How to Print Pay Stubs Using QuickBooks Online
Learning how to print pay stubs in QuickBooks Online is an important part of doing your own small business bookkeeping. Whether you need to print pay stubs for your employees as a matter of course or an employee has requested their most recent pay stubs to secure a loan or social security benefits, the steps are the same:
Activate QuickBooks Payroll.
Select "plain paper stubs" or the 1- or 2-stub check stock option in Payroll Settings.
Open Paycheck List and select the employees for whom you want to print pay stubs.
Click on Print.
How to Print Pay Stubs in QuickBooks Online: Step by Step
Printing pay stubs in QuickBooks Online is a fairly simple process, and once you have chosen your settings, you will be able to print pay stubs in minutes in the future. A qualified QuickBooks ProAdvisor can provide QuickBooks Online training if you need more assistance than is provided in this guide.
Step 1: Activate QuickBooks Online Payroll
To print pay stubs, you will need access to QuickBooks Payroll. The QuickBooks employee payroll service is optional and does not come automatically with QuickBooks Online. Please note that you need to apply for an employer identification number before hiring employees.
To enable QuickBooks Payroll, hover the mouse over the arrow on the Workers tab on the left sidebar and click Employees. You should see a green button on the right that says Get Started. Follow the steps to sign up for your subscription and activate QuickBooks Payroll.
Step 2: Set Up Your Payroll Settings
Once you have activated QuickBooks Payroll and have added employees' names and payment details, click on the Gear icon and then Payroll Settings.
In Payroll Settings, click on the pencil next to Printing, or Paycheck Printing under Preferences, depending on the edition of QuickBooks Online you use. You should see a few options for printing, including:
Check stock - one stub
Check stock - two stubs
Plain paper stubs
If you will be printing paychecks, select the check stock type that matches your checkbook and either one or two stubs. If the pay stub is just for information ("pay stub details"), select Plain paper stubs. This setting will print a PDF scaled for an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. Once you've chosen your settings, click Save and then Done.
Important Note: Pay stubs for employees who receive a direct deposit, as opposed to a physical paycheck, should be printed on plain paper. This setting adds the words "pay stub detail," which will prevent opportunistic employees from cashing their paycheck twice.
Step 3: Navigate to Paycheck List and Select the Names of Employees
To print pay stubs, click on Home and enter "paycheck list" in the search bar or click on the Workers tab and then Employees. To find the pay stub in question, you can filter the list by Active Employees, Inactive Employees, or All Employees. Then, click on Paycheck List.
Select the relevant date range using the drop-down box to find the pay date you're looking for. Paychecks for the last payroll run will display automatically. Check the box next to the employees for whom you want to print pay stubs. You can also select the checkbox next to Pay Date to print all of the pay stubs from that date at once.
Step 4: Print QuickBooks Pay Stubs
Once you have selected one or more employees, the filter box will be replaced by a Print button. When you click on this button, a PDF appears. Click Print to print the pay stubs.
Printing Pay Stubs From QuickBooks Desktop
For QuickBooks Desktop, the process is a little bit different. To print pay stubs in QuickBooks Desktop:
Go to the File menu, click Print Forms, and select Pay Stubs.
Choose the relevant payroll bank account and add the date range.
Select the employee(s) and click Print.
Are Employers Required to Provide Printed Pay Stubs to Employees?
In the United States, there is no federal law that requires employers to provide pay stubs to their employees. However, employers are required by the Fair Labor Standards Act to keep records of employee payroll information, including the hours each employee worked and the wages that were paid.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to generate pay stubs in QuickBooks that detail employees’ hours worked and wages received. You can then print or email pay stubs to employees on request.
State Law
Depending on where you do business, state laws may require that you give employees pay stubs either digitally or in print. For example:
Florida: There are no Florida statutes about giving pay stubs to employees.
South Carolina: In South Carolina, employees must have access to pay stubs but aren't required to receive them in print.
California: In California, employers must provide employees with printed or written pay stubs.
If you live in another state, you can check your state's labor office website to find out about employers’ pay stub obligations in your state.
For Additional Help
This guide should contain all the information you need to know as far as how to print pay stubs in QuickBooks Online. However, if you need more assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor for advice relating to your specific situation.
As you can see, printing pay stubs in QuickBooks is a quick and easy process. And once everything is set up, it should only take a few minutes to do.
