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January 24, 2019
Question

Can I import payroll details from Quickbooks Desktop into Quickbooks Online?

  • January 24, 2019
  • 5 replies
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5 replies

SophiaAnnL
January 24, 2019

You have two options to enter your payroll data into QBO, tmorrison816.

 

Importing the payroll details from the desktop version into QBO is currently not available. You can either enter prior payroll or run it normally in the online version. Once you choose how you'd like to enter the payroll, don't forget to record the prior tax payments as well.

 

To create paychecks in QuickBooks Online, you can refer to this article: Create paychecks in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

 

I'll be here if you need a hand. Thanks for dropping by.

March 12, 2019

What do you mean run it normally?  When will qb online be able to just import all historical payroll so I can switch people over?  This is too much work 

AlcaeusF
March 12, 2019

Hello there, Jeannepclark.

 

I appreciate you for getting back to us here in the Community. Allow me to chime in and provide additional clarification about the information from my colleague.

 

When importing payroll information from QuickBooks Desktop to the Online version, it'll only carry over company and employee information. For now, the only option is to enter prior payroll information manually.

 

Once you've entered all the payroll data, you can create the next payroll of your employees. For detailed steps on recording prior payroll, I'm adding the article I recommend on this:

 

Set up a prior payroll.

 

Please know you I'm always here in the Community for all of your payroll needs.

December 19, 2019

As a new QB Online user I was unimpressed with this fact. Data transfer like this should a vary basic aspect of "upgrading" to the Online version of QB. Paying so much more for a product, it would be fair to expect that the level of service would be that much better. Not that it will do any good for us at this point, but I would strongly advise the QB team to make this a top issue to solve for future users. Until then I would be hesitant to recommend the switch. 

katherinejoyceO
December 19, 2019

Hi there, @Sherri907

 

Welcome to this thread. I hear your sentiments about the data conversion limitations in QuickBooks. Because QB Desktop and QB Online have different platforms, our developers need to review and study all our suggested product enhancement proposals carefully to make sure they're fully functional when they're added. 

 

I'm adding a help article for your reference: Comparing Quickbooks Online to the QuickBooks Desktop versions. It helps you learn about the advantages of using QB Online over Desktop versions. 

 

Feel free to message again if you have additional questions. We're always here to help. 


 

JoesemM
January 10, 2020

Hi there,  @JRTII.

 

I also want a software emphasizes on convenience, and has the features I need for my needs. Rest assured, I’m going to submit feedback to our developers about migrating data from the other version.

 

Also, you can check these articles that might help you in the future:

 

If you have other questions or need further help, please feel free to tap me anytime. All the best.
 

April 13, 2023

It's now 2023. STILL no payroll import.

Intuit is a terrible company, only interested in greed. Higher prices, less quality and service. Just pathetic. 


DHeraV
April 13, 2023

Hello there, @lahatte.

I can see the need for having this feature in QuickBooks Online (QBO). However, the option to import payroll details from QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) into QBO is still unavailable. I can see it's a good feature or idea, so we'd love to hear your input. I recommend leaving feedback to notify our engineers about the feature you need. This way, they can consider adding it in future updates.

To send your input, here's how:
 

  1. Open your QuickBooks Online account.
  2. Go to the Gear icon and select Feedback.
  3. Type in your suggestion and click Next.

 

Moreover, I'll also share this article that can serve as your reference to learn about import limitations from QBDT to QBO: Learn how features and data move from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online.


Feel free to leave a reply if you have additional QuickBooks-related queries. The Community team always has your back. Keep safe.

May 13, 2021

WOW - over 2 years later, and they have done nothing to improve the coversion process.  Payroll information still does not convert from QBD to QBO.  I really fail to understand this when both systems are products of the same company.  

September 5, 2021

It's been nearly 3 years since this was posted. I just migrate my QBD file to QBO and WOW - I'm glad that I chose to try the demo before pulling the trigger. I won't be migrating away from QBD because the online program is a pile of garbage, apparently. No migration of historical payroll data? Are you guys insane? This is so stupid. Please fix it before asking us to pay your fairly ridiculous monthly fees for your SaaS product. 

December 24, 2021

Oh it gets better. When they killed off Quicken payroll it converted over to a new QBO company file instead of my existing one. So now I have to have two QBO companies, one for payroll and one for everything else. And I have to pay monthly for both. And even though I can export my payroll transactions from one to the other every pay period, they tell me I can't merge the accounts. And the best part - I used to pay $20 a month for QBO and $20 for Quicken Payroll. Now I have to pay $50 a month for each QBO.