Switching from QuickBooks Payroll to Gusto means moving payroll processing to a different platform without necessarily moving your accounting. You can keep QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping and use Gusto to run payroll, maintain employee records, and administer any additional HR or benefits services you select.
The move requires more than transferring an employee list. You need to preserve payroll and tax records, import current-year payroll history, recreate settings that do not transfer, establish employee payment methods, connect Gusto to your accounting system, and assign each payroll tax filing to the correct provider.
This guide explains how to switch from QuickBooks Online Payroll or Intuit QuickBooks Workforce, as well as supported QuickBooks Desktop Payroll products, to Gusto.
Before you switch, identify your QuickBooks product
Start with the exact product and subscriptions listed in your Intuit account.
In May 2026, Intuit announced that QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, and Elite were being rebranded as QuickBooks Workforce. Because the rollout occurred over time, your account may show a Workforce plan, a QuickBooks Online Payroll name, or both names in supporting documentation.
QuickBooks Workforce has long been Intuit’s employee portal for pay stubs, tax forms, and time information. Confirm whether a reference to “Workforce” means your employer payroll subscription or the employee-facing portal.
Your business may use one or more of the following:
Intuit QuickBooks Workforce Payroll, Premium, or Elite
QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, or Elite
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced or another legacy Desktop payroll subscription
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Online accounting
QuickBooks Contractor Payments
Benefits, retirement, workers’ compensation, or partner-provided services
The available exports, cancellation process, account access, and tax-filing responsibilities can differ by product.
Moving payroll does not require canceling QuickBooks Online accounting. Review each subscription separately so you do not cancel the accounting company you plan to keep.
QuickBooks Desktop users should also identify the exact Desktop edition, save a working company-file backup, and confirm that it supports Intuit Interchange Format, or IIF, imports if they plan to post future Gusto payroll entries to Desktop.
What stays, what moves, and what needs a separate setup?
Payroll component | What to expect |
QuickBooks Online accounting | Remains active if you keep the accounting subscription |
Future payroll processing | Moves to Gusto |
Current-year employee payroll history | Must be imported or entered during Gusto setup |
Historical accounting entries | Remain in the QuickBooks company |
Future QuickBooks Online payroll entries | Can sync from Gusto after the accounting integration is mapped |
QuickBooks Desktop payroll entries | Can be exported from Gusto as an IIF file and imported into a supported Desktop edition |
Deductions and employer contributions | Must be reviewed and configured in Gusto |
PTO policies and balances | Must be reviewed, recreated, or corrected |
Employee direct-deposit information | Must be entered or verified separately in Gusto |
Earlier contractor payments | Must be reported through the contractor-payment process rather than the employee-payroll import |
Quarterly and annual tax filings | Must be assigned to the correct provider for the transition period |
Benefits and related partner services | May require separate termination, replacement, or enrollment work |
Does Gusto integrate with QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Gusto can create a detailed payroll journal entry and sync it to QuickBooks Online.
After you connect the accounts, Gusto imports the QuickBooks chart of accounts. You can map wages, employer taxes, reimbursements, deductions, liabilities, and other payroll categories to the appropriate accounts.
The integration can also add detail based on earnings types, Gusto departments, employees, jobs, projects, or QuickBooks Online classes, depending on your selected configuration.
The accounting integration handles payroll entries going forward. It does not replace the separate process for moving employee information or prior QuickBooks payroll history into Gusto.
How to switch from QuickBooks Payroll to Gusto
1. Choose the first check date Gusto will process
Select the first check date you intend to run in Gusto. The check date, rather than the dates on which employees performed the work, generally determines the payroll tax period.
Work backward from that date to complete:
Gusto company and bank verification
Employee onboarding
Direct-deposit setup
Federal, state, and local tax setup
Previous payroll reporting
Deduction and contribution setup
Accounting mappings
Payroll review
The QuickBooks cancellation and tax-filing handoff
A January or quarter-start change can reduce reconciliation work, but Gusto supports current-year payroll history, so a mid-year switch is possible. Complete data and a documented filing handoff are more important than waiting for a universally ideal date.
