How do I bring my payroll from QuickBook desktop to my Quickbooks online to process W-2s

I know a way to get this done in QuickBooks, userclaudine.

Importing the payroll details from QuickBooks Desktop into QuickBooks Online is currently not available. For now, the only option is to enter prior payroll information manually. When importing the data,  it'll only carry over company and employee information.

Once done,  you can create the next payroll of your employees. For more detailed steps about the process, I suggest checking this article: Set up a Prior Payroll.

Here are some helpful articles about W-2:

• File your W-2 forms
• Print your W-2 forms
• Get answers to your W-2 questions

Additionally, I've included our Year-End guide for reference. This article contains information that'll help you in filing your taxes or sending out your employees’ W-2s.

I'll be always here to help you if you have other payroll concerns. Don't hesitate to comment below. 

So let me explain a little further. I did my last payroll (myself) of 2020 in QB Desktop. I want to process the w2's for 2020 in QB Online. Can I do that? I understand that I will manually need to enter the info. I was just trying to avoid printing W2's for 120 people as I did have always done live checks (prior to 2021).

Welcome back to the Community, userclaudine.

I appreciate adding more details about your concern. I recognize the importance of processing your employees' W-2s without printing them.

The QuickBooks Workforce lets your workers view their paychecks and W-2s online. All you have to do is invite them so they can sign up. Let’s perform this task for each employee.

To add a new employee:

1. Tap the Payroll menu on the left panel to select Employees.
2. Then, hit the Add an employee button.
3. This will open a page where you can enter the worker’s information.
4. Make sure to type the email address in the Email field located in the Personal info section.
5. We'll send an invitation for this employee to view their pay stubs and W-2 with QuickBooks Workforce.
6. Choose Ask this employee to enter their personal, tax, and banking info with QuickBooks Workforce checkbox if you wish the new worker to add their personal information.
7. Click Done.

For existing employees, follow the recommended steps in this article and choose QuickBooks Online Payroll (all versions). Then, proceed directly to the Invite existing employees section for the instructions: Invite your employees to QuickBooks Workforce to see pay stubs, W-2s, and more.

Next, the employee will receive an email with a link to set up and use QuickBooks Workforce to add their personal info (if you selected this option) and view their pay stubs and W-2s. Once they accept the invitation, they can create their own Intuit account.

After setting up, your workers can view their W-2s by logging into their accounts. However, if you have an existing QuickBooks Workforce account (QBDT), go to the Company menu and toggle the option to QBO. Additionally, this link provides an overview of how to turn on notifications for new paystubs.

Let me know if you have questions or clarifications, I’ll be here to answer them for you. Thanks for dropping by and take care!

I understand all that. What I am asking is can I bring in the YTD 2020 Payroll in order to create 2020 W2's

Hello there, userclaudine. Thanks for getting back to us.

I understand that you want to bring the YTD 2020 Payroll and be able to create 2020 W2's in QuickBooks Online. When you convert payroll data from QBDT to QBO, some payroll details won't transfer. This is because of the availability of the features between the two products.
 

QuickBooks Online only imports the current year's paycheck information. With that, you’ll have to enter past YTD payroll information for each employee. You can check this article for more details: What to expect when you switch from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. 

Then, you can take the suggestions shared by my colleagues above and use the articles below for additional reference:

• Set up a Prior Payroll.
• Get answers to your W-2 questions
• Year-End guide 

Comment below if you have other concerns. We're all right here to help you figure them out. Always take care and stay safe.