How to switch from Intuit Online Payroll and get started in QuickBooks Online for Accountants

A very special, and heartfelt, welcome to our Intuit Online Payroll for Accountants and their clients on Intuit Online Payroll and Intuit Full Service Payroll as they are now joining us on QuickBooks Online Payroll! 

Just Payroll, Just Accounting, Both or Change it up - You decide!

In case you were unaware, you may purchase QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, and Elite either with accounting or without accounting! In fact, if you purchase both at once but subsequently determine that you only require the accounting or payroll service, you may cancel the other. Of course, you can also add the other too. In either case just log into your product then click on the “Settings” gear icon in the upper right corner followed by “Account and settings” and then “Billing & Subscriptions.”

For those of you who still haven’t made the switch yet, let’s walk through how it works and what to do afterwards.

Part 1: Switching from Intuit Online Payroll to QuickBooks Online

You will be guided through switching from Intuit Online Payroll and Intuit Full Service Payroll to QuickBooks Online for Accountants by Leif Linden, the business owner in charge of this process.

As a reminder, the only thing that’s changing is the user interface and where you and your clients log in to access payroll data. The updated user interface will give access to all payroll information, including setup and pay history.

Part 2: Switch is done, so now what? 

Brandi Black, who is in charge of the customer experience for our payroll and time tracking services, goes over what to do after you switched to QuickBooks.

Here are some top questions we’ve been getting from customers after they switch.

Where do I go to log in?

Log in by going to: https://qbo.intuit.com/ 

If you already have been logging in here to access another QuickBooks company, you’ll now see a selection screen so you can pick which company you want to access. You can switch companies by going to the gear Settings icon then selecting “Switch company” 

What do I do if I now see two Accounting firms with the same name?

If you already have been using QuickBooks Online for Accountants, after migrating from Intuit Online Payroll for Accountants you may see two firms with the same name. One firm will be the QuickBooks Online account that you have been accessing, and the other one will be the new one that has all your clients from Intuit Online Payroll. To make things easier you may want to " - Payroll" to the name of the one with the payroll clients. 

How do I sign out?

Sign out by clicking on your initial in the far upper right corner then “Sign out”

How do I manage my clients?

Watch Brandi's video for the highlights on how to manage your clients or check out detailed information in our detailed help article about how to Manage clients in QuickBooks Online Accountant. This includes information about how to make a client inactive and how to change/cancel their subscription. Please note that making a client inactive doesn't cancel their subscription but canceling their subscription will make them inactive.

What if I need help? How do I contact Support?

You can contact our customer service department by logging into your account, if you're an accountant just log in to your QuickBooks Online for Accountant account and while not in your client’s account, click on the “? Help” icon in the upper right. 

Then just type in what you need help with and click on “Contact Us” to let us know how best to connect with you. If you can’t log in to your product, then you can call 1 (800) 446-8848 for support, but again this should only be used if you can’t log in.

Can I still export my payroll data?

Of course! Brandi did a great job showing this in her video, and here’s a help article about how to export your payroll data.

Who is paying and filing my payroll taxes and forms?

That’s up to you! Either QuickBooks can do it for you or you can do it, it’s just a matter if you decide to turn automatic paying and filing on or off. You can view and change it by going to the Setting gear icon, selecting “Payroll Settings” and then reviewing the row title “Taxes and forms.” It’s really easy to manage automatic tax payments and for filings in QuickBooks Online Payroll. 

If you’re paying and filing, meaning automatic tax payments and form filings is turned OFF, then here is how you pay and file payroll taxes and forms in QuickBooks Online Payroll. 

“Setup” is now “Payroll Settings”

In QuickBooks Online Payroll you can find all of the features and more that were in “Setup” by logging into your product, clicking on the gear Setting icon in the upper right and then “Payroll Settings”

Payroll Settings is the place to go for managing all of your company level payroll information including:

• State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) Rate
  View your State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) rate. We are slowly rolling out the ability for you to edit this rate, even if there are paychecks already created in the current quarter.
• Auto Payroll
  Let QuickBooks run payroll for you!
• Taxes and Forms
  Let QuickBooks pay and file your payroll taxes and forms automatically or let us know how you want them handled. 
• Print your W-2 and W-3 forms
  Print your W-2 and W-3 forms on 3-part, 4-part or plain paper.
• Early Pay
  Let our employees get paid before payday with QuickBooks Early Pay. A more detailed post about this feature  is coming soon.
• Direct Deposit
  View or change your direct deposit funding time including:
   - Changing your payroll bank account
   - Adding/changing your accounting bank account:

• Printing Pay stubs or Paychecks
  Decide if you want to print pay stubs or paychecks and handle your payroll printing alignment.

Check out my previous blog post and video to learn more about understanding Payroll Settings in QuickBooks Online Payroll.

Need more help? 

Here’s the complete guide for getting started with QuickBooks Online Payroll after you’ve moved from Intuit Online Payroll

Known differences and possible issues

After moving over a handful of customers have had some difficulties accessing their company. If this happens to you, contact support though either a different QuickBooks Online account or if you can’t log in at all then call us at: 1 (800) 446-8848. You will then be added to an investigation and an engineer will work to fix the issue. If you need payroll run, our customer service representatives can do that for you.

Sales Exempt Tax Status

We initially had an issue with moving over customers who were sales tax exempt in Intuit Online Payroll. That issue has been fixed and we’re about to start the process of doing remediation efforts to all the impacted customers. 

Pennsylvania Non-Resident Withholding Tax

QuickBooks Online Payroll currently doesn’t support withholding for non-resident local taxes as it’s not legally required after PA Act 32 passed in 2008. We are looking at what it would take to support this for all of our customers, including those who select to have us pay and file for them. 

Additional Resources

• Learn how to transition to QuickBooks Online Payroll. Watch video
• Know when to transition you and your clients. See timeline
• Learn how to talk to your clients about transitioning to QuickBooks Online Payroll. View article
• Get tips and information about QuickBooks Online Payroll plans and features from accountant Lynda Artesani. Learn more
• For additional information, check out our frequently asked questions.

Come talk to us about your experience switching from Intuit Online Payroll to QuickBooks Online on August 5th from 9 to 10am Pacific. A Zoom link and calendar invite will be sent out to everyone who registers.