Payroll Mate and QuickBooks Desktop / Online

Payroll Mate is purchased per calendar year. For example, if you buy the 2026 version, it will allow you to process payroll from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. This differs from QuickBooks Desktop payroll, which operates on a rolling year (e.g., if you buy it in April 2026, it is valid until April 2027). Furthermore, unlike QuickBooks Online—which charges a recurring monthly subscription fee plus an additional fee for every single employee—Payroll Mate charges a flat rate with no per-employee fees.

The base version of Payroll Mate supports processing payroll for up to 10 companies, with a maximum of 75 employees per company. If you are an accountant or a business with larger needs, you can purchase Payroll Mate Option #3 (Additional Companies & Employees), which expands your capacity significantly.

Staying desktop-based also keeps costs extremely low; instead of paying massive data hosting companies like Amazon AWS or Microsoft to host your data—and passing those high monthly costs onto you—Payroll Mate saves you money.

Furthermore, as long as you back up your data locally, you can always access your historical records even if you eventually stop using Payroll Mate. Please note that you will need to keep the computer with Payroll Mate installed healthy and running to access the program, and we cannot offer technical support once your software license has expired or you stop using the program.

Note: If you do want to share your database across multiple machines using a cloud drive like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, you can easily do so using Payroll Mate's network configuration options.

No. In recent years, Payroll Mate has grown extremely popular with QuickBooks users and is being highly recommended by many accountants to their clients following all the recent changes to QuickBooks. Because of this, some users get the impression that Payroll Mate is an add-on to QB. However, it is a complete, separate, stand-alone payroll software that is trusted by tens of thousands of businesses and tax professionals over two decades and is not specific to QuickBooks or exclusively for QB users. It offers the ability to export payroll checks to QuickBooks as journal entries, but anything related to processing payroll—such as printing checks, generating payroll reports, and printing tax forms—has to be done directly from inside Payroll Mate.

Yes! Payroll Mate includes a built-in "QuickBooks IIF" export tool. You can export your payroll checks as journal entries directly into QuickBooks Desktop.

Note: We also have a list of "Tips about exporting data to QuickBooks Desktop". Ask our team for this list if you decide to consider Payroll Mate!

▶ Watch Video Tutorial: How to Export to QuickBooks Desktop

While we do not have a specialized direct-sync API for QuickBooks Online, our customers easily integrate the two platforms by importing "Journal Entries" exported from Payroll Mate.

Step 1: Export your data from inside Payroll Mate
Use the "General Ledger" export tool to generate your entries. You will need to map the accounts just as you do with QB Desktop export (your accountant can help you with this). Then, export your file.
▶ Tutorial: How to Export a General Ledger Report
▶ View Screenshot: General Ledger Export Setting

Step 2: Import into QuickBooks Online (QBO)
Once exported, upload the file directly into your QuickBooks Online account.
▶ Intuit Guide: How to import your journal entries into QBO

To avoid manually re-typing your employee roster, you can easily export your employee list from QuickBooks Desktop into a spreadsheet, and then import that spreadsheet directly into Payroll Mate.

How to export your employee list from QuickBooks Desktop:
▶ Guide: How to Export Employees from QuickBooks Desktop

Once you have exported your spreadsheet, follow the import guide below:
▶ Tutorial: How to Import Employees from a Spreadsheet into Payroll Mate

Similar to the desktop version, you can export your roster from QuickBooks Online and import it directly into Payroll Mate to save time.

How to export your employee list from QuickBooks Online (QBO):

1. Log in to QBO and go to the Payroll (or Workers) tab, then select Employees.
2. Look for the Export icon (often an icon that looks like a page with an arrow pointing out, or "Export to Excel") at the top right of the employee list.
3. Click it to download the employee list (CSV or Excel) to your computer.

Once you have your spreadsheet, use Payroll Mate's import tool to bring the data in:
▶ Tutorial: How to Import Employees from a Spreadsheet into Payroll Mate

Yes (but please first download a demo to test since QB has many check layouts). We are referring here to pre-printed payroll checks that you put in your printer to print on. Payroll Mate utilizes a check layout that is very similar to QuickBooks: a check on the top, followed by a paystub in the middle, and a second paystub on the bottom. To be absolutely sure your current pre-printed check stock aligns properly, you can download a free demo of Payroll Mate and do a test print. Alternatively, we also sell guaranteed-compatible blank check stock directly.

Yes. By purchasing Option #2 (Direct Deposit), Payroll Mate will generate standard NACHA-formatted ACH files. You can then process this file directly with your bank or through a third-party processor like NatPay.
▶ Tutorial: How to Set Up Direct Deposit

Payroll Mate supports processing and printing the following IRS forms right from inside the software:

• Form 941: Employer's QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return
• Form 940: Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return
• Form 943: Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees
• Form 944: Employer's ANNUAL Federal Tax Return
• Form W-2: Wage and Tax Statement
• Form W-3: Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements

Note: In the base version, W-2 Copy A and W-3 forms must be printed on pre-printed red scannable forms. If you prefer to print these on standard blank white paper, you can purchase Option #1 (White Paper Printing) which is an SSA-approved substitute.

