Employees and payroll

Hi there, @TandemFDS.

Thanks for following along with the thread and sharing your concerns. 

I recommend some basic troubleshooting steps to get this matter resolved. Such as ensuring your QuickBooks is on the latest release so you can have the latest fixes and improvements. I've included some steps to update below. 

1. Go to Help and click on Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Select Update Now, then tap on Get Updates.
3. When the update finishes, close and reopen QuickBooks.
4. When asked to install the update, hit Yes.
5. When the installation finishes, follow the on-screen instructions.

Once the update completes, close your company file, then QuickBooks. Reopen and test your manual payroll again. 

Just in case a step was missed, I wanted to be sure I covered all the steps you'll need to activate manual payroll: 

1. From the Edit dropdown menu, select Preferences.
2. Click on Payroll & Employees, then tap on the Company Preferences tab.
3. In the QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Features section, choose the Full Payroll and the Manual Payroll checkboxes.
4. In the Get Payday peace of mind window, select Next and then Activate in the confirmation screen.
5. Hit OK to apply the changes.
6. Tap OK to exit out of the preferences window.

That should do the trick. For additional information about setting up manual payroll, check out Set up manual payroll in QuickBooks Desktop. 

Please let me know if this works for you. I'll be sure to hang around if you have any further questions or concerns. Have a good one!