Track dimensions from QuickBooks Time to payroll

by Intuit •

•

Updated 10/5/2026 12:37

Learn how to track dimension values on timesheets and use them when you run payroll in Intuit Enterprise Suite.

Note: This feature is in beta. It's available to select Intuit Enterprise Suite customers with QuickBooks Online Workforce Elite in the United States, including some accounting firms that manage Intuit Enterprise Suite clients. What you see may change as we improve the feature.

Dimensions let you tag transactions with the details that matter to your business, like customer type, department, or location. When your team tracks dimensions on their timesheets, those values flow into your pay runs automatically. You get accurate job costing on your reports without manual data entry.

Note: For businesses migrating from QuickBooks Desktop, Intuit Enterprise Suite now natively connects your time tracking dimensions directly to your payroll runs, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring accurate job-costing on your P&L.

Before you begin

Create your dimensions and dimension values in Intuit Enterprise Suite first.
QuickBooks Time is included with your QuickBooks Online Workforce Elite subscription.
You need payroll admin access to set defaults and run payroll.
You need time admin access to manage timesheet settings.
Your team tracks time on the web or in the QuickBooks Workforce app.

Set default dimension values for your team

Defaults apply to your pay runs automatically. If your team tracks time, defaults also pre-fill on their timesheets.

Go to Dimensions.
Select Dimension assignment, then Set time & payroll defaults.
Select Edit defaults for a dimension.
Choose one default for all employees, or assign a value to each employee.
Select Save, then Done.

Turn on dimensions for timesheets

Choose which dimensions your team can see and track when they enter time.

On the Dimension defaults screen, select Edit Timesheet settings.
In the Dimensions section, turn on Show on timesheets for each dimension your team should track.
To make a dimension required, turn on Require on timesheets.
Select Save.

Note: When you turn on dimensions for timesheets, your team can't add or edit timesheets in classic QuickBooks Time views.

Note: Only show the dimensions your team needs to choose, like customer type or location. If you keep a dimension off timesheets, payroll fills it in from your defaults when you run payroll.

Track time with dimensions

Once defaults are set, dimension values pre-fill as soon as time is entered — no matter who enters it.

When workers track their own time: when they clock in, clock out, or enter a timesheet on the web or in the QuickBooks Workforce app, their assigned dimension values pre-fill. They can change or clear a value before they save, unless you made it required.

When you enter time for a worker:

Go to All apps, then Time, then Time entries.
Open a Weekly timesheet.
Select a Team member. Their dimension values pre-fill.
Enter their hours.
To change a dimension, select its field and pick a new value.
Select Save and close.

Note: If a dimension value is cleared on a timesheet, payroll saves those hours without a value. On your reports, that cost shows under Not specified.

Review and approve time

You can review and correct dimension values when you review your team's time entries. If a required dimension is missing, you'll see a warning during approval. Once you approve time, the dimension values are locked and flow into payroll.

Review dimensions when you run payroll

Approved timesheet hours flow into your pay run with their dimension values already applied.

Go to All apps, then Payroll, then Employees. Select Run payroll.
Check the Dimensions column. It shows how many dimension values apply to each employee's pay.
Select an employee's dimensions link to see how their hours are allocated.
To make changes, select Edit. To review everyone at once, select Edit dimensions & projects.
Update the values, then select Confirm.

Note: Changes you make in the pay run apply to this pay run only. They don't update the worker's timesheets in QuickBooks Time. To change values for future pay runs, update your dimension defaults.

Split a paycheck across dimension values

If an employee worked on more than one job, project, or grant in a pay period, you can split their pay.

In your pay run, select Edit dimensions & projects.
Under a pay type, like Regular pay, select Add split.
Enter the hours or amount for each row.
Select the dimension values for each row.
Select Confirm.

See labor costs by dimension on reports

After you submit payroll, your dimension values flow into your accounting reports.

Go to Reports.
Open the Profit and Loss by Dimensions report.
Set your report period, then run the report.

Payroll expenses, like wages and taxes, appear in a column for each dimension value. Hours saved without a value appear under Not specified.

Note: Need to fix a paycheck after you submit payroll? You can still edit its dimension values when you make a correction.

You're all set. Your labor costs now flow from timesheets to paychecks to reports, organized by the dimensions you track.