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Fix a missing employee in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll

by Intuit • Image Alt Text
Image Alt Text Updated 5/26/2026 14:58

Learn how to resolve a missing employee in QuickBooks Payroll so that you can continue running payroll as necessary.

You may notice that one or more employees aren’t showing in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll when you: 

 To fix the issue, try these steps:

Employee is missing in the employee center

  • Go to Employees, then Employee Center.

  • On the ▼dropdown above your employees’ names, select All Employees.

  • Find the employee that is missing, then clear the "x" mark on its left side. 

  • Select the▼dropdown above your employees’ names again, then select Active Employees.

Employee is missing when running scheduled or unscheduled payroll

There are 2 scenarios in which the employee is missing when you run payroll.

Scenario 1: Employee is missing on scheduled payroll

It happens if the employee isn’t associated with the correct payroll schedule. 

  • Go to Employees, then Employee Center.

  • Double-click your employee's name.

  • Select Payroll Info.

  • In the Payroll Schedule ▼dropdown, select the correct payroll schedule.

  • Select OK when done.

  • Run your scheduled payroll again and check if the missing employee is already showing up.

Scenario 2: Employee is missing both in scheduled and unscheduled payroll

It happens if the employee has an employment release date or termination date.

  • Go to Employees, then Employee Center.

  • Double-click your employee's name.

  • Select Employment Info.

  • Clear the Employment Release Date field.

  • Run your payroll again and check if the missing employee is already showing up.