Understand employee info changes through QuickBooks Workforce

Find out how your employees can make changes to some of their personal info through QuickBooks Workforce.

Your employee comes to you with their new address. Or maybe they changed their name. Or possibly a new address, name and W-4.  It’s important, so do you stop everything and update their payroll profile right away?  Add it to your already long to-do list? You don’t have to do either! 

If you use QuickBooks Online Payroll, and your employees use QuickBooks Workforce, your employees can make the changes themselves. Employee profile management isn’t available in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

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

Personal info your employee can edit

Your employees can make changes to:

• Their name
• Preferred name
• Address (if it’s in the same state)
• Birth date
• Gender
• Federal and state tax withholding info
• Emergency contact

You and your employee can also upload profile pictures:

• Only one picture will be saved and will override previously uploaded pictures.
• You're able to turn on or off the ability to upload photos on the employee side
• Note that we do not monitor the content of the photo.

They’ll make the changes in QuickBooks Workforce. For security, they’ll verify their identity via text message to their device number on file. And they’ll digitally sign their W-4 at the end to confirm the new info and stay compliant with the IRS. Then you can see their updated W-4 in their employee profile in QuickBooks Online Payroll. Note: you can only see the most recent W-4. We don't keep a history of changes.

You’ll need to make changes to your employee’s direct deposit bank account if they open a new account. Or their Social Security number if it’s incorrect. 

Turn Employee Profile Management on or off

The Employee Profile Management setting is automatically on.  Your employees can edit their own info when:

• Your QuickBooks Online Payroll account is active
• Your employee is active
• Your employee profile is complete (you don’t see a yellow warning missing info)

Your employees won't be able to make any changes through QuickBooks Workforce if anything is inactive or missing.  

If you’d rather have control of your employee changes, you can turn off some or all of the Employee Profile Management.

1. Select Settings ⚙, then Payroll Settings.
2. From the Employee Profile Management section, select Edit ✎.
3. Uncheck one or both options listed. 
4. Select Save.

See your employee changes in QuickBooks Online Payroll

You’ll get an email letting you know your employee made changes to their personal info. You’ll see the changes right away in the Employee profile. 

If your employee’s address change causes a change in local taxes, the email will include instructions to make the updates in QuickBooks.