Getting Started in QuickBooks Workforce - A complete guide to setting up your account and running your first payroll

Hiring your first employee, or moving your payroll into QuickBooks Online for the first time, comes with a stack of decisions that all need to happen in the right order. Miss a step and QuickBooks won't let you run payroll until it's fixed, which can turn a same-day task into a multi-day scramble.

The good news is that QuickBooks Workforce organizes everything into a single checklist the moment you start setup, and every task on that checklist maps to something you'll need anyway: your business address, your employees' pay rates, your federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), and your state tax account numbers. Gathering those five items before you open Payroll for the first time is the single fastest way to get through setup without getting stuck partway.

This guide walks through the full process in the order you'll actually move through it: getting set up, getting ready to pay, and then payday and beyond. Tune in below.

Key Takeaways

• QuickBooks Workforce setup breaks into three buckets: adding your team, handling your taxes, and connecting your bank account, all tracked in one built-in checklist.
• You can't run payroll until every setup task shows complete, so gathering your EIN, state tax numbers, and employee W-4s ahead of time avoids a mid-setup scramble.
• If you've already paid employees this year, enter your pay history before creating any paychecks, since you can't edit it yourself afterward.
• Running payroll itself is five steps: select your pay schedule, confirm the pay period, enter hours or pay, preview, and submit.
• Auto Payroll can take future pay runs off your plate for eligible salaried and fixed-hour employees once your first payroll is behind you.

Next Steps

If you're just getting started, open Payroll, then Overview, and select Get Started to begin your setup checklist today. If you're within 30 days of signing up and haven't run your first payroll yet, check the expert setup section on that same page to book a free guided setup call with a payroll specialist.