When setting a new employee up for direct deposit, will I have to write a manual check for the first payroll processing.

Hello crahe@cditeam.or,

Welcome to the Community. I'm here to provide some clarification about running payroll in QuickBooks Online.

If you've already set up your company's direct deposit, verified the test debits, and completed the authorization form set up, you no longer need to write a manual check. After completing the employee's profile, you should be able to process a direct deposit payroll.

In case you need the steps on how to print a direct deposit authorization form, here's how:

1. On the left navigation bar, go to Taxes.
2. Go to the Payroll Tax tab.
3. Click Employee Setup.
4. Scroll down and look for Authorization for Direct Deposit.
5. Select Bank Verification. 
6. Hit View and print. 

You can also follow the steps in the order shown on this page to finish the employee set up for direct deposit: Set up direct deposit for employees.

If the direct deposit setup is incomplete or the payroll is already late to be processed, you'll need to enter a manual check. Your payroll must be processed and sent to Intuit before 5 p.m. Pacific Time, two federal banking days before your paycheck date.

For additional information, I've attached an article you can visit to learn how to edit an approved manual paycheck in QuickBooks Online: Change an employee paycheck.

Feel free to hit that Reply button if you have additional questions about using the direct deposit feature. Have a great day ahead. 

I have just sat up a new employee for direct deposit.  The owner would like me to send a $1.00 direct deposit for the new employee today.  I will be processing our regular payroll throught QB Desktop Pro with Enhanced Payroll.  How do we complete this task?

PS:  New Employee has been completely setup in QB payroll/employee

Thank you BGNF

You did an awesome job in completing the direct deposit set up of your employee, @BGNF.

I'm pleased to help you send a $1.00 direct deposit to that employee to achieve your task.

In QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), you can create a paycheck with $1.00 net pay and send it via direct deposit. To do so, you'll have to set up a non-taxable additional item with a $1.00 rate. This is to ensure the employee will receive the exact amount. 

Here's how:

1. In your QBDT company, select the Employees tab and choose Pay Employees.
2. From the check types, select Unscheduled Payroll. Ensure that the Pay Period Ends date, Check Date, and QuickBooks Bank Account are correct.
3. Then, pick the name of the new employee you want to pay and click the Open Paycheck Detail button.
4. Once done, select the Other Payroll Items column and click Add New.
5. From the Payroll Item type section, choose Addition and enter the name. Then, click Next. 
6. Choose the correct expense account, click Next and select None from the Tax tracking type drop-down list. Then, Next.
7. Make sure that no taxes are selected in the Taxes section, and click Next.
8. Choose Neither in the Calculate base on quantity window and select Next.
9. Then, choose net pay in the Gross vs. Net window. Then, click Next. Select Finish when you're ready.
10. Once done, enter $1.00 in the Rate column. The Check Amount should be $1.00 also. Then, click Save & Close. 

You can also use this guide as a reference in creating a paycheck in QBDT: Create and run your payroll.

Should you need handy data to review your payroll information and company finances. Feel free to visit our payroll report hub to explore a ton of great payroll reports that QBDT offers.

I'm always willing to lend a hand in case you have additional questions about sending a direct deposit to your employee. Just post a reply below and I'll circle back to help you out. Have a good day.