Can we use the payroll tab to record our information with out purchasing the payroll service?

It's good to see you posting here in the Community forum, becbecky2006. I'll be happy to answer your query.

You can use the Payroll tab in QuickBooks Online without having to subscribe to payroll. However, you are unable to handle payroll for your employees. 

If you want to record payroll checks for your employees, you can create a journal entry. To do so, you'll have to create manual tracking accounts first to track your payroll liabilities and expenses. Then, enter payroll checks manually using a journal entry. For more details, see this article: Manually enter payroll checks in QuickBooks Online.

For future reference, here's an article in case you'd want to run reports to view a snapshot of your business: Run reports in QuickBooks Online.

Please know that you're welcome to post here anytime you need help. I'm more than happy to work with you. Have a great day and more success in your business.