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L
LDO
New Member
March 25, 2026
Question

Newly created PTO code showing as dollars not hours

  • March 25, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 17 views

I am a TIME and online payroll CORE user.  (formerly INTUIT) 

I created a new Time off code to reward workers who have no tardies and no absenses in a month.    If a worker is not absent or Tardy for a month he is rewarded with 4 Eureka hours at the end of the month..   

 

The problem is that Eureka is showing up as dollars on the run payroll screen and not as hours.  
I need it to be hours.   


Example 1:  a worker earns 4 eureka hours in January and 4 more Eureka hours in February  so that at the end of Februay he has a total of 8 Eureka hours.    Then he decides he wants to use three eureka hours so that he can get paid for his dentist appointent.     He should be able to go to workforce and chose to use 3 eureka hours for the time he missed for his dentist appointment.  I want his next pay stub to say he has used 3 Eureka hours and now has a balance of 5 avaiblabe eureka hours.

Example 2: a worker decides to leave 2 hours early, but he forgot to choose 2 eureka hours on his workforce app.  I need to be able to add 2 Eureka hour in both TIME and run payroll to his check.


Currenty the box on run payroll has Eureka with a $ box and not an hour box.
Vacation is an hour box.   Bonus is a dollar box.    Why is Eureka hours a dollar box?  Eureka hour should be an hour box.


Thanks
LDO 

1 reply

Tori B
Tori BQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
March 25, 2026

Hi there, @LDO.

 

Thanks for checking in. I hope you're having a great day so far. 

 

Although I can't directly see your current set up of the Eureka hours, it sounds like your Eureka hours are showing up as dollars instead of hours because the code is likely being set up as an "Other Earnings" item or a bonus pay type rather than a "Paid Time Off" (PTO) or "Sick/Vacation" policy in QuickBooks Online Payroll.


To make Eureka hours appear as an hour box and manage balances, you must set them up as a custom Paid Time Off policy and link them to QuickBooks Time. 

 

In QuickBooks, if a pay type is not classified as "Sick" or "Vacation" (PTO) in the employee's pay types setup, it defaults to a dollar-based "Other Earnings" item, which cannot track hours or accruals.

 

To fix the dollar box you mentioned, you'll need to create a new PTO policy, not a new earning type. Here's how:

 

  1. In QuickBooks Online, go to Payroll and select Employees.
  2. Choose an employee, then tap on Edit (pencil icon) under Pay types.
  3. Scroll down to Time off pay policies and click Add new paid time off policy.
  4. Choose Customized rates or Front-loaded, then select Paid time off (or Vacation) as the type.
  5. Name it "Eureka Hours."
  6. Set the policy to accrue, or set it to 0 and manually enter the 4 hours earned at the end of the month as a manual adjustment.
  7. Important Note: Please make sure this is added to all applicable employees and Save. 

 

Now you'll need to set up the Eureka hours in QuickBooks Time. Here's how:

 

  1. In QuickBooks Time, go to Feature Add-ons > Time Off Codes.
  2. Tap on Add New, name it "Eureka," and choose Paid.
  3. Check Track Accruals.
  4. Click Edit Settings, and you can set it to "Manual" to add the 4 hours directly into the Time Off Ledger for employees who qualify.

 

That should do the trick. However, I do recommend contacting our Support Team for further review. Our agents can securely remote into your screen to take a look into your current set up and let you know what's causing the issue. 

 

Please don't hesitate to let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. It's always a pleasure lending a hand. Take care! 

 

L
LDOAuthor
New Member
March 26, 2026

Tori,

I can't find "customised rates"or "front loaded".  Nor do i see manual accrual.
           I do see  3 distinct options 
                    Base Pay
                     Additional Pay types
                     Time off .... i see manage time off policies

 

Nor do i see manual accrual.  Where is manual?I only see (1) at the beginning of each year   (2) Each pay period   (3) per hour worked   (4) anniversary date  (5) unlimited 

  • At beginning of year
  • Each pay period
  • Per hour worked
  • On anniversary date
  • Unlimited

Thanks
LDO

 

G
GianSeth_A1QuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
March 26, 2026

Hi LDO, You're already in the right spot. There are no "customized rates" or "front-loaded" in Core Payroll.

 

Quick question before we move forward. Where did you originally create the Eureka code? Was it under Additional Pay types in Payroll, or did you only set it up in QuickBooks Time?

 

If it's under Additional Pay types, that's why it's showing as dollars. You'll need to remove it from there first, then create it fresh under Manage time off policies instead.

 

Once you're in Manage time off policies, add a new policy, name it "Eureka Hours", and choose At the beginning of the year with 0 hours. That's how you handle manual tracking. There's no separate manual option to look for.

 

After you save and assign it to your employees, Eureka will show up as hours in Run Payroll. Then, each month when someone earns their 4 hours, go to their profile, click the Eureka policy, and adjust the balance to add the hours.

 

Feel free to leave a Reply if you have any follow-up questions or any other concerns. 

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