Integrate with QuickBooks Time

Follow the steps below to integrate your QuickBooks Time account with Gusto.

You must be an admin in QuickBooks Time and in Gusto to set up the integration. If needed, another administrator can add you as a user to QuickBooks Time and give you the administrator permission level.

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the App directory.
3. Search for QuickBooks Time.
4. Select Connect to QuickBooks.
5. You’ll be redirected to your QuickBooks Time account. Confirm sharing permissions to activate the integration. 
6. Map your employees: To sync hours, you must create a mapping for each employee. This matches the employee’s Gusto and QuickBooks Time profiles. 
   •  If the employee’s email address in QuickBooks Time matches their email address in Gusto, they’re automatically matched.
   • For more information, see the "Map employees" section of this article.
7. Click Match accounts. You can now sync hours for each matched employee. 

Once the integration is connected, QuickBooks Time is added to your Gusto App directory under "Connected apps."

Before you can sync employee hours to Gusto, you must follow the steps below to map each employee. This matches each employee’s Gusto profile to their corresponding QuickBooks Time account.  

Follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the App directory.
3. Search for and select QuickBooks Time.
4. Click Match Accounts.
5. Review the list under the headline “Employees with No Matches in QuickBooks Time.” These are employees who are not yet mapped.
   • Note: If the employee’s email address in QuickBooks Time matches their email address in Gusto, they’re automatically matched.
6. Choose one of the following options for each employee:
   • Match with an Existing Gusto Employee Profile.
   • Create a New Employee in Gusto: Note that this option does not automatically create a new profile. You will need to add a new team member to create their profile in Gusto.
   • Don’t Sync: Choose this option if you do not wish to sync hours for this employee.
7. Once you select an option for each employee, click Match Accounts to finalize the mapping.

Follow the steps below to sync hours to a regular payroll. 

You can only sync hours to a regular payroll. Hours cannot sync to off-cycle, bonus, transition, new hire, and dismissal payrolls. 

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the Pay tab.
3. Select the payroll you want to run.
4. In the banner above the payroll information, click Sync hours from QuickBooks Time.
   • This only appears if QuickBooks Time is connected to Gusto.
5. Hours that were approved in QuickBooks Time will be synced to your payroll. Keep in mind what will and will not sync: 
   • Hours that are unapproved will not sync to Gusto.
   • Regular hours only sync for hourly employees.
   • Overtime hours only sync for salaried/eligible for overtime employees.
   • Hours do not sync for salaried/not eligible for overtime employees. 

Change synced hours

Before running payroll: If you have not yet processed payroll, you can un-approve the hours, re-approve them, and then resync the hours to Gusto. This action will overwrite any previously synced data for that pay period.

After running payroll: You cannot resync hours to payroll once a payroll is processed. If you cancel the payroll to make changes, you must update hours manually. 

Employees with multiple jobs

If you manage multiple jobs (also known as “customers” or “clients”) in QuickBooks Time, you can sync hours to Gusto based on job titles. Make sure the job title in QuickBooks Time matches the job title in Gusto exactly. Any hours that do not correspond to a job title in Gusto will be allocated to the employee’s primary job in Gusto. 

If you do not use jobs in QuickBooks Time, the hours will sync to the employee’s primary job title in Gusto. 

Workweek breakdown

Overtime hours automatically sync to the workweek breakdown. 

With this integration, you can easily create a QuickBooks Time account for an employee right from Gusto. Follow these steps: 

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the App directory.
3. Search for and select QuickBooks Time.
4. Next to the employee’s name, click the three dots icon.
   • If you do not see this: You must be an admin in QuickBooks Time and in Gusto to do this. If needed, another administrator can add you as a user to QuickBooks Time and give you the administrator permission level.
5. Click Create Account.
6. Sign in to your QuickBooks Time account to invite the employee to QuickBooks Time and activate their account. 
   • Click here to learn more about managing team members in QuickBooks Time.

If you record paid time off in QuickBooks Time, you can sync those hours to Gusto.

Important: We only sync hours from paid time off policy types. You must manually record unpaid time off and holiday hours in Gusto. 

Follow these steps to sync paid time off hours:

1. Set up the policies: 
   • Make sure you've created the time off policy in QuickBooks and in Gusto.
   • In order to sync, the names of corresponding policies in QuickBooks Time and Gusto must be identical. If needed, edit the name in either platform to match. 
2. Log the employee's time off in QuickBooks Time.
3. The next time you sync hours to Gusto, approved paid time off hours will sync to the corresponding pay period in Gusto.

Accruals

If PTO accruals are set up in both Gusto and QuickBooks Time: Gusto does not receive updated PTO balances from QuickBooks Time. Refer to QuickBooks Time as your source of truth for time off accruals.

Time off requests

To prevent discrepancies, we recommend managing time off requests in only one platform—either Gusto or QuickBooks Time. Using both platforms for requests can result in duplicate PTO hours.

Here are some of the most common issues and next steps. 

