Intuit QuickBooks
Enhanced Payroll

General FAQs

Q: How does Enhanced Payroll work?

A: Enhanced Payroll makes it easy to manage payroll yourself within QuickBooks.^†

Run payroll in just a few clicks. Each payday, enter employees' hours, and Enhanced Payroll instantly calculates paychecks. Easily print paychecks yourself or use convenient Direct Deposit (additional fees apply). Intuit Payroll's team of compliance professionals works with tax authorities to help keep your payroll tax rates accurate and up-to-date.

With Enhanced Payroll, it's easy to pay payroll taxes and file tax forms. Enhanced Payroll instantly calculates your federal and state payroll taxes for you. It also automatically fills in the latest federal and most state tax forms for you–just print, sign and mail them. Conveniently file and pay your federal and state taxes electronically with E-File and Pay for no extra charge.¹ Plus, Enhanced Payroll keeps track of what payroll taxes you owe, and reminds you when and how much to pay.

If you need help, just pick up the phone and talk to one of our payroll specialists for setup and usage questions. Phone support is available weekdays from 6AM to 6PM Pacific Time.

Q: Why is integration with QuickBooks important?

A: Since Enhanced Payroll works within QuickBooks accounting software, your data is already integrated, so there's no double entry and no exporting of data necessary. Enhanced Payroll offers an easy, all-in-one solution for managing both your business finances and your payroll.

Q: Can I switch to Enhanced Payroll in the middle of the year?

A: Yes, you can start using Enhanced Payroll anytime.

If you start using Enhanced Payroll midyear and have already paid employees, you will have to enter your prior payroll data when you start using Enhanced Payroll so that your calculations are correct throughout the rest of the year. A step-by step guide takes you through the process of entering your prior payroll data. If you are just starting to pay employees, you don't have to worry about any prior payroll data.

Q: What if I need support?

A: If you need help, Enhanced Payroll offers free support from our payroll specialists for setup and usage questions. Phone support is available weekdays from 6AM to 6PM Pacific Time.²

Additionally, you'll have 24/7 access to our online Payroll Answer Center, where you'll find helpful tips and answers to even your most specific payroll questions.

Q: What if I am not satisfied with Enhanced Payroll?

A: Try Enhanced Payroll. We're confident you'll like it. But if you're not completely satisfied, contact us within 60 days of purchase for a full refund of the purchase price.

Getting Started

Q: How do I get started? How long does it take?

A: Subscribing to Enhanced Payroll unlocks the payroll features in your QuickBooks software. Once you've signed up, Enhanced Payroll helps you get started quickly with a step-by-step guide for setting up your payroll. You'll enter your employees' wages or salaries, your company's and employees' payroll tax information, and your prior payroll data if needed.

The time it takes you to set up will depend on the number of employees you have and what benefits you offer. Our setup is designed to be quick and easy so you can start running payroll as soon as possible.

Q: What will I need to use Enhanced Payroll?

A: Enhanced Payroll requires QuickBooks 2006 or newer, or QuickBooks Simple Start 2008 or newer.

The federal government also requires every person or company paying wages or salaries to have an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Employers must include it on all federal forms, returns, and tax deposit coupons. To apply for an EIN, visit the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov for more information. 

Enhanced Payroll requires Internet access so that you can download the latest updates for your payroll tax rates and forms.

Paying Employees

Q: How do I pay my employees?

A: All you need to do is enter employees' hours, and Enhanced Payroll will generate paychecks. Earnings, payroll taxes and deductions are instantly calculated for you. Easily pay your employees three different ways: print checks yourself, hand-write checks, or use convenient Direct Deposit.

With Enhanced Payroll, you're in control of when you pay employees. All employees do not need to be paid on the same frequency. You can set up individual employees to be paid on whatever pay frequency you wish.

Q: Does Enhanced Payroll handle both hourly and salaried employees? What about bonuses, commissions or overtime?

A: Yes, Enhanced Payroll can handle both employees who are paid a salary and those who are paid on an hourly basis. Enhanced Payroll also handles bonuses, commissions and other wage types.

Enhanced Payroll handles overtime with ease. You can set it up to do time-and-a-half, double-time, or any custom overtime pay you'd like.

Q: Is there a limit to how many employees I can pay using Enhanced Payroll?

A: Enhanced Payroll supports QuickBooks company files with up to 350 employees. Performance may slow significantly when processing files containing more than 100 employees, depending on your computer's processor speed. Upgrading your hardware or using QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions will improve performance. Plus, you can add or delete employees from Enhanced Payroll at any time, with no fees.

Q: Can I pay contractors and generate 1099s?

A: Yes. You can use QuickBooks (without Enhanced Payroll) to handle 1099 contractors. Use your QuickBooks accounting software to set up contractors as vendors, write them checks, and generate 1099s at the end of the year.

