Turn on class tracking

Learn how to turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online Plus, QuickBooks Online Advanced, and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Classes represent important parts of your company, like store departments or product lines. When you turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online, you can use it to get deeper insights into your sales, expenses, or profitability.

Note: If you are interested in having Human Resources Services as part of your subscription, consider upgrading to QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium or Elite.

For a better experience, open this article in QuickBooks Online. Launch side-by-side view

Step 1: Turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online Plus or QuickBooks Online Advanced

1. Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
2. Go to Settings , then select Account and settings.
3. Select Advanced, then select Categories.
4. Select Track classes to turn it on.
5. Select an option from the Assigned classes ▼ dropdown:
   • One to entire transaction: Select this if you don’t need to assign a class to each product you sell to your customer.
   • One to each row in transaction: Select this if you need to assign a class to each product you sell to your customer.
   • Tip: If you want to be notified when a transaction isn’t assigned a class yet, select Warn me when a transaction isn't assigned a class.
6. Select Save.

Turn on class tracking for QuickBooks Online Payroll

Follow these steps to turn on class tracking for your payroll transactions. Once enabled, you can assign a single class to all your employees or assign different classes to different employees.

Note: Class tracking will only apply to new and future payroll transactions. Enabling class tracking won’t affect any prior payroll transactions.

1. Go to Settings then select Payroll settings.
2. In the Accounting section, select Edit ✎.
3. In the Class Tracking section, select Edit ✎.
4. Select how you want to track classes:
   • I use the same class for all employees, select Save to save your settings.
   • I use different classes for different employees, use the employee ▼ dropdown to assign a class for each of your employees, then select Save.

Troubleshooting: Class Tracking options are missing

If you don't see Class Tracking in your Payroll settings, go back to the "Turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online (Plus and Advanced)" section above to ensure the feature is enabled in your Account and your settings.

If class tracking is already on but the options aren't visible in Payroll settings:

1. Turn class tracking off in Account and settings.
2. Sign out of QuickBooks Online, then sign back in.
3. Turn class tracking on again.
4. Repeat the steps in the “Turn on class tracking in QuickBooks Online (Plus and Advanced)" section.

Next steps

Once class tracking is enabled, you can set up your class list. Create classes that represent different parts of your business to assign them to transactions.