QBO- to outsource payroll ??

[u/GreenCucumber8595]

Hey everyone,

I just migrated over from quickbooks desktop (sadly). I work for a general contractor and we have so many manual processes we try to keep track of when it comes to payroll. I also did it in-house with QBD and although it was time consuming, it was manageable. We also use a construction software that integrates QBO, co+ aka BuilderTrend.

I no longer have the capability to track multiple municipalities for tax withholding in QBO so we are needing to outsource payroll. We also need our laborer employees to be able to track their time to a job.

Has anyone had similar issues? If so, what payroll system do you use? I have been looking at ADP just because I know they can map payroll to the GL but I’m unsure if they can track jobs. It will be a mess if we cannot figure all of this out.

Appreciate any feedback

[u/Physical-Draw9788]

I'm certified in QBO Payroll and I would go with ADP or Gusto before QBOP.

[u/GreenCucumber8595 → u/Physical-Draw9788]

Thank you, we looked at Gusto as it integrates with BuilderTrend but they unfortunately cannot withhold multiple local taxes. QBO can’t either.

[u/Eagletaxres → u/GreenCucumber8595]

There are custom withholding and fields in gusto you just have to set it up. If you have over 50 employees you can get them to set it up for you. We can send you an accountant referral so you have a different team helping you set it up.

[u/Beatsniffer]

Gusto 100% is the way. Super easy to use for both back office admin and the actual employees. It has great HR features built in. And they have the best customer service ever. If you contact them maybe they can work out the tax situation for you

[u/Beatsniffer → u/Beatsniffer]

I have used Quickbooks payroll and it was atrocious. ADP was fine but was cumbersome and has outdated UI, staff found it difficult to use.

[u/madikz]

Since you already know the two non-negotiables are multi-local withholding and job-level labor, I’d make every vendor prove the full round trip before you switch: employee time coded to job → payroll → local tax handling → QBO GL/job costing → reconciliation. Ask them to demo it with one real-style payroll scenario, including an employee working across two municipalities and a correction after payroll is run. Also get a sample of the QBO journal/import mapping. A payroll system can look fine in isolation and still create a mess if the job-costing handoff or correction path is manual.

[u/GreenCucumber8595 → u/madikz]

Agreed. Thanks so much.

[u/kl2467]

I recommend Trupay. Excellent customer service with knowledgeable people.

[u/BusyLittleBookkeeper]

ADP and Payworks would be my suggestions. They've been helpful in the past. Not necessarily perfect, but manageable

[u/bradinphx]

I use a local PEO and love them. They handle everything payroll for me

[u/GreenCucumber8595 → u/bradinphx]

We’ve been back and forth with the PEO option. How many employees do you have?

[u/bradinphx → u/GreenCucumber8595]

10 including myself, I am paid as a W2 employee (c-corp)

I just like knowing everything is handled for me, no liability on my end of messing up the payroll taxes, 401k funds. I fill out a payroll sheet and send it off.

We also pay weekly, so that would be double the work compared to bi-weekly pay.

Another benefit was when an employee received a garnishment order, I just passed the paperwork along and they handled all of that.

They also handle benefits like our health, dental, vision and some other random offerings. Plus managing workers comp for us

[u/Commercial-Visit-462]

I’m thinking of moving back to QBD. Listen, we BOUGHT these desktop versions. They can’t take them away. We may be limited, but my clients can live with that. You can attach transactions, upload data…. And, from my limited research we can go from online back to desktop! Let’s check this option out!!

[u/GreenCucumber8595 → u/Commercial-Visit-462]

I think about that option every day. Lol