I can also see how important managing the features of setting contribution rates in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Payroll, MECINC. Rest assured, I'm here to address your questions.

The QBDT Payroll option no longer includes a checkbox even before. It means the program can't automatically calculate based on the number of employees. Instead, the automatic calculation is on employee setup, tax rate, taxable amount, annual limit, or rate.

As a workaround, you can follow what BigRedConsulting mentioned above:

• 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.

You can also refer to this article to get a closer look and understand how your payroll taxes are calculated. So you'll know the taxes reported on your employees' paychecks and payroll forms.

In addition, you can check this article to find information on the latest payroll update (22413) for earlier release updates: Get the latest payroll news and updates in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Please ask me any follow-up questions or clarifications in the comment section about payroll features in your QBDT. I'll be here to help you.