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Pay a contractor with direct deposit

by Intuit•312• Updated 2 weeks ago

Learn how to pay your contractors using direct deposit in QuickBooks Online Payroll and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

You can use QuickBooks Payroll or QuickBooks Contractor Payments to send direct deposit payments to your contractors. If you don't want to use direct deposit, you can also pay your contractors with paper checks.

Here's how to set up and create direct deposits for your contractors using your QuickBooks product.

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

Tip: You can also use direct deposit to pay open bills with your contractors in QuickBooks Online. This is outside your payroll system. QuickBooks tracks contractor payments for 1099-MISC reporting.

There are fees to use direct deposit. Check your subscription for details.

Note: If you have a payroll subscription, you must run at least 1 employee direct deposit payroll first to be able to process a contactor direct deposit.

Step 1: Add your contractor

Before you can pay your contractor, you need to set up their profile. Check out Set up contractors and track them for 1099s in QuickBooks to learn more.

Step 2: Set up direct deposit

We have a variety of plans to pay contractors, including QuickBooks Contractor Payments which lets you pay contractors and file 1099s for a flat fee.

Before you can create any payments, you'll need to add your company's bank details and your contractor's direct deposit info.

Step 3: Create contractor direct deposit payments

Now you're ready to send a direct deposit to your contractor. Follow the steps for the payroll product you use.

Check out the video or follow the steps below on how to pay direct deposit to your contractors.

The QuickBooks design has been updated! If this video doesn't match what you see in QuickBooks, use the in-app Search bar to navigate to the page you need.

Skip the hassle of paper checks and make managing your team easier with QuickBooks Payroll.

To pay an independent contractor using direct deposit:

  1. Follow this link to complete the steps in product Open this link in a new window
  2. Select Pay contractors.
  3. Double-check the Bank account you'll be paying from, and select the Pay date.
  4. Find and select the contractor(s) you'd like to pay.
  5. For Pay method, select Direct deposit.
  6. From the Account ▼ dropdown, select the expense category you use to track contractor payments. Note: If you're not sure what to choose, check with your accountant.
  7. Enter the amount, description, and any other necessary payment info.
  8. Select Preview contractor pay.
  9. Select Submit contractor pay.
  10. Select Done.

Note: You can't have both QuickBooks Contractor Payments and QuickBooks Time at the same time without a payroll subscription. You can subscribe to Premium or Elite Payroll to use both.

  1. Go to Contractors, then select Contractors (Take me there).
  2. Select Pay contractors.
  3. Select the Pay date.
  4. Find and select the contractor(s) you'd like to pay.
  5. For Pay method, select Direct deposit.
  6. From the Category ▼ dropdown, select either Contractor Payment or Contractor Reimbursement. Note: If you're not sure which category to choose, check with your accountant.
  7. Enter the amount and description.
  8. Select Preview contractor pay.
  9. Select Submit contractor pay.
  10. Select Done.

Before paying your contractor, make sure you update to the latest version of QuickBooks Desktop.

When you're ready to pay an independent contractor using direct deposit:

  1. Select Banking, then select Write Checks to start the direct deposit.
  2. Select the Bank Account â–Ľ dropdown and select the checking account you use to pay contractors.
  3. Select the Pay to the Order of â–Ľ dropdown and select the contractor.
  4. Select the Date field and enter the date you want to pay the contractor. Important: To pay by direct deposit, the pay date must be at least two business days in the future. If a date is less than two business days in the future, QuickBooks automatically chooses the soonest available date to pay via direct deposit.
  5. Enter the direct deposit amount in the $ field.
  6. Select the Expenses tab and select the related expense account.
  7. Make sure the Pay Online checkbox is checked. Note: If you’ve entered bank account information for your contractor, QuickBooks selects the Online Payment checkbox.
  8. Select Save & Close. This opens the Confirmation and Next Steps window.
  9. Select Send to Intuit to open the Send/Receive window. Note: If you close the window on accident, go to the Employees menu and select Send Payroll Data.
  10. Select Send and enter your direct deposit PIN.
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