Can I manually add payroll as an expense without having the payroll addition to my subscription?

Hi healthonhand-m2d,

Thanks for posting in the Community! Yes, you can enter payroll as an expense in QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks Payroll is an optional subscription feature that enables you to record payroll and lodge payroll information to the ATO through Single Touch Payroll (STP). Pay-as-you-go Withholding figures are also extracted from your payroll and seamlessly entered into your BAS or IAS in QuickBooks.

We also have a PDF full guide on getting started with payroll here: QuickBooks Online Payroll Getting Started Guide.

Feel free to drop a comment below if you need further assistance. Have a great day! 

@healthonhand-m2d 

You can utilize Journal Entry. You will run the same method if you are using a third party payroll app.