payroll period and check date

We'll provide clarifications and solutions to help you fix payroll inside QuickBooks Online (QBO), @Ron619.

Before anything else, it looks like you're using Auto Payroll. It could be why you can't choose your preferred date when processing payroll inside the program. Also, please know payroll expenses are posted based on the check date, and it doesn't rely on pay period dates.

To fix this, you can turn off the Auto payroll feature and delete that existing payroll transaction you created. This way, you can recreate them using your preferred date inside QBO. We'll gladly write down the steps to get you going:

1. Access your QuickBooks Online company.
2. On the top-right corner, click the Gear icon and choose then Payroll settings.
3. In the Auto Payroll box, select Edit ✎.
4. Click Select employees for Auto Payroll.
5. Choose one or more of the enrolled employees.
6. Select Save changes.
7. Review everything and then select Done.

For more details, please see this handy article: Set up and manage your Auto Payroll in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

If the issue persists, you can contact our Customer Care Team so they can do it for you. Feel free to check this page for more information: Contact Payroll Support.

Moreover, we got this article in case you wish to print your employee's paystubs: Print or reprint paychecks and pay stubs.

The Community team is always ready to provide further assistance if you have follow-up questions about payroll or another QuickBooks-related query. Have a good one.

I'm not using auto payroll.

my guess is it is unhappy with the twice per month period and then having 3 in one month since I screwed it up last month but didn't delete it. So this month started with a payroll run on 4/1, then again on 4/16 and the I tried to tell it to do one on 4/30. My guess is I need to do one of them as an extra pay check not a regular payroll run.

I'll try again next month but it is a bit of a bummer. 

Hi there, @Ron619. I see it was challenging on your end to run your last month's payroll.

I'll share info about running payroll in QuickBooks Online (QBO) and help you determine the best course of action we can take.

QuickBooks adheres to the principle of constructive receipt. This implies that expenses and taxes are reported based on the date employees are paid, irrespective of when the work associated with that paycheck was performed.

Paying your employees depends on how you set up the pay schedule. If you set up a scheduled payroll, the system will follow the exact pay period and sometimes will end up paying your employee thrice within the month.

On the other hand, you can also run an unscheduled for those dates you mentioned. In this, you have the full control of when the pay period is. Here's how:

1. From the Payroll tab, select Employees.
2. Choose either Bonus only, Commission only, or Fringe benefits only in the dropdown icon.
3. If applicable, type in the tax info or paycheck calculations. Once complete, click Continue. Then, review the pay period, pay date, and employees you'd like to pay.
4. Select the column or Actions. After that, Edit paycheck to enter your pay details. Next, enter hours, compensation, and any necessary paycheck info. If you're utilizing QuickBooks Time, pick Review Approved Time.
5. Click Preview payroll. Then, review the QuickBooks bank account to track your payroll.
6. Once done, Preview payroll details. Save for later or Submit payroll. 
7. Tap Close.

For more info, you can read this article: Create and run your payroll.

To learn how to utilize payroll reports to view useful information about your business and employees. Check out this article: Run payroll reports.

Let me know if you have more questions about running your payroll. I'll help you with that. Keep safe, and have a good one.

Payroll expenses always post based on the date of the check, not one of the the pay period dates, which is standard accounting. If you need to move part of all of the expenses into a prior period, that's usually done with Journal transactions.