Payroll and conversion

Once you unsubscribe to QuickBooks Payroll service, the platform will stop auto-generating payroll data for you, Jody.

Alternatively, you can record your payroll entries manually so you can run reports for these records. It's possible by enabling the Manual Payroll function to which I'll be showing how:

1. Go to the Edit menu, then Preferences.
2. Select the Payroll & Employees tab and navigate to the Company Preferences.
3. Tick Full payroll and the Manual Payroll option from the QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Features section.
4. Once prompted to the Get payday peace of mind page, hit Next.
   
5. Confirm the action by clicking Activate. Then, OK.
   

After this, you'll calculate and enter your paycheck amounts manually. Then, you can run payroll reports to get a proper view of its complete details.

This thread is always open for more inquiries about payroll data management in QuickBooks. We'll be here for you every step of the way.

Thank you!  I will look at this immediately.  Funny that 3 different support reps did not recommend this as an option.

Thanks for following up with the Community, Jody-Bryant.

I'm happy to hear Ivan_G was able to help with manually recording payroll entries.

You'll also be able to find many detailed resources about using QuickBooks in our help article archives.

Please feel welcome to send a reply here or create a new thread if there's ever any questions. The Community's always here to help. Have a lovely Wednesday!

Manual payroll box is not active, thus, I cannot tick it.

Let's adjust some settings to resolve the grayed-out option to turn manual payroll on in QuickBooks Desktop, Jody.

To enable the Manual Payroll option, you may need to update or clear some payroll settings or data. First, make sure that you have selected Full Payroll in the Preferences window. I've left a screenshot below for reference.

If the Manual Payroll option is still unavailable, it could be because your company file already has a service key. To resolve this issue, you can temporarily remove the service key without canceling your subscription. Before proceeding, be sure to note down your service key for reference.

1. On the top menu, go to Employees and then select My Payroll Service.
2. Choose Manage Service Key.
3. Pick the service key you want to deactivate and click Edit.
4. Select Remove and then Next.
5. Click Finish to complete the process.

After completing these steps, follow the instructions from my colleague above to turn on Manual Payroll. This time, you should be able to select the option.
 

Once you've enabled the feature, here’s a guide on how to set it up: Set up manual payroll.

For future use, here's a handy guide on e-filing and e-paying your tax forms with QuickBooks: E-file and e-pay federal forms and taxes in QuickBooks.

I'm more than happy to help you stay on top of your tasks for the upcoming tax season, Jody. If you need further assistance, please let me know. I'll get back to you as soon as I can to ensure everything is set up correctly.

I followed the steps above and now it shows no payroll. When I select full payroll the check box for manual payroll is still greyed out. When I removed the service key there was a popup that said something like you need to remove the direct deposit but made no mention of how to do this. How do I accomplish this? 

Thanks for your time!

I appreciate your efforts in following the steps provided by my colleagues, noid10000. Since the manual payroll option remains grayed out on your end, I'll connect you to the appropriate support team that can help you resolve this promptly.

Since you mentioned that you have already removed the service key and you still encountered the pop-up, let's have you contact our live support team so they can thoroughly review your account in a secure environment. They possess the necessary tools and expertise to identify the cause of this issue and provide an appropriate resolution promptly.

To connect with them, please follow the steps below:

1. Open your QuickBooks Desktop company file.
2. Go to the Help menu, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
3. Write a question you need help with from the search field provided. This allows you to activate the Contact Us button.
4. Click Contact Us, then enter your concern inside the What can we help you with? field and Continue.
5. Log in to your Intuit account then follow the on-screen steps.

Please know that Plus, Mac, Pro, and Premier subscribers can contact our experts from Monday to Friday, from 6 AM to 6 PM. On the other hand, Enterprise users can reach us anytime, any day.

As you transition to manual payroll, here are some resources that will guide you in ensuring your employees have access to their payroll information both in printed form and online:

• Print or reprint paychecks and pay stubs
• Invite your employees to QuickBooks Workforce to see pay stubs and W-2s if you use QuickBooks Deskto...

If you have concerns and questions about manual payroll process, please don't hesitate to reach out, noid10000. We're committed to providing you with the support and guidance you need at any time.

I just contacted support and was told I could not enable manual payroll without an active payroll subscription. This makes no sense to me. The support person I spoke with said that she contacted "Second Level" support and was told that we had to have an active payroll subscription to be able to select the manual payroll box. 

I would like to hear what you have to say? 

Hey there, @noid10000. I understand the confusion you've been through about activating manual payroll in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). I know how essential this is for you. Right now, I'll provide you with clarifications about this function.

The Manual Payroll option was created to ensure that customers like you can calculate and enter paycheck amounts even without an active payroll subscription in QBDT. At the moment, this feature is still available in the system. Check out this article for detailed information: Set up manual payroll without a subscription in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can disable this option if you have an active payroll subscription or plan to have one. 

On top of that, I suggest contacting our Technical Live Support again to further clear things up about the information you acquired.

For future reference, you can visit this article to help determine the state payroll taxes subject to your employees based on where they reside: Set up employees and payroll taxes in a new state.

Please let me know if you need further clarification or have questions about setting up payroll preferences, @noid10000. I'll be sure to guide you through the process. Keep safe always.

@noid10000 

Which QB Desktop year version do you have?

So far contacting support has been worthless. We had a Quickbooks  (2024) payroll subscription that we cancelled as of 2025. I want to enable manual payroll so I can enter the information provide by our payroll service. The manual payroll option is grayed out. Earlier in this thread I was told to contact support, and they would help me resolve this. Support repeatedly instead that we had to have an active payroll subscription before we could enable the manual payroll checkbox. That makes no sense to me. When we discontinued the payroll subscription I spoke with support and asked if there was anything I needed to do to switch. I was told no. Now I am being told that to make the switch I need to pay for a subscription. Again, this makes no sense to me. Tell me. What is the best way for me to contact support and get someone who is knowledgeable to help me? 

2024 

As I know, manual payroll only works on QB Desktop 2021 or earlier with a non-subscription license. But you should be able to import payroll data as IIF to your QB Desktop 2024. The question is does your payroll software support IIF?

Your reply does not hold water. Go back to the top of this conversation. It shows that it will work with 2024. To test this, I just loaded a sample company and updated it. Refer to "attachment 1." When I open preferences, it shows payroll checked. Refer to "attachment 2" it allows me select manual payroll. Based on this, manual payroll should work with 2024. Otherwise, please explain to me what I am missing? 

You said this before

We had a Quickbooks (2024) payroll subscription that we cancelled as of 2025.

Does this mean you have QB Desktop Pro/Premier + with a canceled Enhanced Payroll subscription?

Correct!

I believe that is the root of the problem as I mentioned earlier. The quote you mentioned from Intuit Support earlier only applies to QB Desktop Enterprise Gold or higher.

I know what you mentioned earlier and it makes no sense. I can create a new database with the 2024 version of the software and it allows me to enable manual payroll. It makes no sense to me that when I stopped using Quickbooks payroll that I cannot enable manual payroll. Please explain that to me without saying that's just the way it is.