Still using deasktop for financials, but using another system to process payroll. Anyine have auggestions for tracking payroll in quickbooks? Journal entries or is there another way?

Hi there, @ghnh. Let me share more information about tracking your third-party payroll in QuickBooks Desktop.

You can create a journal entry to input your employees' third-party payroll information. First, we create the necessary expense accounts to track your payroll expenses. Here's how:

1. Go to the Lists menu and then choose Chart of Accounts.
2. Click the Account drop-down arrow.
3. Select New and click Expense. 
4. Enter the account details.
5.  Click Save and Close.  

You can follow the same steps to set up all the required accounts for each payroll income, deduction, contribution, and liabilities. Once completed, you can make a journal entry to record your employee's deductions, contributions, and liabilities. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Company menu.
2. Select Make General Journal Entries.
3. Fill out the fields to create your journal entry.
4. Make sure your debits equal your credits when you’re done.
5. Click Save or Save & Close. 

Please note that JE will not reflect on any payroll forms. You can also consult your accountant for assistance in recording the Journal Entry.

However, we can also utilize the manual payroll to track. But before we continue, I recommend enabling your payroll inside QuickBooks settings. I've added the article for you to check out: Set up manual payroll without a subscription in QuickBooks Desktop.

Don't hesitate to leave a reply if you still have questions about your payroll. Have a great day ahead, and take care.

You need to use JE to record your payroll expenses.