The base Payroll Mate software calculates state income tax withholding for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, where applicable.

Additionally, with Payroll Mate Option #5, the software generates state-specific tax forms for the following states:

• California: DE 9, DE 9C
• Texas: C-3, C-4
• New York: NYS-45
• Florida: RT-6
• Illinois: 941, UI-3/40

Payroll Mate does not access, connect to, or look at your bank account information. You own the software license and your local data, keeping your sensitive financial information completely private. Because we do not use automatic withdrawals or hold your funds, you retain full autonomy over your cash flow. Payroll Mate does not automatically process or pay your tax deposits; instead, you maintain manual control over your federal and state tax payments. This ensures that you decide exactly when and how your tax obligations are settled directly through your own banking institution.

You generate the "Deposit Requirement Report" inside Payroll Mate to calculate what is owed, and then use that data to make your payments manually through your state's tax website or the IRS EFTPS system.

▶ Tutorial: How to Run a Deposit Requirement Report

Yes. By adding the Vendor and 1099 Center (Option #6), you can issue payments to vendors and print 1099-MISC/1099-NEC forms at year-end. If you also have the Direct Deposit feature, you can pay your 1099 vendors via direct deposit as well.

▶ Tutorial: How to Pay a Vendor / Contractor

▶ Tutorial: How to Print Form 1099-NEC

Unlike rigid online systems that lock you into their built-in categories, Payroll Mate allows you to custom create income, tax, and deduction categories. You can set up and track mostly any kind of unique payroll scenario.

▶ Tutorial: How to Add an Income Category

▶ Tutorial: How to Create a Custom Tax

▶ Tutorial: How to Add a Deduction

Yes. Payroll Mate allows you to easily handle mixed compensation models within a single pay run. You can calculate and pay an employee a combination of salary and commission, or a salary and another custom income type, all on the exact same paycheck.

Furthermore, if you have hourly employees who get paid 2 or 3 different hourly rates depending on the kind of tasks they do, Payroll Mate flawlessly accommodates this. Because the software allows you to create custom income types, you can quickly define different categories for each job rate and apply them to the same employee during the same payroll run.

Yes. To import hours directly from your time clock or timesheet software, you will need to purchase Payroll Mate Option #3 (Additional Companies & Employees + Timesheet Import + Department Support).

▶ Tutorial: How to Import Timesheet Data

Absolutely. You can start using Payroll Mate at any time during the calendar year. You can enter the year-to-date (YTD) historical totals for your employees so that your end-of-year tax forms and W-2s are perfectly accurate.

▶ Tutorial: How to Enter YTD for Hourly Employees

▶ Tutorial: How to Enter YTD for Salary Employees

We highly recommend it! You can download a free, no-questions-asked demo of Payroll Mate. We do not ask for any information when you download it. You can set up a couple of employees and try running a payroll to ensure it fits your needs before buying.

▶ Download the Free Payroll Mate Demo

If you have to e-file your W-2s directly to the Social Security Administration, you can purchase the Payroll Mate SSA Wage File Export Optional Feature. This feature automatically generates the properly formatted file required for electronic uploading to the SSA.

▶ Tutorial: How to E-file W-2 Forms with the SSA Using Payroll Mate

Sharing your payroll records with your CPA or accountant is incredibly easy. You can simply export and send them the Employee Earnings Total Report, the Taxes & Deductions Report, and the State Taxes Report. Together, these reports give your accountant a complete, comprehensive picture of your payroll.

Alternatively, because Payroll Mate is so popular, it's very likely your accountant already has a copy. You can simply send them a backup file of your company data for them to open. If they do not already own the software, since it is highly affordable, they can easily purchase a copy to smoothly share data with you.

Technical support for Payroll Mate is provided via email and live chat. We handle support through these channels rather than by phone because it is much easier and faster to explain technical details, exchange step-by-step instructions, and share screenshots to solve any issues you might encounter.

• ▶ Start a Live Chat
• ▶ Email Support (support@realtaxtools.com)

Yes! We have thousands of satisfied customers nationwide. We encourage you to read what real users have to say about their experience with Payroll Mate:

• ▶ Read Payroll Mate Reviews on Capterra
• ▶ Read Customer Testimonials on our Website

Additionally, you can search independent community discussions to see how other business owners and accountants compare Payroll Mate to other software providers:

• ▶ Search Reddit for discussions about Payroll Mate
• ▶ Search QuickBooks Forums for Payroll Mate integration experiences

The overwhelming majority of users only need the features included in the base Payroll Mate software. By offering advanced capabilities (like Direct Deposit or MICR check printing) as optional add-ons, users aren't forced to pay for features they don't need. You simply buy the base software and build on it a la carte with the specific features your business requires.

▶ View Pricing for Payroll Mate Optional Features

We maintain extensive libraries of step-by-step guides, screenshots, and videos to help you master Payroll Mate. Browse our full tutorial collections here:

• ▶ RealTaxTools Payroll Tutorials Library
• ▶ PayrollTutorials.com Video & Guide Directory