What day should I process payroll in order to have employees' direct deposit in their accounts by this Friday? (This is our first payroll with QB)

Welcome to the Community forum, LindseyMem.

You need to send payroll a day earlier than usual. To get your employees to be paid by January 3, 2019, send your payroll today (Monday) December 30, 2019 before 5:00 PM PT.

You can visit this article for guidance when processing direct deposit payroll: How will Federal banking holidays affect my direct deposit processing?.

For future reference, I'm adding some articles that you may find helpful: 

• Reverse a direct deposit
• Direct Deposit Security Limits

If there’s anything else you need help with in processing payroll, you can reach back out. I'm here to answer it for you. Have a great day!