2. Document your current QuickBooks payroll setup
Create a record of the settings you will need to reproduce or verify in Gusto:
Pay schedules and check dates
Compensation types and pay rates
Employee work and home locations
Federal Employer Identification Number, or FEIN
Federal tax deposit schedule
State withholding account numbers
State unemployment account numbers and rates
Local tax accounts
Pre-tax and post-tax deductions
Employer contributions
Garnishments and child-support orders
PTO policies and balances
Workers’ compensation arrangements
Benefits and retirement deductions
Departments, classes, jobs, and accounting mappings
Contractor records
Additional Intuit and partner subscriptions
Do not cancel payroll before preserving your records and determining which provider will file the transition quarter.
3. Export the QuickBooks reports that Gusto accepts
Gusto’s automated transfer process accepts specific employee and payroll-history files. Use the required report names and formats, and do not alter the report structure before uploading.
QuickBooks Online Payroll or Workforce payroll reports
For the online product, Gusto accepts:
Employee Details, exported as a PDF
Payroll Summary by Employee, exported as a CSV
To prepare the Employee Details report:
Sign in to QuickBooks Online.
Open Reports.
Search for Employee Details.
Customize the report for all relevant employees and locations.
Display the identifying information required by Gusto.
Run the report.
Export it as a PDF.
To prepare Payroll Summary by Employee:
Open Reports.
Select Payroll Summary by Employee.
Set the required date range.
Include every employee paid during the year, including dismissed or terminated employees.
Run the report.
Download it as a CSV.
If Payroll Summary by Employee is unavailable, QuickBooks may direct you to the corresponding summary from the Payroll Details report.
These files contain sensitive employee and payroll information. Store and transmit them through approved secure systems.
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll reports
For QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, Gusto’s transfer workflow uses:
A customized employee report exported as a CSV
A Payroll Summary report exported as a CSV or Excel file
Gusto’s instructions use the Employee Contact List as the starting point for the employee report. Customize it to include the required identity, contact, employment, and compensation fields.
To export the payroll-history report:
Open Reports in QuickBooks Desktop.
Select Employees & Payroll.
Open Payroll Summary.
Set the appropriate check-date range.
Refresh the report.
Export it from the Excel menu as a CSV or Excel file.
Save a current backup of the QuickBooks Desktop company file before changing or canceling the payroll subscription.
Complete the automated upload during Gusto onboarding
Gusto makes its payroll-transfer upload available during onboarding. If the setup is completed without the upload, earlier payrolls must be entered through Gusto’s non-Gusto payroll process.
The transfer does not replace a complete payroll archive. Also preserve:
Payroll registers and individual pay records
Federal, state, and local tax returns
Tax-payment confirmations
Forms 940, 941, W-2, W-3, and applicable 1099 forms
Deduction and contribution summaries
Garnishment and child-support instructions
Benefits and retirement records
PTO records
Workers’ compensation information
Accounting mappings
Records of earlier contractor payments
Prior contractor payments follow a separate reporting process from employee payroll history.
Related Content: Payroll Migration Checklist
4. Set up Gusto and import previous payrolls
Enter or confirm the information Gusto needs to run payroll:
Legal business name and address
FEIN and business entity type
Federal tax filing and deposit information
State withholding accounts
State unemployment accounts and rates
Applicable local tax accounts
Company bank account
Principal officer information
Work locations
Pay schedules
Employees and contractors
Upload the QuickBooks employee file through the employee-import step and the payroll-history file through the previous-payroll step.
If employees have already been paid during the calendar year, Gusto needs that history to calculate year-to-date wages and taxes and prepare year-end forms. Include active employees and anyone dismissed after receiving pay during the year.
Review every imported value. An accepted upload does not prove that every employee, earning, deduction, or tax amount was classified correctly.
5. Recreate settings that do not transfer automatically
Gusto states that its payroll-transfer automation moves employee and payroll data but does not set up deductions, contributions, or other pay items.
Review and configure:
Health and other insurance deductions
Retirement deductions and contributions
HSA, FSA, and commuter deductions
Garnishments
Recurring reimbursements
Bonuses, commissions, and tips
Multiple pay rates
Employer contributions
PTO policies and balances
Departments, jobs, and projects
Time-tracking connections
Workers’ compensation settings
Benefits effective dates
Compare the Gusto configuration with a recent QuickBooks payroll register and your setup inventory.
6. Have employees verify their information and payment methods
Plan for employees to complete or verify their Gusto profiles before the first payroll.
Ask them to review:
Legal name
Home address
Tax-withholding information
Email address
Payment method
Routing and account numbers
Benefit elections, when applicable
Gusto recommends that employees update their own bank information. A newly opened bank account may require verification, so do not leave direct deposit setup until the payroll submission deadline.
