QuickBooks Desktop allows you to track bills and expenses, pay multiple vendors, and store your data locally, on your computer. And when you and map your QuickBooks pay items with those in OnPay, you're able to quickly plug your payruns right into QuickBooks to reconcile your payroll records. We'll show you how to set it all up.
What we'll cover
- Enabling the integration
- Adding asset, expense, liability, and income accounts
- Connection Settings and Accounts
- Mapping pay wages, deductions, expenses, and other payroll items
- Removing the department's expense mapping
- Disabling the app integration
Need help exporting pay run data as an IIF file?
Once you've enabled and mapped this integration, pay run data can be exported as an IIF (Intuit Interchange Format) file, to then be imported into your QuickBooks chart of accounts. Here's how→
Enabling the integration
Go to Company, then App Directory.
Under Categories, select Accounting. You can also use the search field to "Find an app".
Select QuickBooks Desktop to enable this integration.
Click Enable QuickBooks Desktop IIF.
Note: We also integrate with Quickbooks Online.
A warning will appear beside connection settings that need your attention.
Adding asset, expense, liability, and income accounts
In order for OnPay to share your payroll data with QuickBooks Desktop, you'll need to ensure that all accounts are represented equally between both applications by setting them up in OnPay, just as they appear in your QuickBooks General Ledger.
Click Edit Accounts.
If you're adding a new account, choose whether this is an asset, expense, liability, or income account.
You can also edit or delete an existing account.
What are assets, expenses, and liabilities?
Here are a few examples of pay items you might find in each account type.
Account Type |
Example Items Mapped to Account Type |
Asset or Bank |
Checking Account |
Expense |
Employer FICA Taxes, Employer FUTA Taxes, Employer State Taxes, Salaries & Wages, or Employer contributions to 401(k) or any other benefit. |
Other Current Liability |
Employer Taxes Payable, Employee Taxes, Employee Deductions, or Imputed Wage Items |
Enter account name exactly
Enter the name of the QuickBooks account you're adding exactly as it appears in the Chart of Accounts. Spelling, spacing, and capitalization must be an exact match with that of the account name in QuickBooks.
Need to enter a sub-account?
Sub-accounts should be preceded by the parent account name, separated by a colon, with no spaces between account names. If the account you are adding is a sub-account of another account, you must enter it in the following format:
Parent account name:Sub-account Name
Once all accounts have been added, you're ready to map payroll items.
Connection Settings and Accounts
Choose whether you want to sync pay run data in summary, or in detail. Select "In Detail" to have payroll data (wages, taxes, deductions, etc.) itemized by employee in QuickBooks. Learn more→
Use the menus beside each account type to map your checking account, as well as any clearing accounts you may use. We'll discuss "mapping" further in the next section.
Don't see the account you need? You may need to add it in OnPay. ↑Here's how↑
Mapping pay wages, deductions, expenses, and other payroll items
Next, you will need to assign certain payroll items to their equivalent in QuickBooks. This is called "mapping", because it draws a map between the two points of information; associating pay items listed in QuickBooks with their associated pay items listed in OnPay.
Be sure to check mapping in all categories:
- Wages
- Loans, Reimbursements, and Owner Draws
- Deductions and Garnishments
- Tax Expenses
- Tax Liabilities
Removing the department's expense mapping
When exporting payroll data to your QBD accounting software, OnPay segments wage expenses by the employee's department. However, you may choose to "Use Pay Types on GL" in My Company, under Company Preferences.
Clicking the "Yes" radio button will remove the department's expense mapping.
Note: If you choose to use GL pay types, you'll need to map each pay item in OnPay to an expense account in QuickBooks.
All Payroll items must be mapped to their corresponding QuickBooks item for the Tax Expenses, Tax Liability, Deductions, and Departments tabs. Below are more examples of OnPay Account Types and the payroll items that map to them:
Account Type | Example Items Mapped to Account Type |
Asset or Bank | Checking Account |
Expense | Employer FICA Taxes, Employer FUTA Taxes, Employer State Taxes, Salaries & Wages, or Employer contributions to 401(k) or any other benefit. |
Other Current Liability | Direct Deposits, Employer Taxes Payable, Employee Taxes, Employee Deductions, or Imputed Wage Items |
Need help exporting a pay run as an IIF file for QuickBooks?
Disabling the app integration
In the event that you stop using an integrated app, you can easily disconnect and remove it by returning to it in My apps in the App Directory. Select the app you wish to uninstall to view its settings.
Click the hamburger icon to the right of "Settings", and click Disconnect.
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