Getting Started with Admin -> Payroll

Set up payroll options to pay employees accurately and on time — tax tables, benefits, deductions, departments, and more.

Set up your payroll system

• Start with Admin -> Payroll -> Start New Tax Year. This process loads federal and state tax info automatically so you don’t have to enter it manually. Visit this tool each January to pull in tax info for the nex year.
• For each state where you’ll withhold taxes, set a liability GL account. Go to Admin -> Payroll -> Edit Tax Type, choose State as the Tax Type, then pick your state. Assign a GL Account (often “Payroll Tax Payable”). Use Update Tax Tables (button at the top of the page) if you want to review the state’s tax tables.
• Visit Admin -> Payroll -> General Setup to configure your Federal Tax ID (EIN), W-2 details, payroll bank account, and default GL accounts. You can also select the W-4 form version your company uses. For most cases this will be the 2020 and Later version.
• Review Admin -> Payroll -> General Factors. Set minimum wage, maximum pay, sick and vacation leave formats (Admin -> Payroll -> Leave Formats), when paid time off begins (hire date vs calendar year), and miscellaneous taxable pay categories.
• If using departments, set them up at Admin -> Ledger -> Departments. You can assign payroll expense accounts per department and link employees to departments when editing their records.
• To manage deductions by group, create groups at Admin -> Payroll -> Deduction Groups, then define deductions at Admin -> Payroll -> General Deductions. Employees can be assigned to deduction groups when added or edited (Benefit Plans button when editing). Groups allow you to bundle common sets of deductions for employees.
• For benefit plans (retirement, health, dental, etc.), go to Admin -> Payroll -> Benefit Plans. Assign plans to employees on their edit page (Benefit Plans button).
• Add new pay types if needed (beyond Straight Time and Overtime) at Admin -> Payroll -> Pay Types.
• Add employees at Payroll -> Employees -> Add Employee. To set employee-specific deductions (e.g., garnishments), use Admin -> Payroll -> Employee Deductions. Deductions can end on a set date, after certain periods, or once a max amount is reached.
• Manage employees at Payroll -> Employees. If you’re mid-year, set beginning balances via the Add Beginning Balance button on the employee edit page (available until their first payroll cycle), or through Payroll -> Employees -> Edit Employee Calculations. Beginning balance amounts will appear on check stubs and W-2s and won't factor into the GL.
• Create employee forms in Tools -> Forms -> Form Manager. Select Employee for Form Type. Forms can be filled out via emailed links or in the time clock system (NolaPro URL followed by /timecard). (You will need to link each employee to a user account via Admin -> System -> Users so that they can log into the time clock system.)
• If you haven't done so already, add a bank account by going to Admin -> Ledger -> Bank Accounts.
• When ready to pay employees, go to Payroll -> Process Payroll and complete the steps in order: Log Hours, Calculate, and Write Checks.

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