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Human Resources | How To

How to Print Payroll Checks in QuickBooks Online in 6 Steps

Charlette Beasley

REVIEWED BY: Charlette Beasley

Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.

 

WRITTEN BY: Heather Landau

Published January 7, 2022

Heather is a staff writer and payroll specialist with several years of experience working directly with small business owners. Her expertise allows her to deliver the best answers to your questions about payroll.

Published January 7, 2022

This article is part of a larger series on Payroll Services.

Learn More With Our QuickBooks Online Course
Explore the chapters in the guide.
  1. How to Set Up QuickBooks Online
  2. Part 1: Setting Up QuickBooks
    1. How to Set Up Company Information
    2. How to Customize Invoices, Sales Receipts & Estimates
    3. How to Set Up Invoices, Sales Receipts & Estimates
    4. How to Set Up Products and Services
    5. How to Set Up Messages
    6. How to Set Up Statements
    7. How to Set Up Expenses
    8. How to Set Up Advanced Settings
  3. Part 1: Setting Up QuickBooks (Cont.)
    1. How to Import Bank Transactions
    2. How to Import Credit Card Transactions
    3. How to Set Up Multiple Users
    4. How to Set Up the Chart of Accounts
    5. How to Set Up the Products and Services List
    6. How to Set Up Customers
    7. How to Set Up Vendors
  4. Part 2: Managing Sales and Income
    1. How to Create Estimates (Quotes or Bids)
    2. How to Create and Send Invoices
    3. How to Receive Payments
    4. How to Create & Send Sales Receipts
  5. Part 3: Managing Bills and Expenses
    1. How to Write & Print Checks
    2. How to Enter Bills
    3. How to Pay Bills
  6. Part 4: Managing Banking Transactions
    1. How to Enter Banking Transactions Manually
    2. How to Manage Downloaded Banking Transactions
    3. How to Record Bank Deposits
    4. How to Transfer Funds Between Bank Accounts
    5. How to Handle Bounced Checks From Customers
    6. How to Process Bank Reconciliation
  7. Part 5: Managing Business Credit Card Transactions
    1. How to Enter Business Credit Card Transactions Manually
    2. How to Manage Downloaded Business Credit Card Transactions
    3. How to Enter a Credit Card Refund
    4. How to Reconcile Business Credit Card Accounts
  8. Part 6: Managing Credit Card Sales
    1. How to Manage Credit Card Sales With QuickBooks Payments
    2. How to Manage Credit Card Sales With a Third-party Credit Card Processor
  9. Part 7: Set Up and Manage Payroll
    1. How Set Up and Run Payroll
    2. How to Manage Payroll Tax
    3. How to Add Historical Payroll Data
    4. How to Set Up Automatic Deposits
    5. How to Print Payroll Checks
    6. How to Run Payroll Reports
    7. How to Reconcile Payroll Liabilities
  10. Part 8: Reporting in QuickBooks Online
    1. How to Run a Profit and Loss Statement
    2. How to Run a Balance Sheet Report
    3. How to Run a Statement of Cash Flows
    4. How to Run an A/R Aging Report
    5. How to Run an A/P Aging Report

QuickBooks Sponsor ImageWith QuickBooks Payroll, you can pay employees via same- or next-day direct deposit and print paper checks using your own printer. To print QuickBooks payroll checks, you’ll need to purchase the proper check stock, adjust your printer settings so that everything prints in alignment, and run payroll for at least one employee.

As you read, follow along with our video on how to print paper checks in QuickBooks Payroll.


Step 1: Purchase Check Stock

QuickBooks Online Payroll lets you print checks on blank paper or with pre-printed checks. QuickBooks says it does not print on third-party checks. Its online payroll only works with two kinds of paycheck styles:

  • Voucher checks with one pay stub for your employee
  • Voucher checks with a pay stub for your employee and one for you

You can purchase checks from QuickBooks directly. It offers three styles with different levels of anti-counterfeiting measures such as watermarks, and prices start at $36.99 for 50. See the styles and pricing on the QuickBooks website.

Step 2: Check That Employees Are in the System

You need to have your payroll set up before you can print a paycheck. (See our how-to guide on QuickBooks Payroll setup.) When you first input your employees, you’ll be given the option of how you pay them. If you choose paper checks, the system automatically creates a paycheck to print when you are ready.

Showing how do you want to pay your employee.

Note: QuickBooks can only print checks for employees who receive checks and pay stubs for those who receive direct deposit.

Step 3: Set Up Check Printing

Before doing a full paycheck run, it’s a good idea to run a sample to make sure you have the right parameters and everything is aligned properly.

Selecting payroll settings.

Go to Settings, and then select Payroll settings.


Seeing current setting under printing.

Under Printing, you’ll see the current setting. If it is wrong, click on the pencil to edit. You can print on blank paper or QuickBooks pre-printed check stock.


Showing paystub printing options.

If using blank paper, click Save to save changes. If using pre-printed checks, it will ask if you wish to print one stub or two stubs. Make your selection and click Save.

If using pre-printed checks, you want to check the alignment. You should check alignment again whenever you use a different browser or application. You will use blank paper and a blank check to set alignment.


Selecting print and one paystub.

Click on Align check. A side window opens with the instructions. They are simple and self-explanatory. After checking the alignment manually, run a paycheck with a blank check to ensure everything is properly aligned. When satisfied, click Save to close the side window.


Showing print alignment form.

QuickBooks Payroll check alignment instructions: Click Save in the lower right corner of the screen to save all changes and exit.



Step 4: Load Your Checks or Paper in the Printer

Be sure the checks are facing the correct direction. If using a different browser, you should recheck the alignment before doing a print run.

Step 5: Run Payroll

See our guide for specific instructions on how to run your payroll.

Step 6: Print Checks

Clicking on view paycheck list.

The Overview tab in Payroll should direct you to run payroll, or you will see it in the shortcut list. Click on View paycheck list.


Selecting the names of the checks you want to print.

Select the names of the checks you want to print. Then click Print.


Reviewing the paycheck form before printing.

A new window will open up with the checks in PDF. Make sure the information is correct, then select Print on your browser (usually in the upper right corner).



Bottom Line

QuickBooks Online Payroll, a top-rated payroll service, makes it easy to print paychecks for employees. If your employees prefer direct deposit, check out our article on how to set up QuickBooks Direct Deposit.

If you’re not yet using QuickBooks Online to manage your small business accounting, check out our 2021 guide to the best small business accounting software, where QBO ranks #1.

🠜 Previous Tutorial

Free QuickBooks Online Tutorials

Next Tutorial 🠞

Although having payroll software makes paying your employees the right way much easier, you still need to know the basics. Check out our tips on how to get the best payroll training to help.

About the Author

Heather Landau
Heather Landau

Throughout her career, Heather has worked to help hundreds of small business owners in managing many aspects of their business, from bookkeeping to accounting to HR. Before joining Fit Small Business, Heather was the Payroll/HRS Manager for a top cloud accounting firm in the industry. Her experience has allowed her to learn first hand what the payroll needs are for small business owners.

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