Never assume that the employee and payroll history reports transferred usable bank information.
7. Establish the payroll-tax handoff
The tax handoff should be resolved before the first Gusto check date.
Under Gusto’s published switching process:
The previous provider files returns for completed quarters before the company joins Gusto.
The previous provider remains responsible for deposits associated with payroll it processed, subject to adjustments or refunds for taxes that must be paid as one quarterly amount.
Gusto files quarterly returns, beginning with the quarter that contains the first Gusto check date.
Gusto handles federal and state unemployment taxes beginning with that transition quarter.
Gusto prepares the year-end forms when complete year-to-date employee and contractor information has been entered.
Ask Intuit and Gusto to document:
The last check date processed by QuickBooks
The first check date processed by Gusto
Which provider will file each federal, state, and local quarterly return
Which deposits QuickBooks has already submitted
Whether Intuit holds tax funds that must be paid or refunded
Which provider will handle unemployment taxes for the transition quarter
Whether QuickBooks has been instructed not to issue year-end forms
Who will respond to notices about payroll processed before the change
Who can amend a return if a correction is required
Only one provider should file each quarterly or annual return. Escalate conflicting instructions before processing payroll.
8. Connect Gusto to QuickBooks accounting
QuickBooks Online
To connect QuickBooks Online:
Sign in to Gusto.
Open the App directory.
Find QuickBooks Online.
Connect and authorize the correct QuickBooks company.
Review the imported chart of accounts.
Map every required Gusto payroll category.
Choose any desired journal-entry consolidation or class settings.
Review the configuration before syncing payroll.
Administrator permissions are required in both products.
Do not assume suggested or default mappings match your existing books. Have the person responsible for the general ledger review wages, employer taxes, reimbursements, benefit liabilities, deductions, and clearing accounts.
QuickBooks Desktop
Gusto’s Desktop workflow allows you to:
Export a chart of accounts from QuickBooks Desktop
Upload the chart to Gusto
Map payroll categories
Download payroll data as an IIF file
Import the file into QuickBooks Desktop
Gusto lists Mac, Pro, Premier, and Enterprise among the editions that may work when the edition supports IIF imports.
This is a file-based workflow. QuickBooks Desktop does not automatically sync online in the same way as QuickBooks Online.
9. Reconcile the migration and preview payroll
Before submitting payroll, compare Gusto’s imported totals with the QuickBooks reports.
Review:
Gross and taxable wages
Federal, state, and local withholding
Social Security and Medicare wages and taxes
Federal and state unemployment wages
Pre-tax and post-tax deductions
Employer contributions
Reimbursements
Net pay
Quarter-to-date and year-to-date totals
Investigate every material difference before proceeding. Incorrect history can affect wage bases, tax deposits, deductions, and year-end reporting.
Preview the first Gusto payroll and compare it with a recent QuickBooks payroll register. Check each employee’s pay rate, hours, additional earnings, taxes, deductions, garnishments, PTO, payment method, and net pay.
Tell employees:
The first payday Gusto will process
When to expect a Gusto invitation
Where future paystubs and tax forms will appear
When their profile and direct-deposit details must be completed
Who to contact about an incorrect payroll record
After processing, confirm that employee payments arrived, payroll debits cleared, the accounting entry synced or imported correctly, and no employee was omitted or paid twice.
10. Cancel the correct QuickBooks payroll subscription
Do not use “after the first Gusto payroll” as the only rule for cancellation timing. Cancellation must be coordinated with the tax-filing handoff.
Before canceling:
Export all required payroll and tax records.
Complete the Gusto company setup.
Reconcile prior payroll history.
Confirm employee payment methods.
Verify the accounting mapping.
Document the first Gusto check date.
Confirm that Gusto will file the transition quarter.
Confirm that QuickBooks will not submit a duplicate quarterly or year-end filing.
For Intuit’s online payroll product, an authorized administrator can generally begin cancellation through:
Settings
Subscriptions and billing
Payroll
Cancel
Complete the cancellation form, follow the account-specific instructions, and retain the confirmation.
If Intuit still needs to debit or remit outstanding payroll tax liabilities, keep the linked business bank account open until those transactions are resolved.
Cancel only the payroll or Workforce employer subscription you are replacing. Do not cancel QuickBooks Online accounting when you intend to keep using it.
