Entering Time in QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks is the industry standard for small business accounting, but its payroll function has a specific requirement: Decimal Time. You cannot enter standard "Clock Time" (Hours:Minutes) into the 'Single Time Activity' or 'Weekly Timesheet' fields.
The "2-Decimal" Rule
QuickBooks typically rounds time to two decimal places. This calculator automatically rounds to the nearest hundredth to match QuickBooks' internal logic.
- Example: 10 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.16666...
- QB Entry: You should enter 0.17.
Common QuickBooks Conversions
If you are manually entering timesheets, keep this cheat sheet handy:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How do I enter minutes in QuickBooks Payroll?
QuickBooks requires time to be entered as a decimal. You cannot enter '7:30'; you must convert the 30 minutes to a decimal (.50) and enter '7.50'.
2. What is the formula to convert minutes for QuickBooks?
The formula is: Minutes divided by 60. For example, 10 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.166 (rounded to 0.17).
3. Does QuickBooks round decimal time?
Yes. QuickBooks Online typically rounds to two decimal places. Our calculator handles this rounding automatically for you.
4. Why does QuickBooks reject my CSV time upload?
This is a common error. If your Excel file uses colons (8:30), QuickBooks reads it as text or a date. You must convert it to a Number format (8.50) before uploading.
5. What is the difference between 8.30 and 8:30?
There is a huge difference. "8:30" is 8 hours and 30 minutes. "8.30" is 8 hours and 18 minutes. Entering 8.30 results in underpaying the employee.
6. Does this work for QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise?
Yes. All versions of QuickBooks (Pro, Premier, Enterprise, and Online) use the same base-100 decimal system for payroll time entry.
Disclaimer: MyShiftCalc is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Intuit Inc. (QuickBooks).