QuickBooks HelpQuickBooksHelpIntuit

Change your primary principal, payroll admin, or other payroll contact

by Intuit•495• Updated 1 week ago

QuickBooks helps you manage your business's payroll. If you need to change the person in charge of payroll, here’s how to do it in QuickBooks Online Payroll and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Note: Not sure which payroll service you have? Here's how to find your payroll service.

Prerequisites

Make sure your payroll subscription is active.

If you aren’t sure what roles or permissions you need, review Understand payroll roles and permissions

QuickBooks Online Payroll

  1. Sign in as the Primary Admin and Company Admin.
  2. Go to Settings ⚙, then Payroll settings.
  3. From Bank accounts, select Manage payroll principal officer information.
  4. Select Edit ✎ to change your principal officer info.
  5. From the dropdown ▼, choose the reason for the change.
  6. Update your principal officer info, then select Save.
  7. We’ll send you a verification code to make sure the changes are correct. Once you verify, the changes are applied right away to your account.

Note: If your phone number has changed, or the current Principal Officer isn't available, including if they are deceased, you'll need to create a new account to set up a new Principal Officer.

Have QuickBooks Payments?: We'll only apply the change to your payroll account. If you need to make changes to the principal info on your QuickBooks Payments account, you'll need to change it in the Merchant Service Center. If you need a new principal for your QuickBooks Payments account, you'll need a new account. 

Update the admin’s personal info and sign in credentials

  1. Select the icon of your name’s initial at the top right.
  2. Select Manage your Intuit Account.
  3. You’ll be directed to accounts.intuit.com page. From there, you can update your personal info. 

Update the admin’s personal info only

  1. Go to Settings ⚙, then Manage user.
  2. In the ACTION column, select Edit. You can update the name, email, and user type, and other user settings. Select the ▼ dropdown to remove a user.
  3. Select Save.

If you need to to transfer the primary admin rights to another payroll contact, check out Change the primary admin user in QuickBooks Online.

  1. Go to Settings ⚙, then Manage user.
  2. In the ACTION column of the user, select Edit.
  3. You can update the name, email, and user type, and other user settings.
  4. Select Save Changes then Update Info.
  1. Go to Settings ⚙, then Payroll settings.
  2. From Contact Information select Edit ✎.
  3. Update your payroll contact info.
  4. Select Save Changes, then Update Info.

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll

  1. Complete the Assisted Primary Principal Change form.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructins to Upload your completed and signed packet to Intuit.

Your request will be completed within 2-banking days from the time we receive the documents. We’ll contact you if we need additional info. 

  1. Complete the Primary Principal change form.
  2. Have the current and the new principals sign the request letter. If the current principal isn't available to sign, indicate the name on the letter. Explain the reason for the change.
  3. Get a photocopy of the new principal's government-issued ID.
  4. Contact QuickBooks Desktop payroll support to submit the form, request letter, and ID via Intuit File Exchange.

If you’d like to add a secondary principal:

  1. Complete the Primary Principal change form.
  2. Have the primary and secondary principal sign the request letter. On the letter, they state that they’ll add another principal.
  3. Get a photocopy of both primary and secondary principals' government-issued ID.
  4. Contact QuickBooks Desktop payroll support to submit the form, request letter, and ID via Intuit File Exchange.

The principal change takes 3–5 banking days from the date we receive the documents. You’ll get a status email from us.

  1. Go to Employees, select My Payroll Service, then Billing/Bank Information.
  2. In the Company Information section, select the Payroll Admin tab.
  3. Select the Edit link.
  4. Enter your PIN and select Continue.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
  6. Select Update. A processing request screen appears until the update is finished.
  7. Make sure the updated Payroll Admin info is correct and close the window.

If you can't access to QuickBooksAccount Maintenance pages, you can download and fax the form:

  1. Complete the Account Changes form.
    Note: The Primary Principal on your payroll account must authorize this change.
  2. Upload your completed and signed form to Intuit. Follow the on-screen instructions.
  1. Go to Employees, select My Payroll Service, then Account/Billing Information.
  2. Sign in using your Intuit Account login. 
  3. Go to Payroll Details. Make sure it shows the EIN for the company you want to make Payroll Admin changes to. 
  4. Select Edit next to the Payroll Admin heading.
  5. If you’ve signed up for direct deposit, enter your PIN and select Continue.
    Change the contact details of the Payroll Admin:
    • First name
    • Last name
    • Phone number
    • Email
  6. Select Update. Wait for confirmation then select Close.
  7. Review the updated contacts info then close.
  1. Complete the Contact Changes form. 
    Note: The primary principal on your payroll account must authorize this change.
  2. Upload the completed form to the QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted Document Portal.

Note: There’s no limit to the number of contacts you can have on your account.

Related links

QuickBooks Desktop Payroll AssistedQuickBooks Desktop Payroll BasicQuickBooks Desktop Payroll EnhancedQuickBooks Desktop Payroll StandardQuickBooks Online Payroll CoreQuickBooks Online Payroll EliteQuickBooks Online Payroll Premium