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sharon-williams
Level 1
posted
‎April 24, 2025 08:02 AM
last updated ‎April 23, 2025 3:02 PM

QBO Payroll - employee with only one name

A client has an employee with only one name - not a first name and surname, just one name.  When they used self-onboarding they did enter first name and surname (different) but their bank has advised that they need payslips in the legal name which is just one name (currently entered as first name).  We have tried editing the employee record but receive an error message advising that both First Name and Surname must be completed.  Does anyone have experience with this situation and can advise what is our best option?

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1 Comment 1
Ivan_G
Moderator
Moderator
‎April 24, 2025 02:31 PM

QBO Payroll - employee with only one name

Allow me to illustrate a workaround so you can save an employee's legal name (first name) without a surname in QuickBooks, Sharon.

 

Since QuickBooks requires you to enter a Surname in the employee's profile, the best option is to enter a special character in this field. For this, you can enter a period " . " as the employee's Surname to bypass the error you've encountered. See the sample snapshots below.

 

Entering period " . " in the Surname section when editing the employee's information:

 

 

After saving the modification you've input, the Employee name will shown in this sequence: First Name followed by the period as the Surname:
 

 

Still, it's best that you contact your client's bank again to verify if they'll accept this method as a workaround. By doing so, you can notify them that QuickBooks requires you to enter a Surname to save your employee's profile. This way, they'll be fully aware of the situation and can advise you with more suitable alternatives that align with their policy.

 

I've also added this article that might be handy for you: Reimburse an employee in QuickBooks Online. You can utilize it if you need to compensate employees for business-related expenses using their personal funds.

 

Confirming this process with your client's banking institution ensures you can set your employee's details accordingly in QuickBooks. If you have more questions about managing an employee's profile, revisit this thread so we can guide you thoroughly.

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