Employees and payroll

We're glad to have you here, AcctnAsst.

Thanks for joining the Community. Let's work together and go through your payroll concern one at a time.

Since you wrote a check for the underpaid employee, I suggest deleting it and creating a manual paycheck. This is to let QuickBooks Desktop calculate the liabilities that should be withheld. Before doing so, please create a backup copy of your company file.

Then, follow these steps to create an unscheduled paycheck and enter the net pay, so the system calculates the gross amount:

1. Click on Employees.
2. Choose Payroll Center.
3. Click on Start Unscheduled Payroll.
4. Set the Pay Period Ends and Check Date fields.
5. Choose the employee that was underpaid.
6. Select the Handwrite & Assign check numbers radio and enter the number.
7. Click on Open Paycheck Detail.
8. Mark to select the Enter net/Calculate gross checkbox.
9. Enter the amount in the Check Amount field.
10. Click on Save & Close.

For visual reference, I've attached some screenshots below.

You can also check out this article for further guidance: Gross up a paycheck in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

On the other hand, let's create a deduction item and enter it on the payroll of the employee in question. Here's how:

1. Go to List.
2. Choose Payroll Item List.
3. Click on the Payroll Item drop down.
4. Choose New.
5. Select Custom Setup (allows editing of all settings; recommended for expert users) and click on Next.
6. Choose the Deduction (Union Dues, 401(k) deferral, Simple IRA, HSA) radio button and click on Next.
7. Enter the name of the deduction item and click on Next.
8. Set the Agency for employee-paid liability window and click on Next. The, select None as the Tax tracking type.
9. Click on Next until the Gross vs. net window. Then, choose the net pay radio button and click on Next.
10. Click on Finish.

I'm attaching some screenshots to help you with creating the item.

That should do it. Please let me know if you have further questions. I'll get them answered for you.