How to add an employee who has applied for a SSN but not received it?

We're happy to see you here in the Community space, BigRed! Let me help you get across this challenge so you can add an employee in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) without a Social Security Number (SSN).

Before adding an employee to QBDT, getting their information is a necessary step. With the new payroll update, the SSN is an essential requirement. If you're unable to add them through the Employee Center, we can do so from the Payroll Setup page.

Please refer to the steps below.

1. Go to Employees and select Payroll Setup.
2. Click the Employees tab and click Continue.
3. Select Add employee.
4. Fill out the fields as you see fit.
5. Click Next.
6. Complete the setup and click Done.
   

Furthermore, you only need to enter "Applied For" when manually filing W-2 forms. You'll have to write it in Box A on the Social Security Administration copy. After they acquire their SS card, you must issue a corrected W-2. However, if you're e-filing through QBDT, you may enter zeros (000-00-0000) instead.

Moreover, we can run different reports in QBDT to have a deeper look at your business finances, including employee payroll taxes and contributions.

It's always a pleasure having you here, BRC. Please know we're only a couple of clicks away whenever you need additional guidance about filing taxes in QBDT. Stay safe and have a wonderful rest of the day!

RE: With the new payroll update, the SSN is an essential requirement.

That doesn't make sense as one is not required to pay an employee or to file W-2 forms. There are a whole set of regulations describing what to do in the case where an employee has applied for a SSN but not received it.

RE: Furthermore, you only need to enter "Applied For" when manually filing W-2 forms.

Where in QuickBooks to I enter "Applied for" as you suggest?

RE: You'll have to write it in Box A on the Social Security Administration copy.

So, you're saying I can add an employee with no SSN and then QB will print a W-2 with the SSN field blank and then I have to write in the field?  I had figured it wouldn't do that.

QuickBooks used to print "Applied for" on all the W-2 printed copies in such a case. Are you saying it won't do that anymore? If not, why not?

RE: However, if you're e-filing through QBDT, you may enter zeros ([removed]) instead.

OK, great! Where in QuickBooks to I enter an SSN with all zeros in order to e-file?

This information is now incorrect as with the latest update QB does not allow you to enter 0's (in order for it to print Applied for).  It gives an error message and will not let you proceed.

It looks like with the new update you CANNOT add an employee without a social security number.  I also tried going into payroll setup and adding an employee (like the comment above stated) and that also did not work.  We can't enter a TIN, can't enter zeros, can't leave it blank, and also can't write in "Applied For".  This is going to be an issue since we have a couple of employees with permanent resident cards but have not received their social security card in the mail yet.  They are months behind.  Anyone know a way around this? 

I'll provide some information as to why we require your employees' Social Security Numbers (SSN), Lisa.

Collecting data for your employees is important and vital to any company. 

Intuit recently mandated to record all information in the Employee Center fields. These are the First and Last name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Address, City, State, Zip, and Employee email and phone number. 

The best workaround is to enter a dummy SSN, to make sure you'll be able to add an employee and save the information. You'll only have to ensure to change the number before the year-end to prevent issues. I've added a screenshot for your reference:

For more information on how to add a new employee to your payroll, check out this article for more details: Edit Or Change Employee Information In Payroll.

Beyond that, learn how you can run payroll in QuickBooks. Go through this article for more information: Create And Run Your Payroll.

Drop your comment below if you have any questions when adding employee information. I'm always right here to help you.

@MariaSoledadG  RE: The best workaround is to enter a dummy SSN, to make sure you'll be able to add an employee and save the information. You'll only have to ensure to change the number before the year-end to prevent issues. 

You appear to have completely missed the issue and the fine points of the law. What if the employee does not receive their SSN by the end of the year? Especially given that, as was posted the SSA is months behind. Then what do you want to employer to do, now that you have changed QuickBooks to no longer reflect the law?

It's actually somewhat comical (like a dark comedy) to watch Intuit completely screw this up. You seem to have a very rudimentary understanding of US payroll law. As such, you probably shouldn't be changing the fields QuickBooks requires, since you don't seem to know how things work in the US.