Forms 1099-MISC and 1096 require QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise Solutions. (They are not available in QuickBooks Simple Start.) Please note: Direct Deposit is not available for 1099 contractors.

Direct Deposit

Q: Can I pay employees using Direct Deposit?

A: Yes. Use our convenient Direct Deposit feature to have employees' pay transferred straight to their bank accounts — no matter where you are on payday. You can schedule deposits up to 45 days in advance.

After you have prepared your payroll, easily send your payroll data to us from within QuickBooks. You must send your Direct Deposit transactions to us by 5 P.M. Pacific Time at least two business banking days before the paycheck date.

Not all employees have to be on Direct Deposit. Anytime you want, you can easily set up or remove an employee from Direct Deposit. Checks can be direct deposited into up to two accounts per employee.

Plus, you can use Direct Deposit for expense reimbursements and bonus checks.

Taxes & Forms

Q: How does Enhanced Payroll help me pay taxes and file forms?

A: Enhanced Payroll instantly calculates your federal and state payroll taxes for you and keeps track of when they are due. Enhanced Payroll also automatically fills in the latest federal and most state tax forms for you –just print, sign and mail them.

Conveniently file your payroll tax forms and pay your payroll taxes electronically with E-File & Pay.¹ With E-File, you can submit your federal and state forms with just a few clicks — no more printing and mailing. And E-Pay helps you avoid double entry and inconvenient trips to the bank — simply make your federal and state payroll tax payments directly from QuickBooks. You can set up payments in advance and funds won't be withdrawn by the government agency until the date you specify. Confirmations are recorded directly in QuickBooks.

Want to spend less time on payroll and minimize tax filing hassles? Choose Assisted Payroll and we'll handle all your payroll tax filings and payments for you, guaranteed accurate and on time.

Q: Which federal and state tax forms does Enhanced Payroll support?

A: Enhanced Payroll includes federal payroll tax forms W-2, W-3, 940/Schedule A, 941/Schedule B, 944/945a, 943/943a, 1099-MISC and 1096. Forms 1099-MISC and 1096 require QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise Solutions 2006 or higher, they are not available in QuickBooks Simple Start.

Enhanced Payroll also includes state forms for more than 45 states. To find out if your state(s) is supported see http://www.quickbooks.com/taxforms for a complete list of forms. For state forms we do not yet support, you can easily use the State Tax Summary report to fill out the state form.

Q: Which federal and state tax payments can I pay electronically?

A: To find out what federal and state tax payments you can pay electronically, please visit http://www.quickbooks.com/taxforms for a complete list.

Q: Which federal and state tax forms can I file electronically?

A: To find out what federal and state tax payments you can file electronically, please visit http://www.quickbooks.com/taxforms for a complete list.

Q: Does Enhanced Payroll track local taxes?

A: Enhanced Payroll supports only a very limited set of local tax rates. You can set up your payroll to handle local taxes that are not supported, but you will be responsible for entering the tax rates manually.

Benefits & Deductions

Q: Which benefits and deductions does Enhanced Payroll handle?

A: With Enhanced Payroll, you can easily track employees' vacation time, sick time, and paid time off. Enhanced Payroll also handles many deductions like medical and dental insurance, 401(k) plans and other retirement plans, cash advances and more. Enhanced Payroll does not require all employees to be set up with the same deductions.

Q: Does Enhanced Payroll handle workers' compensation tracking?

A: Yes. Enhanced Payroll helps you set up and apply the right workers' compensation codes, so you can generate accurate, detailed reports of exactly how much you owe. (Requires QuickBooks Pro, Premier, or Enterprise Solutions 2006 or newer. Not available in QuickBooks Simple Start.)

Pricing

Q: Why are there two different prices for Enhanced Payroll?

A: The price for Enhanced Payroll is based on how many employees you need to pay. With an Enhanced Payroll for up to 3 employees subscription, you can pay up to 3 employees in any given calendar month. You can run payroll for these 3 employees as frequently as you'd like, but you can't pay any more than 3 people.

If you have more than 3 employees, many seasonal employees, or high turnover, then an Enhanced Payroll for 4 or more employees subscription is right for you.

Q: Can I upgrade from a 3 employee subscription to a 4 or more subscription?

A: Yes, you can upgrade your Enhanced Payroll subscription at any time.

Q: How many EINs can I have on a single subscription?

A: You may manage up to 3 EINs on a single Enhanced Payroll subscription at no additional charge.

Security

Q: How is my data protected?

A: When you use Enhanced Payroll, your QuickBooks software connects you to the Internet only to download tax rate updates onto your computer from our protected system. It does not send any of your payroll data over the Internet (unless you use our Direct Deposit feature). We consider your EIN and other business information confidential and take steps to safeguard it.