creating payroll items in 2021 Premier Nonprofit Edition

I appreciate you for sharing the details of your concern with us, @emragland.

I'd be delighted to share with you some steps on how to get around this issue so you can create a payroll item.

To begin with, you'll want to ensure your client's QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) is up-to-date. This way, we can guarantee the program is running with the newest features and fixes. I'll show you how.
 

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Click the Update Now tab. 
3. Select Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks and accept the option to install the new release.

 
You can also check this link for more details: Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.

After that, make sure to download the latest payroll tax table. This is to ensure you have the newest tax rate and payroll updates. 

Once you're all set, you can now create a payroll item. Here's how.

1. Go to the Lists menu and select Payroll Item List.
2. Click the Payroll Item drop-menu and select New.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions and click Finish once done.

Then, you can assign the payroll item to your clients' employee's paycheck and generate payroll reports.

In case you need more help setting up payroll items or about QuickBooks, you can always tag me in your response. I'm always here to back you at any time!

Will this work if we don't have a payroll subscription?

Yes, it still works without a payroll subscription, @emragland. Let me impart some information to you.

You can still manage payroll items in QuickBooks Desktop without having a payroll subscription. Just set up manual payroll in your client’s program settings to track their payroll.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Click the Edit menu, then choose Preferences.
2. Go to Payroll & Employees, then select the Company Preferences tab.
3. Select Full payroll and Manual Payroll checkboxes in the QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Features section.
4. In the Get payday peace of mind window, select Next and then Activate in the confirmation screen.
   
5. Press OK to apply the changes.
6. Select OK after.

You can read this article to learn more about manual payroll: Set up manual payroll without a subscription in QuickBooks Desktop.

I’ve added this reference in case you need to modify your payroll items in the future: Edit a payroll item.

If you need further assistance in managing payroll items, please don’t hesitate to add a comment below. We’ll be here to help. Keep safe always!