CalSavers and Quickbooks

Hello @lkirbysh,

Thank you for reaching out to us here in the Community. I'm here to provide some clarification about the deduction item in QuickBooks Desktop.

We coordinate with your state to ensure the setup of the deduction is correct. The way the payroll items affect the forms will depend on the tax tracking.

For California: CalSavers, it's recommended to set the tax tracking to None (see screenshot below). This way, the amounts will not report on your tax forms.

You can also reach out to your state for further verification. They can confirm about calculating the amount on gross pay.

For more information, as well as how to edit the payroll item in QuickBooks, I recommend the following article: State retirement savings plan (Savers program).

Drop me a comment below if you have any other questions related to running payroll. I'll be happy to help you some more.

@lkirbysh 

"Pretax" and "[Percentage] Calculated on Gross" are two different things.

As long as the item's tax tracking type is None or Other, and no taxes are selected to be impacted, then it 1) won't impact any taxes, and 2) won't impact your payroll tax reporting, including W-2's.

You make a good point that is shows up in payroll reports like the Payroll Summary Report, and perhaps on pay stubs as well as pre-tax, but payroll reports in QuickBooks aren't designed to mimic payroll tax forms and don't really share the same concepts as payroll tax forms. While the payroll summary report has a subtotal for "Adjusted Gross Pay", for example, that subtotal isn't the same as "Adjusted gross income" on a W-2 or, of course, a 1040.

As long as the item doesn't actually impact any taxes, then it will work as expected.

I see that CalSavers gives an option to connect to a payroll provider, such as Quickbooks.  Will this allow me to submit employees' contributions electronically, similar to E-pay for payroll taxes?

To be honest, I am not too comfortable with entering my Quickbooks login/password to access CalSavers, since I am unsure of login security across different systems.

In the end, I assume that connecting CalSavers to QuickBooks would just save me some time in having to log into CalSavers separately and submit the contributions manually.

Am I overthinking this, or is it secure to connect Calsavers to Quickbooks, and does it facilitate contribution submissions?

Thanks for joining us here today, @victor_sp.

I have some information about CalSavers. In QuickBooks, you have the option to either use the retirement plans integrated with QuickBooks or use CalSavers. This app does integrate with QuickBooks Online Payroll. Thus, you can file and pay your retirement contribution through it.

When you access the app, it's normal that you login to access the site. For more information about retirement plans, check out this guide: Set up state-mandated retirement plans in QuickBooks Payroll.

Additionally, here's our payroll help page in case you need help with other payroll-related tasks. It contains topics with articles and some videos to guide you along.

Reach out to us again if you need help with anything else, or with retirement plans. I'll be right here for you. Take care and have great day ahead.

Hi AlcaeusF, you said to set the tax tracking to none re: State mandated retirement plans. But where is the screen located that is shown here? I cannot find it in QB online payroll.

I have successfully connected my client's quickbooks online payroll with CalSavers. The API integration was seamless. I have ran my first payroll with after-tax deductions on some employees. My question is how often does QB sends over the employee contributions data to CalSavers? It's been a week since I processed the last payroll and I am not seeing the employee contributions data in CalSavers portal. I gathered that CalSavers will automatically debit  my client's bank account once data is in their system. Contributions are supposed to be remitted to CalSavers within 7 days. Any help on this will be greatly appreciated.

Hello, shirl.

I'll share some information about how the CalSavers and QuickBooks integration works.

You'll have the option to integrate or add CalSavers to QuickBooks Online Payroll to track your employee's retirement plan. Once you complete payroll, you must pay the retirement premiums and upload the reports to your state agency. 

QuickBooks doesn't send your employee's contribution information to CalSavers. You can run the State Mandated Retirement report and send it to CalSavers. 

Here's how:

1. Go to Reports.
2. Select Employees & Payroll, then State Mandated Retirement.

You can also download the CalSavers excel template and transfer the data from the State Mandated Retirement report to ensure it is compatible with what they require.

For your reference, you can read this article for more insights: Set up state-mandated retirement plans in QuickBooks Payroll.

If you need assistance running a report in QuickBooks Online, please see the following resources below:

• Set up and manage payroll schedules
• Run payroll reports in QuickBooks Online Payroll

If you have further questions or concerns about CalSavers and QuickBooks integration, let me know. I'll be around to help you.

Thank you for your response @Giovann_G . I have tried all your recommendations even before I posted my comments on 8/12/22. I have also spoken to CalSavers representative and was told that with API integration with QuickBooks Payroll Online, employer does not need to do anything else. CalSavers is ready to accept files including employee contributions. Once that's in their system, they will debit my client's bank account, which by the way, was already set up when my client registered with CalSavers. Also, with an API integration, some features in CalSavers portal are disabled. These features are the ability to upload employee data and contributions and manage pay schedules. I was also told, that if using QuickBooks desktop and Intuit payroll, that would require employer to upload files. At this point, I don't know what to do.

