Overview: The QuickBooks Desktop integration is done using the QuickBooks web connector. Sync time on demand when you're ready to process payroll or set up auto-run.
Important: To use the QuickBooks Desktop integration, you'll need an Administrator account with Buddy Punch. You will also need access to the QuickBooks Desktop main administrator account. A different user with admin rights will not work and may cause unexpected behavior.
Instructions:
QuickBooks Desktop Integration Setup
1. Start by clicking Settings in the top navigation, followed by Integrations:
2. Click the Integrate with QuickBooks Desktop button:
3. From there, you'll want to download the QuickBooks Web Connector from the Intuit website by clicking the Intuit's Website link on the integration page or by clicking here: https://developer.intuit.com/app/developer/qbdesktop/docs/get-started/get-started-with-quickbooks-web-connector#download-and-install-the-quickbooks-web-connector
By default, the downloaded file should go to your Downloads folder. Once downloaded, extract the file and install the application.
4. Next, you'll need to download the Buddy Punch Web Connector file, which you can find in your account on the QuickBooks Desktop Integration page or by clicking here.
5. Now that you've installed the web connector and have downloaded the web connector file, you will want to open the Web Connector and click the Add an Application button:
6. Navigate to the folder where the Buddy Punch web connector file was saved and open it:
7. After you've selected the Buddy Punch web connector file, it should now be added to the web connector itself and you'll be prompted to enter a password.
The password is a 4-digit one and can be found on the QuickBooks Desktop integration page in your account:
8. To initiate the first sync to pull employee information into Buddy Punch, open QuickBooks Desktop.
After opening QuickBooks Desktop, open the Web Connector, check the box next to the Buddy Punch application, and click the Update Selected button:
9. Once the process is complete, you'll then need to map your employees, which you can do from the QuickBooks Integration page by clicking the Map Employees button:
10. You will also need to map your payroll items, which should have been pulled in during the initial sync with QuickBooks Desktop. You can map payroll items from the Map Payroll Items button on the QuickBooks Desktop integration page:
Note: Additional mapping categories outside of Regular, Overtime, and Double Time are controlled by your Time Off Types, which can be found by going to Settings --> Time Off in Buddy Punch.
11. If you don't see the correct payroll items, these may need to be updated in QuickBooks Desktop, which you can do from the Employee Center in QuickBooks Desktop:
12. As a final step, you will need to enable Time Tracking in QuickBooks Desktop if this is the first time you're using the option. QuickBooks has a great support article explaining the process, which can be found here: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/manage-timesheets/set-up-time-tracking/00/186222
Transfer Time to QuickBooks Desktop
Now that you've got the integration set up, you can transfer time to QuickBooks Desktop using the web connector.
To view the time that is available to transfer, you can do this from the QuickBooks Desktop Integration page by clicking the View Available Time button:
If you're not seeing time that you believe should be in the Available Time section, check the unavailable time, which you can do by clicking the View Unavailable Time button.
There you'll find all unavailable times and a reason the time is not available, such as, "This punch is too old to export based on your QuickBooks Desktop integration settings."
1. To begin the sync, launch QuickBooks Desktop and the web connector; you should see the Buddy Punch application that was added during the integration setup.
Check the box next to the Buddy Punch application and click the Update Selected button. The sync will begin automatically, and will let you know once completed:
2. To view the data synced with QuickBooks, click the View Sync History button on the QuickBooks Desktop Integration page and then View next to the sync you ran. If any error occurred during the sync, it will be visible here:
View Time in QuickBooks Desktop
1. To view the time transferred into QuickBooks Desktop, click Employees in the top navigation, followed by Enter Time. Then click Use Weekly Timesheet:
2. You will then be able to see all hours transferred over from Buddy Punch and their corresponding Payroll Items:
When running payroll through QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Center, hours pulled in from the sync will be available to use to determine pay.
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FAQ
Q: When I transfer time off from Buddy Punch, will it automatically update time off balances in QuickBooks?
A: No, while we transfer time off to QuickBooks Desktop, we do not automatically update employee time off balances.
Q: I'm getting an error stating, "QBWC1039 Unique Owner ID/File ID pair value required." How can I fix this?
A: We have a detailed article that goes over how to resolve this error, which can be found here: QBWC1039 Unique Owner ID/File ID pair value required Resolution
Q: I'm getting an error that states, "Failed to transfer time for (Employee Name). Please check the box labeled "Use time data to create paychecks" in QuickBooks for (Employee Name). How can I resolve this?
A: This error occurs due to not having "Use time data to create paychecks" checked in QuickBooks. This article goes over how to resolve this issue in more detail: Set up Time Tracking In QuickBooks Desktop
Q: Why can't I transfer a shift/punch that is more than 24 hours to QuickBooks Desktop?
A: If an employee has a single shift/punch time that is more than 24 hours, QuickBooks Desktop will not allow you to transfer that time. QuickBooks has a limitation in that they only allow transfer of up to 24 hours in a single time activity.
Q: How do I sync payroll details for a new employee?
A: If you add a new employee or change their payroll information, you need to re-sync using the web connector to pull in new details.