Some of what you're seeing, where the tax keeps calculating, is because each tax in QuickBooks keeps track of it's own taxed wages. Based on your description, it sounds like the tax was not included on some or all of the employees for a period, like a quarter. If so, then the wages didn't accumulate during that period.
QuickBooks won't do what you ask, to auto-calculate a tax if there are enough employees for a quarter, or to exclude it if there aren't.
Probably the best thing to do for next year is:
- Set up all of the employees with the tax and let it calculate.
- At the end of the quarter, if it turns out you don't owe the tax, then enter a liability adjustment for each employee that negates the tax amount, but not the wages.
- Repeat as needed each quarter.
This way, the wages will accumulate, as well as the liability. And then if you need to pay it you'll know how much to pay. And if not, then adjust it away.
