rehire some employees who were laid off due to covid 19

Thanks for posting in the Community, @ej5.

We can make the employee's active if the payroll information is not deleted in QuickBooks, here's how:

1. Go to the Employees menu, then select the Employee Center.
2. Click the drop-down arrow then choose All Employees.
3. Right-click the employee’s name then select Make Employee Active.

However, if it's already deleted in QuickBooks, you'll have to set up the payroll info again. I'll show you how:

1. Go to the Employees tab.
2. Select Employees Center.
3. Click the New Employee button.
4. Fill in the necessary information.
5. Under  Employment Info, select Part-Time in the FULL/PART TIME drop-down list.
6. Click OK.

Also, I recommend updating your payroll to the latest release. This is often used to fix payroll issues and downloads the most current tax rates and calculations in your account.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Employees menu
2. Select Get Payroll Updates.
3. Fill in the Download Entire Update checkbox.
4. Click Update. A window appears when the download is complete.

After all the steps I've shared, you can then pay your employees. Feel free to read through this article for additional information: Create paychecks. It provides a quick video tutorial and instructions on how to run payroll in QuickBooks Desktop.

I've got a link here that provides you articles about managing employee's payroll: Pay employees, enter timesheets, and send payroll forms. 

Let me know if you have further questions about QuickBooks. I’ll be right here ready to help you. Have a good one.

Thank you for your response.  My other question is about rehiring them part time as we do not have enough business for them to  go back to full time yet. They are collecting unemployment and i need to know how to work with that in the payroll. I understand that the state will deduct the hours  I pay them and give them the balance of what they were getting.  My problem is in how to enter all this in their employment information.

thanks in advance for your help.

Hi there, @ej5.

We can change the employment details of your employees to record them as part-time in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Payroll. Here's how:

1. Go to the Employees menu and select Employee Center.
2. Double-click the name of the employee and then select Employment info.
3. In the Employment section, go to EMPLOYMENT DETAILS and select Part-Time in the FULL/PART TIME drop-down list.

Since your employees are doing a part-time job, you'll want to pay them at the hourly rate. You can follow the steps in this article to set up an hourly wage payroll item: 

How to set up an hourly wage payroll item in QBDT.

Additionally, you'll want to check how does the CARES Act expand unemployment coverage for affected workers. 

I'm always here to help if you have any other concerns or questions. Just tag my name in the comment section and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thank you for your reply.  My question is how this will affect their unemployment status.  If I hire them back as part time does the state automatically make these adjustments or do they  think that the employee is back to work and kick them off .  I've heard they adjust their compensation to equal a full weeks work, but I don't know how to enter this in quickbooks without jeopardizing their unemployment.

thanks

I'm here to clear things out for you, @ej5.

Yes, you're right. If you'll re-hire your employees, the state will make the adjustments for you. Just ensure to enter the necessary employees' info, so their taxes calculate correctly. This is because QuickBooks will base the adjustments and amounts on their details: Set up employee info.

Also, their employment status will affect how the taxes are calculated and its submission to the IRS. Thus, I recommend consulting an employment law expert to ensure you’re compliant with hiring laws in your state or industry.

Then, you'll want to set up their pay at an hourly rate. Here's an article for more info: Set up employee hourly wage.

You may also check out this article for the latest payroll news and updates: Latest payroll news and updates.

Please let me know if you need help with managing your employees and payroll or anything else related to QuickBooks. Take care and stay safe always.