@MariaSoledadG 

RE: Drop your comment below if you have any questions when adding employee information. I'm always right here to help you.

OK, Maria, here's my question:

When I e-file W-2's from QuickBooks this year, how to I do so for an employee who has applied for an SSN but not received one when W-2's are due, which is rather typical?

See these employer rules from the SSA: https://www.ssa.gov/employer/hiring.htm

The page includes these instructions:

Paper Filers: If the worker applied for a card but didn't receive the number in time for filing, enter "Applied For" in Box a. (Reference: IRS Instructions for Forms W-2/W-3)

Electronic Filers: If the worker applied for a card but didn't receive the number in time for filing, enter all zeros in the field for the Social Security number. (Reference: Specifications for Filing Forms W-2 and W-2c Electronically)

So, how do I do what the SSA says I should do?

What is Intuit's new solution for this case, now that QuickBooks will not accept  0 0 0 - 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 as an SSN, which is what used to be the documented way to handle this to comply with the SSA rules?

------------------------

QuickBooks used to put up this message, which was nice and was correct:

How is it going to print "Applied For" now that it won't accept the zeros?

@MariaSoledadG

What if we hired Undocumented workers, who have No ITIN nor SS#, nor a desire to get either one.  It is illegal to ask them their immigration status or fire them due to status.  So how do we submit payroll taxes being withheld when we are preparing W2's?

RE: What if we hired Undocumented workers, who have No ITIN nor SS#, nor a desire to get either one. 

Well then you shouldn't be hiring them.  You're supposed to verify employment eligibility before you hire. In the case of a foreign worker who has permission to work, they will have documentation from DHS (I think?) that says they do, which you are supposed to verify. And they will have applied for an SSN, but it can take weeks or months for the SSA to process the application. Which in turn is why the rules directing us to use "Applied for" (or all zeros) on tax filings exist in the first place.

I am in this situation, extremely frustrated that I cannot enter [removed], PER FEDERAL INSTRUCTIONS, in order to reflect Applied For status.  

@MariaSoledadG 

Still waiting for an answer...

You wrote:

Drop your comment below if you have any questions when adding employee information. I'm always right here to help you.

I asked:

OK, Maria, here's my question:

When I e-file W-2's from QuickBooks this year, how to I do so for an employee who has applied for an SSN but not received one when W-2's are due, which is rather typical?

Since Quickbooks is not giving any responses to the issue they have created (not letting an employer enter zero's in the social security field when the status is applied for), how are you supposed to pay your employees in this situation??

@MariaSoledadG 

I'm still waiting for an answer to the question. I'll ask it again:

How do I set up an employee who has applied for an SSN but where the SSA has not yet issued one so that I can print their W-2 with "Applied for" in the SSN field and then e-File it through QuickBooks with all zeros for the SSN, both as required by law?

I’m having the same issue and no one is able to help resolve it. We have quite a few clients that are still waiting for Social Security numbers. The SSA is backed up by months. What are we supposed to do in the meantime

I tried entering an employee through the payroll set up, but it’s still not allowing me to put a TIN number or all zeros. This is crazy. The end of the year is coming up and this issue is still not resolved. I’ve been having this issue since July.

Yea, Intuit seems numb to the fact that they've messed this up.

Requiring an SSN sounds nice but even a superficial review of the SSA and IRS regulations make it clear that doing so is inappropriate and against regulations.

Whoever at Intuit dreamed up this change is clearly ignorant of the law and they had no one on their team to correct them before this change was made. One wonders what's going on at Intuit that something this bad made it to the light of day.

Hi there, BigRedConsulting and lisaveiga.

I understand the importance of setting your employee information correctly in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

With the recent update, entering an employee's SSN using all zeros while waiting for the desired number isn't an option. 

Here at Intuit, it's our goal to address the needs of every QuickBooks user around the globe and make sure you get the best experience possible. I can see the inconvenience this has caused you. While we continue to make your experience with us even better, in the meantime, I recommend sending this request straight to our product engineers through feedback. It helps us improve the features of the program.

