Best way to write an unscheduled paycheck in Quickbooks Pro 2021?

Handling payroll as a sole employee with varying pay rates can get tricky, especially when making partial payments, bstreiss.

First off, please note that the options for Employees, Pay Employees, and Unscheduled Paycheck require QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, which is no longer supported in QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2021 since it was discontinued on May 31, 2024. As a result, you cannot access Intuit services like Payroll, Online Banking, or Merchant Services with that version. 

Regarding your workflow for paying yourself, you can use the manual payroll feature in QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2021 by setting up two payroll items for your different pay rates and entering your timesheet accordingly, as illustrated in the picture below.

Here's how to set up your employee's payroll item:

1. Go to Employee Center, double click your employee's name (your name).
   
   
2. Hit the Payroll Info tab.
3. Click the dropdown arrow under the Time name column.
4. Select Add New, then choose Hourly Wages.
5. Click Next, then select Regular Pay.
6. Enter the name of your payroll item and click Finish.
7. In the Hourly/Annual Rate column, enter the pay rate ($50.25) for this payroll item.
8. Repeat these steps to add the second payroll item with the pay rate of $65.50.
   
   

Here's how to enter a timesheet:

1. Go to Employees, then click Enter Time.
   
2. Choose Use Weekly Timesheet.
   
3. Choose your employee's name.
4. Select the week for the working hours.
5. Fill in the Customer:Job and Service Item columns.
6. On the first line, select the first payroll item ($50.25) you created for the employee.
7. Enter the hours worked on the specific dates.
8. On the second line, select the second payroll item ($65.50) and enter the hours for the remaining dates. (Refer to the picture for an example.)
9. When finished, click Save & Close.
   
   

By entering your timesheet like this, you will have a total of $1000.50 as your partial payment for the first three days (July 1, 2, and 3). Next time you run a payroll, you'll simply need to select the last remaining dates to ensure a total of $ 1,244.50 for 19 hours for the remaining balance.

After creating your timesheet, you can now proceed to pay yourself. Here's how:

1. Go to Employees, then select your employee's name.
   
   
2. Hit Open Paycheck Detail.
   
   
3. For the Pay Period, choose the first three dates from your timesheet: 8 hours on June 30, 8 hours on July 1, and 3 hours on July 2. 
4. In the new window, select the first payroll item with a pay rate of $50.25 in the first column. This paycheck will total $1,000.50, representing your partial payment.
   
   
5. Once you're done, click Save & Close.

The same steps apply to paying the remaining balance of your working hours. Simply select the remaining timesheet dates—10 hours on July 3 and 9 hours on July 4—for a total of 19 hours and a balance of $1,244.50.

Please be advised that our guidance is limited to the details you shared; it is best to consult a qualified accountant, particularly for tax-related matters, to ensure the accuracy and compliance of your records.

Should you have additional questions, the Community is always available to provide support.