Issue	Resolution
"QuickBooks Time requires admin permissions" error message.	You must be a QuickBooks Time administrator in the account you're connecting to. Here's how to check: In QuickBooks Time, go to the Time Team section (the My Team section in standalone QuickBooks Time). Search for the email associated with the admin's QuickBooks Time login. If needed, ask an administrator to add you as a user to QuickBooks Time and give you the administrator permission.
An employee is not on the "Accounts" page	Make sure the employee has an email address in Gusto and QuickBooks Time. Make sure you have sent the employee an invitation to onboard to Gusto.
The "Match Accounts" screen is not showing the expected  QuickBooks Time profiles.	This indicates you're connected to the wrong QuickBooks Time account. To connect to the correct one: Disconnect the integration. Reconnect the integration. Make sure to select the correct QuickBooks Time account. If you do not see the correct QuickBooks Time account, you may not have the right QuickBooks Time permissions. You must be an administrator in the QuickBooks Time account you're connecting to. If needed, ask an administrator to add you as a user to QuickBooks Time and give you the administrator permission level.
I cannot match an employee.	Make sure the employee has an email address in both Gusto and QuickBooks Time.  You may be connected to the wrong QuickBooks Time account if you're not seeing all employees on the matching page as expected. To connect to the correct one: Disconnect the integration. Reconnect the integration. Make sure to select the correct QuickBooks Time account. If you do not see the correct QuickBooks Time account, you may not have the right QuickBooks Time permissions. You must be an administrator in the QuickBooks Time account you're connecting to. If needed, ask an administrator to add you as a user to QuickBooks Time and give you the administrator permission level.
An employee’s hours are not syncing. An employee’s hours are incorrect. Hours are not syncing to the right employee in Gusto.	For salaried employees, keep in mind what will and will not sync: Salaried/eligible for overtime: Only overtime hours sync.  Salaried/not eligible for overtime: Hours do not sync. Review this troubleshooting checklist: Confirm you’ve mapped the employee. The correct QuickBooks Time profile must be mapped to the corresponding Gusto profile. Make sure the employee type in Gusto matches the employee type in QuickBooks Time. Confirm the date range in QuickBooks Time matches your pay period in Gusto. Check that you’ve approved their hours in QuickBooks Time before syncing to Gusto. Has the payroll already been processed? Hours cannot be synced once payroll is processed. This includes canceling and reprocessing a payroll.
Hours are not syncing to the correct job title in Gusto.	Confirm the job title in QuickBooks Time exactly matches the job title in Gusto.
An employee’s PTO is not syncing.	Make sure that: The name of the policy matches in each system. The employee is added to the policy in both systems. The policy type in QuickBooks Time is compatible with the integration. Gusto only syncs hours from paid policy types in QuickBooks. The Gusto policy is compatible. Hours do not sync to Gusto paid holiday policies or Gusto unpaid time off policies.
A contractor’s hours are not syncing.	The integration does not support syncing hours for contractors.
I cannot sync hours to Gusto in QuickBooks Time. I cannot sync or import employees within QuickBooks Time. The integration is disconnected in QuickBooks Time and active in Gusto.	Make sure you’re managing the integration from within your Gusto account. Connecting the integration, provisioning new accounts for employees, mapping employees, and syncing hours are all done from your Gusto account.

Q: Do I connect the integration or sync hours from within QuickBooks Time?

A: No. You'll set up the integration and sync hours directly in Gusto, not in QuickBooks Time. You can add new employees to QuickBooks Time from your Gusto account. 

Q: Does the integration support multiple pay schedules?

A: Yes.

Q: Does the integration support contractors?

A: No, the integration does not sync contractor hours.

Q: Can I sync hours for salaried/not eligible for overtime (salaried/exempt) employees?

A: No. 

Q: Can I sync hours for salaried/eligible for overtime (salaried/non-exempt) employees?

A: You can sync overtime for salaried/eligible for overtime employees. Their regular hours do not sync to Gusto.

Q: Can I resync hours before I process payroll?

A: Yes. If you have not yet processed payroll, you can un-approve the hours, re-approve them, and then resync hours from QuickBooks Time. This action will overwrite any previously synced data for that pay period.

Q: Can I resync hours if I need to cancel and reprocess a payroll?

A: No, you cannot resync hours once you’ve submitted the payroll. Please update hours manually. 

Q: Can I track time off requests in both Gusto and QuickBooks Time?

A: To avoid duplicate hours on payroll, we recommend tracking time off requests in only one platform—either Gusto or QuickBooks Time.

Q: If I archive an employee in QuickBooks Time, will that dismiss them in Gusto?

A: No. You must dismiss the employee in Gusto.

Q: I received an error message in QuickBooks Time when I tried to import employees. QuickBooks Time is connected in my Gusto account. What’s going on?

A: Make sure to manage the integration from your Gusto account, not QuickBooks Time. To import employees or manage settings, refer to the instructions and troubleshooting above for steps to follow in Gusto.

Q: Why is my integration disconnected in QuickBooks Time?

A: This is not related to Gusto’s QuickBooks Time integration. You manage your integration in your Gusto account. In Gusto, head to the App directory and look under Connected Apps to confirm your integration’s status. You can remove the Gusto add-on from within your QuickBooks Time account.

If you need to troubleshoot a connection or if you no longer want data to sync between Gusto and QuickBooks Time, follow the steps below to disconnect the integration. You can reconnect at any time.

1. Sign in to your Gusto admin account.
2. Go to the App directory.
3. Search for and select QuickBooks Time.
4. Go to the About tab.
5. Click Disconnect app.

Questions about Gusto’s QuickBooks Time integration? Contact us from the Help section of your Gusto account.

Questions about your QuickBooks Time account? Contact QuickBooks Time.