Adding a new pay type to an employee has an effective date choice that can be immediately or a future period. How can I do this retroactive to earlier date?

You're correct. In QuickBooks Online, when adding a new pay type to an employee, the effective date can only be set to the current or a future date.

Retroactive effective dates are not available for pay types. It means that you can't backdate the pay type to apply to earlier pay periods within the system.

If you want to pay the employee the retroactive amount, you can do so by running an unscheduled payroll. 

Here's how to go about it:

1. Navigate to the Payroll menu, then select Employees.
2. Select the worker you want to pay and click the Run Payroll dropdown.
3. Choose Bonus only or Commission only.
4. Complete the necessary details and hit Preview Payroll.
5. Verify that taxes and deductions are accurate, and add a note in the Memo column if necessary.
6. Once done, hit Submit Payroll.

This thread will remain open if you have further questions. We're always here to help.