as of today column.
6. Be sure to include all types of compensation, deductions, taxes, and company contributions including.

You can repeat the steps for all of your employees you've paid this year.

However, if you've already created paychecks, you can directly reach out to our phone support. This way, they can enter the prior payroll for you.
 

1. Select Help (?) at the top right.
2. Click the Contact Us button.
3. Enter your concern in the description.
4. Hit Let's talk.
5. Select Get a callback.

Just a heads up, due to COVID-19, we have limited staffing and have reduced our support hours to 6 AM-6 PM PT Monday-Friday. We will resume normal hours as soon as possible.

In addition, you can check out this article to know what payroll report you need to use when entering prior payroll in QBO Payroll: Learn about reports to use to enter prior payroll.

I'm always here to help if you have any other concerns or questions. Just tag my name in the comment section and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.