 To send feedback, you can follow the steps below:

1. Open your QuickBooks Desktop company file.
2. Go to the Help menu, then select Send Feedback Online and choose Product Suggestion.
3. Enter your feedback and click Submit.

You can also visit this page or the What's New section on your QuickBooks Desktop to get updates on our latest news about product improvements.

If you want to run payroll reports in QuickBooks Desktop to view info about your business and employees, you can read this article for the detailed steps: Run payroll reports.

Please know you can continue to reach me here with any additional questions you may have about QuickBooks Desktop. I'll be around to provide further assistance.

@MirriamM 

RE: With the recent update, entering an employee's SSN using all zeros while waiting for the desired number isn't an option. 

Why not? It's an option in the real world.  That's why there's a whole bunch of legislation and rules around the case, which Intuit has somehow lost track of and broken QuickBooks so we can no longer be compliant.

RE: Here at Intuit, it's our goal to address the needs of every QuickBooks user around the globe and make sure you get the best experience possible.

Well, then you've missed the goal.  You've seriously dropped the ball with this one for your payroll service customers.  There's no need to pull the rest of the world into the picture, as this pertains to US payroll, where you have millions of customers.

RE: I can see the inconvenience this has caused you.

Inconvenience? I don't think you understand the gravity of the issue. You have millions of payroll customers, and a fair number of them will have this case at the end of the year.  QuickBooks has always handled it nicely, for decades, but now you've gone and broken QuickBooks by disallowing the very thing that let your customers be compliant.  It is not an "inconvenience" when customers cannot file their payroll forms.  It's an emergency!

RE: While we continue to make your experience with us even better, in the meantime, I recommend sending this request straight to our product engineers through feedback.

Your product managers and engineers are the ones who created this issue. They have already received a lot of feedback on this and they haven't fixed it. Time is running out. The W-2 filing deadline is in 3 1/2 months. Many customers will want to print/file their W-2's earlier than that. Intuit will need to update all the versions of QuickBooks where they disallowed all zeros for the SSN before that time. You should know this better than I do.

I am at a loss at Intuit's response here, including yours. It is as if you cannot accept that you've collectively made a huge mistake, and that all of us here telling you that you have so don't know what we're talking about.

You can keep sticking your heads in the sand and wait for things to blow up at the last minute, or you can take action and raise an alarm internally while there is still time.

I would think that as support people you've be interested in not being pummeled by payroll customers at the end of the year who are stuck and cannot file their payroll forms - all because you have broken QuickBooks and then ignored everyone reacting to that mistake.

@MirriamM 

We're still waiting for an answer on how you're going to make this work.

@MirriamM 

Still waiting.

@MirriamM  

You wrote:

"Please know you can continue to reach me here with any additional questions you may have about QuickBooks Desktop."

We're still waiting for your answer! How are customers supposed to print and file W-2's for "Applied for" employees using QuickBooks, as they have always been able to do for nearly three decades?

Now that Intuit has made it impossible to enter nine zeros as an SSN, meaning "Applied for", what are Intuit's new instructions for this case when it comes time to file and print W-2's?

@MirriamM 

You promised to answer if we have more questions.  We're still waiting for an answer from you on those questions!

Well, you have to be understanding; these things do take time.

After all, in order to fix this, they would have to build the code to-

Oh, right. Well, they would have to go back years to find the code they had been using to-

Okay, so they already have the code easily available, but they would have to stop improving Quickbooks Online for a moment to-

...At any rate, they would have to want to fix it. Let's not expect miracles, here.

This appears to not have been fixed yet and it's now Nov 30.  Year end is coming up fast and I do not have the option of manually creating W2's.  They have to be e-filed due to the number of W2's.  So, QB what do you suggest I do?  I can't put [removed], I can't put the ITIN, I can't write "applied for" - WHAT CAN I DO???

I find the fact this has not been fixed (or that it was even changed) yet to be completely ridiculous.