Quick answer

QuickBooks Time setup runs in a fixed order: create the account and choose Premium or Elite, set your company time zone and week start, add jobs and customers, then invite team members and connect payroll. Most small teams finish the core setup in under an hour. Connect QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop payroll last, after approved timesheets are already flowing, so you never export mismatched hours.

What QuickBooks Time setup involves

QuickBooks Time is the time tracking product formerly called TSheets. Admins sign in to the web dashboard at app.tsheets.com to manage settings, schedules, and timesheets, while workers track time in the mobile app now named QuickBooks Workforce. If someone searches for a "QuickBooks Time app," the store listing may show QuickBooks Workforce instead — that is the correct companion app.

There are two plans, Premium and Elite. Scheduling is included in both, while Elite adds geofencing, mileage tracking, timesheet signatures, and project tools. QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite include time tracking; otherwise QuickBooks Time is a separate subscription that starts with a 30-day trial.

Intuit is moving QuickBooks Time settings into QuickBooks Online under Settings → Account and settings → Time. Many options still live in QuickBooks Time under Company Settings, and both write to the same account, so an edit made in the wrong console can look like it did not save.

Common setup mistakes to avoid

  1. Connecting payroll before the week start matches. If the first day of the work week differs between QuickBooks Time and your payroll product, exported hours land on the wrong days.
  2. Inviting workers before jobs and customers exist. A team member cannot clock in to a scheduled shift in the Workforce app until a job or customer is attached to it.
  3. Setting the wrong time zone. One wrong time zone shifts every punch, creates overtime errors, and is hard to unwind after a pay run.
  4. Leaving mobile time entry off. Workers get a "mobile time entry restricted" error until an admin turns the permission on for them.
  5. Skipping the approvals add-on. Without it, nobody submits or approves timesheets, and hours can reach payroll unreviewed.

Before you begin

  • You need admin access to the QuickBooks Time account and Primary Admin rights in QuickBooks Online if you plan to integrate the two.
  • For a QuickBooks Desktop connection, work on the computer that will run the sync and sign in to the company file as admin in single-user mode.
  • Decide your plan, time zone, work week start day, and whether location tracking is required. Write all four down before you open any settings screen.
  • New accounts start with a 30-day trial. Your first administrator is included in the base fee; each additional worker adds a monthly charge to the subscription.
  • Set aside 30–60 minutes for the core setup and another 20 minutes to test the payroll connection end to end.

Tip. Mismatched week start days cause most "wrong hours" reports after a new setup. Confirm the setting in both QuickBooks Time and your payroll product before you export a single timesheet.

How to set up QuickBooks Time

1

Create the account and choose a plan

Create your Intuit account from the QuickBooks Time pricing page and pick Premium or Elite for the trial, then confirm your company details and time zone. The first administrator (you) is included in the base fee; add workers after the settings are correct. If you already use QuickBooks Online, you can also start from the QuickBooks Time listing at Apps.com.

Your first sign-in details and the difference between the admin dashboard and the worker app are covered in the QuickBooks Time login guide.

2

Configure company settings

Open Company Settings in QuickBooks Time, or Settings → Account and settings → Time in QuickBooks Online. Under Date & Time, set the company time zone and the first day of the work week. Under Time Entry, decide whether team members manage their own timesheets, whether they can track time on the mobile app, and whether timesheets split at midnight. Save after each change.

3

Add admins, managers, and team members

Go to My Team, then Add team members. Use Add manually to create a person with a role — Administrator, Worker, or Payroll Manager — or Send invitations to email or text everyone who already has contact details on file. A team member must be invited before they can sign in and set up their account. Open any team member and use the Permissions tab to grant extras such as mobile time entry.

4

Add jobs and customers, then assign them

Create the jobs or customers your team clocks in to, or import them from software you already use such as QuickBooks Desktop, Gusto, ADP RUN, or Xero. If you will connect QuickBooks, most of this list imports automatically, so add only what you need right now. Assign jobs to the correct team members, because unassigned jobs stay hidden in the Workforce app and cannot be used for a scheduled shift.

5

Build and publish the first schedule

Open Schedule and select a cell, or choose Actions, then Add Shift. Set the start date and times, add team members, and attach a job or customer so workers can clock in to the shift from the app. Choose Save Draft to keep it private or Publish to send it to the assigned team. After publishing, use Copy Previous Week for recurring schedules instead of rebuilding every shift.

6

Turn on timesheet submission and approvals

Go to Feature Add-ons, then Manage Add-ons, and install Approvals. In the Approvals Preferences window, set the General options and, if you want them, the submission and approval reminders on the Notifications tab. Installing the add-on turns on team member submissions, manager approvals, and reminders together. From this point on, workers submit their weeks and an admin or manager approves them before payroll.

