June was the start of new 'roll-outs' for QuickBooks Online Payroll..., even if you don't have them yet, they are on their way! (And yes, I know this is the start of July...)
Access Employee Set-up from Run Payroll Workflow
Until recently QuickBooks Payroll users had to leave the Run Payroll workflow in order to make changes to the setup of an employee, but now QuickBooks Payroll (US) users as of this past month began receiving the ability to access employee set-up along with the ability to add or edit pay types and other set-up fields directly from within the 'Run Payroll' window simply (as shown in the illustration below).
Source: Intuit - QuickBooks Online Payroll
QB_Run_Payroll_Employee_Set-up_Access
Just think of the number of steps that this potentially reduces when you need to edit an employee's set-up information. Better yet, you won't have to worry about loosing your recorded pay-period information like wages, and other earnings you have already filled in, because you won't actually be leaving the 'Run Payroll' window to make the edits you need to make when changing the Employee's record(s).
Auto-fill Hours
Intuit's QuickBooks Payroll Development Team has also begun to roll-out a new feature that allows you to 'Auto Fill' an employee's hours from their prior payroll period. Not all U.S. Payroll Subscribers will receive this new feature at the same time, the initial roll-out began on June 18 and it will continue every few weeks to approximately 20% of the payroll subscribers thereafter.
On the 'Run Payroll' window where you would typically 'enter hours' there will be a new button with the option to 'Insert previous hours' (as shown in the illustration below).
Source: QBO Payroll
QBO_Payroll_Auto-fill_Hours
This feature will work for payroll subscribers who DO NOT have TSheets enables, and who ARE NOT using QBO timesheets. Employees must have existing (prior period) pay run data (to copy) in order for the feature to work, and they must appear on the current pay period and appear on the regular payroll 'run payroll flow.
There are options when using this feature in regard to the regular and other hours the system will import. By 'Default' the system imports the 'previous hours' from the last payroll period (pay run); however, there is also a 'Import frequently used hours' option in which the system fills in hours that correspond to each employee's 'most frequently' paid hours in the historical payroll record. This later option is considerably different than anything we have seen offered by any QuickBooks Payroll application before, so users will want to examine it carefully as it could post hours considerably different than either regular recurring hours, or the prior pay periods' hours.
Regardless of which method you use, if you import hours, the button also changes functionality to give you the option to 'remove imported hours'. In this case the system will remove all hours imported for the pay period, but it will not remove hours a user has either manually edited, or posted.
Preview Payroll Details
Also rolling out in June (2019) is a Preview Payroll Details Report that allows you to see the full breakdown of paychecks before they have been submitted for final processing. An example of the report is shown below. Take note that it is clearly marked 'Preview copy'. Once again, not all QBO Payroll Subscribers will have access to this report immediately upon initial roll-out, begin looking for it to start appearing in your subscription after mid-June.
Source: QuickBooks Online Payroll
QBO_Payroll_Details-preview-report
Editor's Note:
We are a little late in getting this feature out, initially it was to be part of our Scaling New Heights coverage but a 'glitch' saw the feature get set-aside by mistake. Next thing you know, the holiday was upon us, and everybody (except me) was 'off for vacations and the start of July...' So, I guess I am stuck here in the position of saying, 'Better late than never...'!