Set up QuickBooks Time in QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll

Learn how to set up QuickBooks Time with your QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll account.

With QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, Advanced, Accountant, or QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium or Elite, your team members can track time with QuickBooks Time. Then, that time flows into payroll, invoicing, and more.

In this article, you'll learn how to:

• Launch your QuickBooks Time account
• Set up pay period
• Set up overtime settings
• Review payroll item and time mapping
• Add your team and time tracking options
• Invite team members to track time

Step 1: Launch your QuickBooks Time account

Note: QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite includes QuickBooks Time.

If you don’t have QuickBooks Time yet:

1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Time, then select Check out pricing.
2. Choose if you’d like QuickBooks Time Premium or Elite, then add it to your subscription now, or start a 30-day free trial.

Then, you can begin the setup:

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then Go to classic QuickBooks Time.

Information from QuickBooks Online automatically transfers to your QuickBooks Time account. There are only a few pieces of information you need to set up manually.

Step 2: Set up pay period

Note: If you use QuickBooks Online Payroll, set up your pay period settings there. Otherwise, continue.

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company settings.
2. Select Payroll & Overtime, then Pay Schedule.
3. Select your week start and pay schedule.
4. Select a recent closing date for payroll, then Save.

Step 3: Set up overtime settings

Double check that overtime pay is set up in your employee's payroll profile. Otherwise, their hours will show up as regular pay even if they worked overtime.

1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Company settings.
2. Select Payroll & Overtime, then Overtime.
3. Make your selections, then Save.
   1. If you need more detailed overtime policies, select Use Pay Rate Engine to customize your overtime calculations.

Note: If you have more personalization needs to fit your business, you can set them up in Company Settings later.

Step 4: Review payroll item and time mapping

Note: This is only available if you have an active payroll subscription.

Your payroll items from QuickBooks automatically map to the matching time type in QuickBooks Time. For example, a “regular pay” pay type will map to the “regular” time type.

Double-check the mapping and make adjustments as needed, so time transfers to payroll linked to the correct pay rates.

1. In QuickBooks Time, select QuickBooks Payroll, then Preferences.
2. Select Payroll Item Mapping Tool.
3. On the Map Employees tab, select an employee's name.
4. For each time type, select one pay type from QuickBooks. Selections are saved automatically.

Note: More detailed mapping options can be done by mapping payroll items to service items or class types.

Step 5: Add your team and time tracking options

Add team members to track time

When you add new employees or contractors to QuickBooks Online, they’re automatically added to QuickBooks Time in My Team.

1. Go to Time, then Time team.
2. To add an employee, select Add employee.
   1. Fill in the required fields, then Add employee. 
3. To add a contractor, select Add contractor.
   1. On the Expenses page, select Add your first contractor or Add a contractor.
   2. Fill out the required fields, then Add contractor.

Add other tracking options in QuickBooks Time

You can set up and manage breaks in QuickBooks Online so your team can track breaks, and you can add time off timesheets when you need to. 

Note: Options that import from QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Online Payroll (employees and vendors, customers, payroll items, service items, billable items, class, and location) need to be managed there.

If you need your team members to track time against service items, billable items, or classes:

1. In QuickBooks Time, select the QuickBooks menu, then Preferences.
2. Make your selections:
   • Customers & sub-customers: a customer selection is required on timesheets. You can assign these customers later. 
   • Service Items: make a service item selection required on timesheets. You can assign service items later.
   • Billable yes/no choice: mark timesheets as billable or not billable. Billable timesheets can be used when invoicing in QuickBooks.
     • Require billable yes/no choice: the billable choice is required before clock-out. 
   • Class: make a class selection required on timesheets.
3. Selections are saved automatically. The items you select import automatically from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Time.

Step 6: Invite team members to track time

1. Go to Time, then Time team.
2. Select Invite team members.
3. Select the team members you want to invite, and choose to invite them through text or email. 
4. Select Invite (#) Team members or Send invitations.

Make sure your employee sees the invite

Once you invite your employees to QuickBooks Time, they'll need to do a few things before they can start tracking time:

1. Be on the lookout for a text message with the invite.
2. Accept the invite.
3. Create a user ID and password (if they haven’t already).
4. Download QuickBooks Workforce.

After your team members follow these steps, they can now track their time through QuickBooks Workforce, or the web dashboard.  You can also track and manage time for your team members in QuickBooks Online, or use the Kiosk.