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NancyC1
June 30, 2023
Question

Payroll costs not going to projects

  • June 30, 2023
  • 4 replies
  • 0 views

We have used QBO with the projects option for 3 years and suddenly last pay period the payroll costs stopped flowing to the Projects.  Oddly enough, the payroll costs for ONE employee last payroll DID flow to projects he worked on (as noted in QuickBooks Time entries).  Can anyone explain how this occurred (and why) and provide clues on how to prevent in the future? 

 

Note:  the only unusual activity performed on this payroll was as follows:

In QuickBooks PAYROLL module, after importing all time from QB TIME, we UNCHECKED all employees in the list in RUN PAYROLL screen except for one employee - NOT THE ONE EMPLOYEE mentioned in 1st paragraph - and edited this employee's garnishment deduction after previewing his paycheck.  After updating his garnishment (which is based on Gross minus Fed & State Taxes) we then checked ALL employees and ran payroll.  Payroll itself is correct.  The issue is that no earnings flowed to PROJECTS except for one employee - again, NOT the employee we edited.

 

I know this is bizarre but all help is appreciated!

4 replies

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GebelAlainaM
June 30, 2023

Thanks for sharing with us your concern, @NancyC1. I can share troubleshooting steps that help isolate this unusual issue in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

 

In your case, we can perform the basic troubleshooting steps to help fix your browser to work better and faster. A high number of cookies and caches can cause unusual behavior in your company file, just like what you experience.

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Restart your browser.
  2. Log in to your account in an incognito or private browser and see if you can fix the error. You can use these keyboard shortcuts to launch a new private window:

 

Google Chrome: press Ctrl + Shift + N

Mozilla Firefox: press Ctrl + Shift + P

Safari: press Command + Shift + N

 

If it works on the private browser, you can go back to the regular browser and clear your browser's cache. Then see if it fixes the issue. Otherwise, you can use another supported browser.

 

Additionally, if you have set up payroll expenses or the hourly cost rates and added employee timesheets. You'll want to check the view type of your labor costs if you're using the hourly costs or payroll expenses. I'll show you how to switch between viewing payroll expenses or hourly costs. Before doing so, I want you to know that changing this setting in one project will affect all projects.

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Go to Business Overview and select Projects.
  2. Find and select the project you want to view.
  3. Select the Payroll Expenses or Hourly Costs dropdown and choose the one you want to view.

 

Check this article for reference: Track hourly labor costs and profitability by project in QuickBooks Online.

 

To learn more about managing projects in QBO, visit this article: Create and manage Projects in QuickBooks Online.

 

Please keep me updated about the issue and if you have other concerns in QBO. I'll be around. Take care always! 

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NancyC1Author
June 30, 2023

Thanks for your response.  This is however not a browser issue.  I do recall a few years back that if we "touch" the time record during the QBO RUN PAYROLL review screen that this can cause an issue where QB does not update the Project that is assigned to individual QB Time records.  I wonder if our updating a deduction on one person caused this bizarre outcome.  

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GebelAlainaM
June 30, 2023

Thanks for the quick reply, @NancyC1. I can route you in the right direction to fix the issue about the Payroll cost not flowing to projects in QuickBooks Online (QBO).

 

We can verify this matter through our messaging or phone support team since they have the tools to securely check your account and do a screen-sharing session with you. Also, they can provide detailed information on the best way to handle this type of concern. I'll be happy to share some steps to connect with them.

 

Here's how:

 

  1. From your company file, go to the Help menu.
  2. Choose Contact Us.
  3. Type in your concern, then click on Let's Talk.
  4. Select a way to connect with us:

 

  • Start a chat with a support expert.
  • Get a callback from the next available expert.

 

See this article for the schedule details: Contact Payroll Support in QuickBooks Online.

 

If you want to run payroll reports in the future, you can check out this article: Run payroll reports. It includes all the lists of payroll reports available in QuickBooks Online.

