Employees and payroll

Welcome to the Community, @sammy126. Thanks for reaching out to the Community.

It's possible that your payroll service isn't activated because you recently upgraded QuickBooks Desktop. Let's activate it by entering your payroll service key.  The steps to activate depend on whether you purchased your QuickBooks Desktop subscription online, over the phone, or from a retail store. Please follow the steps below:

To enter the payroll service key (purchase online):

1. Open your QuickBooks Desktop company file, then select Employees.
2. Click Payroll, then select Enter Payroll Service Key (or Manage Payroll Service key if you have a different payroll subscription).
3. Select Add or Edit. Enter your service key.
4. Click Next, and then Finish.
5. Select OK when the Payroll Update message appears.
6. Check that your payroll service status is Active, then click OK.

To activate a subscription purchased from a retail store:

1. Launch QuickBooks Desktop and navigate to your company file.
2. Choose Employees, then Payroll. Select Install Payroll from Box.
3. Fill out the Payroll License and Product Information form. Your license number can be found on a brightly colored sticker in the folder inside the box.
4. The product number is listed in the folder's instructions.
5. Get the 16-digit service key to enter, then select Continue.
6. To complete your payroll activation, follow the on-screen instructions, including entering your service key.

You can also refer to this article in the future if you want to manage your QuickBooks Desktop account and services through the Customer Account Maintenance Portal (CAMPs): Manage your QuickBooks Desktop subscriptions and services.

Please get back to us if you need further assistance in activating your payroll in QuickBooks Desktop. We're always looking forward to helping you. Have a nice day!