Connecting QuickBooks replaces lists. The first sync imports your QuickBooks customers, jobs, service items, classes, and payroll items. Jobs or customers you created inside QuickBooks Time before the integration are removed from the app (tracked time is not deleted), and existing team members can be archived if you confirm the delete step. Review and export your current lists before you connect.

7

Connect QuickBooks Online payroll

In QuickBooks Time, open Feature Add-ons, then Manage Add-ons, find QuickBooks Online Integration, and select Install. Select Connect to QuickBooks, sign in, choose the company, and authorize. In the Preferences window, choose what to import, enter the confirmation word, and set the date before which time should not export. If you run payroll in QuickBooks Online, check Use QuickBooks Online for payroll and verify that payroll items map to the correct time types. QuickBooks imports changes automatically about every minute.

For a deeper walkthrough of the payroll side, see QuickBooks Time payroll sync and the QuickBooks Online setup guide.

8

Connect QuickBooks Desktop payroll

In the US, QuickBooks Desktop 2021 and later use the direct integration. Older versions and some Enterprise setups need the Web Connector method. Before you connect, open the company file as admin in single-user mode, turn on time tracking and Full payroll under Edit → Preferences, and match the week start day to QuickBooks Time. Give every employee a payroll item and turn on Use time data to create paychecks.

Then install the QuickBooks Desktop Integration add-on in QuickBooks Time and download the .qwc file. Enter the four-digit password shown in QuickBooks Time into the Web Connector, check the QuickBooks Time application, and run Update Selected. Only approved time exports to QuickBooks Desktop. Map payroll items when the Congratulations window appears.

9

Install the Workforce app and run a test shift

Ask one worker to install QuickBooks Workforce from the App Store or Google Play, accept the invitation, sign in, and clock in. The app can clock in without Wi-Fi or cell service, and the punch uploads when the phone reconnects. Confirm the shift appears on the web dashboard before you roll the app out to everyone. If a worker sees clock-in or sync errors, work through the QuickBooks Time app troubleshooting guide before the first live shift.

First-week checklist

  • Confirm the week start day and pay period match between QuickBooks Time and payroll.
  • Invite every worker and confirm each one signs in successfully.
  • Have every worker clock in and out once, then correct any permission or location errors the same day.
  • Submit and approve one full timesheet from start to finish.
  • Export the approved hours to payroll and check the time types and payroll items before running payroll.
  • Open Time Entries, then the Timesheet log, for one worker and confirm punches, notes, and edits recorded correctly.

Verify the setup works

  1. Sign in to the web dashboard and confirm the approved hours match the app.
  2. In QuickBooks Online, open the time activity list or start payroll and confirm the hours and pay types match.
  3. In QuickBooks Desktop, run the Web Connector sync and check the weekly timesheet for the exported approved hours.
  4. Have a second worker clock in from a different phone to confirm permissions and jobs are visible to the whole team.

If hours do not reach payroll

Most export failures come from unmapped payroll items, unapproved timesheets, or a stale Web Connector session. Confirm the timesheet is approved, then remap the payroll items and run the sync again. In QuickBooks Online, read the integration sync log for the exact error; in Desktop, open the Web Connector and read the last result. If the online side is the problem, work through QuickBooks Online integrations not syncing.

Keeping the account clean

  • Archive team members who leave instead of deleting their history; archived timesheets stay readable in reports.
  • Grant the minimum permissions each person needs and review admin access twice a year.
  • Review the System Log monthly. It records sign-ins, punches, edits, and add-on installs for the past 90 days and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Frequently asked questions

Is TSheets the same as QuickBooks Time?

Yes. Intuit rebranded TSheets as QuickBooks Time, and the mobile app is now called QuickBooks Workforce. The underlying account, data, and login are the same, and the old TSheets help content now lives in Intuit's QuickBooks support site.

Do I need QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Time?

No. QuickBooks Time works as a standalone time tracking subscription and integrates with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Payroll, QuickBooks Desktop, and more than 50 other accounting and payroll apps. You only need QuickBooks Online if you want the two-way customer, job, and payroll item sync.

Is QuickBooks Time included with QuickBooks Online Payroll?

Time tracking is included with QuickBooks Online Payroll Premium and Elite and with the QuickBooks Workforce Premium and Elite bundles. On other payroll plans, QuickBooks Time is a separate subscription with its own 30-day trial and per-worker monthly fee.

Can I import employees from QuickBooks Desktop?

Yes. Go to My Team, select Add team members, then Import from software, and choose QuickBooks Desktop. QuickBooks Time also imports from ADP RUN, Gusto, and Xero, or from a CSV spreadsheet for bulk edits.

What if a worker cannot clock in on the app?

The most common cause is the mobile time entry permission. An admin opens the web dashboard, goes to My Team, opens the worker, selects Permissions, and turns on Mobile time entry. If location is required, the worker also needs full location permissions on the phone. The app troubleshooting guide lists the remaining causes in order.

Sources & further reading