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted and other Desktop payroll subscriptions use separate termination paths. Review the product listed in your Intuit account and follow its product-specific instructions.
Related content: How to Cancel QuickBooks Payroll and Move Your Data to Gusto
Can you switch from QuickBooks Payroll to Gusto mid-year?
Yes. Gusto accepts supported current-year data from QuickBooks Online Payroll and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.
For a mid-year switch:
Import all prior employee payrolls for the year.
Include dismissed employees who received pay.
Report earlier contractor payments through the separate contractor process.
Supply documentation of tax payments already made.
Reconcile completed quarters and the current quarter.
Confirm that Gusto will file the quarter containing the first Gusto check date.
Tell the former provider not to issue duplicate year-end forms.
Recreate deductions, garnishments, benefits, and PTO settings.
Verify unemployment wage bases and state account information.
A quarter boundary may simplify the work, but it is not required.
What happens to QuickBooks data after the switch?
QuickBooks Online accounting
Your accounting records remain in the QuickBooks Online company when you retain that subscription. Future Gusto payroll journal entries can be posted to it through the integration.
Payroll cancellation and accounting cancellation are separate actions, but account structures and billing arrangements can vary. Review the product selected on the cancellation screen.
Online payroll and Workforce records
Export the records you need before cancellation rather than relying on future portal access. Access rules can change and may depend on the product, account status, and cancellation arrangement.
Save payroll reports, employee histories, tax forms, payment confirmations, contractor records, and deduction reports outside the platform.
QuickBooks Desktop records
Keep:
A working company-file backup
Required software and license information
Payroll reports
Tax forms
Payroll update and filing records
Credentials needed to access Intuit’s tax or subscription portals
Ending the Desktop payroll service does not necessarily have the same effect as ending access to the Desktop accounting file. Review both products separately.
Is Gusto better than QuickBooks Payroll?
The decision depends on the operating model your company prefers and the exact plans being compared.
Intuit’s 2026 QuickBooks Workforce rollout expanded its employer product beyond payroll to include varying combinations of time tracking, onboarding, benefits administration, recruiting, HR workflows, and performance tools. QuickBooks may remain a strong fit for organizations that want payroll and workforce management embedded in the Intuit accounting ecosystem.
Gusto may be a good fit for businesses that want to keep QuickBooks for accounting while running payroll and select workforce services through a separate, connected platform.
Compare:
Required payroll and tax services
HR and onboarding functions
Time and attendance
Benefits and retirement administration
Accounting and job-costing needs
Support model
Plan-level inclusions and add-ons
Migration and implementation requirements
Do not assume that a feature is included in every plan from either company.
Frequently asked questions
Does Gusto integrate with QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Gusto creates a payroll journal entry, pulls in the QuickBooks Online chart of accounts, and lets administrators map payroll categories. Historical payroll information must be transferred separately.
Can I keep QuickBooks Online after switching payroll to Gusto?
Yes. You can keep QuickBooks Online for accounting and cancel only the payroll subscription you are replacing. Review the cancellation screen carefully before submitting it.
Which QuickBooks reports does Gusto accept?
For the online payroll product, Gusto accepts Employee Details as a PDF and Payroll Summary by Employee as a CSV. For QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, the process uses a customized employee report and a Payroll Summary exported as a CSV or Excel file.
Does the employee's direct-deposit information transfer?
Do not assume that it does. Have employees enter or verify their bank information in Gusto and complete any required verification before the first payroll submission deadline.
Who files payroll taxes after a mid-year switch?
The previous provider generally files completed quarters. Under Gusto’s switching process, Gusto files the quarter that contains the first Gusto check date and the subsequent quarters. Confirm the account-specific handoff with both providers.
Who prepares W-2s after switching to Gusto?
Gusto states that it prepares the year-end forms when complete prior payroll information is provided. Make sure the former provider is not scheduled to issue year-end forms as well.
Does Gusto support QuickBooks Desktop?
Gusto can generate an IIF payroll file for import into QuickBooks Desktop editions that support IIF imports. Unlike the QuickBooks Online connection, the Desktop workflow requires exporting and importing a file.
When should I cancel QuickBooks Payroll?
Cancel after exporting records, completing and reviewing the Gusto setup, and documenting the tax handoff. Do not leave both providers assigned to file the same transition quarter.