Did you ever get resolution on this? I'm getting the run around currently and am considering just disabling the API to submit manually to CalSavers.

I am having the same issue. We set up quickbooks with our Calsavers and I thought qb was sending in the contributions all year. At the end of the year, I see it has not. CalSavers will not let me upload or submit any contributions, because it is linked to Quickbooks and they are telling me the same. API... QB does it...etc. But it isn't. So I had to unlink quickbooks. My question is, did you get this to work?

Same issue here! QB says you have to submit manually they just track it and CalSavers won't let me send as long as quickbooks is connected. I had to remove quickbooks from our calsavers account.

Did you get this resolved??

@Giovann_G 

Did you ever answer this question below? I am having the exact issue. After spending hours on the phone with both QB and CalSavers, you are giving both conflicting information. Once QB is connected, calsavers said they can't help me, I can't send contributions or upload contribution reports, and QB is supposed to do everything, including submitting the contributions. Quickbooks is telling me they don't. If QB isn't compatible, are you planning on becoming compatible? If not, can you stop the program from allowing calsavers to connect so others do not go through this run around? 

(Original question: Thank you for your response @Giovann_G . I have tried all your recommendations even before I posted my comments on 8/12/22. I have also spoken to CalSavers representative and was told that with API integration with QuickBooks Payroll Online, employer does not need to do anything else. CalSavers is ready to accept files including employee contributions. Once that's in their system, they will debit my client's bank account, which by the way, was already set up when my client registered with CalSavers. Also, with an API integration, some features in CalSavers portal are disabled. These features are the ability to upload employee data and contributions and manage pay schedules. I was also told, that if using QuickBooks desktop and Intuit payroll, that would require employer to upload files. At this point, I don't know what to do.)

Hi there, @BethHetc. I want to ensure this will be taken care of. 

I appreciate you sharing the details of your concern. I can see that you did everything you could. To further help you resolve this, let me share some details about the retirement plan. Once the QuickBooks Online (QBO) and CalSavers connection is finished, you'll have to pay the retirement premiums and then, file the reports to your state agency. For reference, please read this link: Set up state-mandated retirement plans in QuickBooks Payroll. 

Also, regarding the API issue about system integration with CalSavers, you can reach out to Client Services to help you explore how to configure the connection. To get their contact information, please proceed to the Provider System Integration (API) section of this article: CalSavers.

Then, to further verify the compatibility of QuickBooks Online (QBO) with CalSavers, I highly recommend reaching out to our Payroll support team. They'll be able to provide brief information about this matter. 

I've also attached this helpful resource that you can access to learn more about the CalSavers plan: CalSavers website.

Keep me posted if you have any other concerns about setting up retirement plans in QBO. I'm just around the corner to help. Have a good one. 

I like how you gave me a bunch of information I have already tried and done. I have already spent HOURS on the phone with both CalSavers and QuickBooks Payroll. The issue is, CalSavers allows you to link to quickbooks and says they submit the contributions. QB says they don't and I have to submit, they just track it. However, once QB is linked to CalSavers, I am no longer able to submit the contributions in ANY WAY. I am taking this to mean they systems are not compatible since no one from QB is able to help.

@shir I have the same issue. Did you get this resolved or did you have to disconnect QB from CalSavers?

I have had so many issues with the Cal Savers and QB.  I've been calling them for 7 weeks.  My issue is too long to even get into but I  have a lot of the same issues as others.  I think Cal Savers need to be educated on QB so we can stop getting the run around.

I have exactly the same problem and when I linked Cal Savers and QB I thought issues had been resolved.  Now I have employee info that has been transmitted from QB to Cal Savers, but there has been no payment made and I do not have the ability to make payment.

What is the latest info on this issue?  Do I have to unlink them?

Thanks in advance!

Nicki

Thank you for joining this thread and informing us, NWANDERSON.

I understand you're having a similar integration problem with CalSavers and QuickBooks. I'm here to share some insights to help you fix it.

To resolve this issue, I suggest contacting CalSavers support directly. They will be able to assist you in troubleshooting the payment issue and provide you with the latest information regarding the integration between CalSavers and QuickBooks.

You can also reach out to our Support Team for further information and assistance. Here's a link for your convenience: Contact Payroll Support.

Furthermore, it's important to ensure that the integration between CalSavers and QuickBooks is properly set up and functioning correctly. If necessary, they may guide you in unlinking the two systems and re-establishing the connection to address any potential issues. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help!

After months of not being able to get my employee linked he said he will just make payments on his own.  We were never able to resolve the issue.  I do believe you will have to unlink from Cal Savers and you will have to try to push payments through manually.  As far a Cal Savers for support I do not think they know what to do because I spoke with several people and everyone had a different answer.  Good Luck!