 

Just tap the Reply button for further clarification or additional information about managing payroll in QuickBooks. I'll be around. Have a lovely day!

 

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dougb1
July 11, 2023

This happened to me also and I have not been able to get a usable answer from Quickbooks yet.

Adrian_A
Adrian_A
July 11, 2023

Hi dougb1,

 

I want to ensure that your issue with payroll costs not going to projects is handled. 

 

Have you tried the troubleshooting steps shared by GebelAlainaM? I'd encourage you to give it a try.

 

If the same issue persists, I'd suggest contacting our phone support team so we can create an investigation into this matter. 

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Click the ? Help icon.
  2. On the Assistant tab, you can enter Payroll costs not going to projects as a brief description of your concerns.
  3. Select No.
  4. You can Have us call you or Chat with us.

 

I've also added this article as your guide in running payroll: 

 

 

Feel free to reply on the thread whenever you have concerns.

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Vickytoriaq
July 12, 2023

Same happened to me. I have six projects I cannot "close" because the payroll expenses didn't match to it. Support said to me that it was a known issue and when it gets resolved it'll sync automatically but...still waiting. Hopefully we all find answers.

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dlw1201
January 24, 2025

Did this get fixed?  This just happened to me.  Frustrating.  The hours from time went to the project but not the payroll expense from running payroll .  Thanks

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NicoleAscencionS
January 24, 2025

Welcome to the Community, @dlw1201. I understand how important it is for payroll transactions to be posted accurately. I'm here to help make sure everything is set up correctly for you.

 

Payroll transactions are posted to expense accounts based on your payroll preference settings. If they're not in the expected account, we can check your settings to confirm if they were assigned correctly. Here's how:

 

1. Go to Settings, then Payroll Settings.

2. Click Edit ✎ next to Accounting. 
3. Select Edit ✎ to update a specific section.
4. Enter the name of the account, or scroll to choose which account the transactions should go to.
5. Hit Save, then Done.

 

If you want the change to reflect your past transactions, you can see this article: Update your payroll accounting preference.

 

Furthermore, if you want a detailed view of your business finances, there are various payroll reports available that provide useful information about your business and employees. You can check this link for guidance: Run payroll reports.

 

If you have any more questions or need further assistance with your payroll preference settings, don't hesitate to get in touch. I'm here to assist you every step of the way, ensuring that your payroll setup is accurate and effective.

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Leslie09
October 4, 2023

I have the same problem.  Payroll costs are going to the projects for all but 6 employees.  It's the same 6 employees each payroll.  Nothing seems to be different about the employee's set up and they are putting their time to the same projects, yet their costs do not flow to the projects.

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DebSheenD
October 4, 2023

Welcome to the Community, @Leslie09. I'm here to assist you in connecting project items to your timesheets.


To accurately reflect payroll expenses for projects, use project-specific timesheets when running payroll. Ensure the timesheets are properly linked and utilized during payroll processing to allocate costs correctly to the respective projects.


If the issue persists, let's perform some troubleshooting steps to fix this.

 

There are times when the browser is full of frequently accessed page resources that may cause some unusual responses. You'll want to log into your QuickBooks Online account in a private window (incognito). Here's how:
 

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Google Chrome).
  • Ctrl + Shift + P (Firefox).
  • Control + Option + P (Safari).


If it works, return to your default browser and clear the cache to speed up the loading process. Every so often the cache becomes overwhelmed with older data which can potentially cause viewing and performance issues. Clearing it will refresh the system, and you'll be able to work with a clean slate. However, if the issue persists, try using other supported browsers.

 

Also, you can pull up a variety of QuickBooks Time reports monitoring your employees' activities. You may want to check out this article to see the complete list of reports: QuickBooks Time reports.

 

I'm all ears if you have other payroll concerns or questions about managing employees in QuickBooks. You can drop a comment below, and I'll gladly help. Take care always,

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