This article has been written for Australian users with System Administrator access to Deputy.
In Australia, QuickBooks uses a white-labelled version of KeyPay/Employment Hero to get timesheets from Deputy into QuickBooks. Note: Deputy users in the US should instead read Exporting to Intuit QuickBooks Online (US).
This guide will cover:
Configuring the QuickBooks Online connection
The tasks listed below will only need to be performed the first time you set up the integration. Once your QuickBooks Online connection to Deputy is set up you can then export timesheets as regularly as you require.
How to connect QuickBooks Online and Deputy
1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online account and click on the cog icon on the top right, then select Payroll settings.
2. Scroll down to select Integrations from the menu on the left-hand side.
3. Click Add for the Deputy integration
4. Click Connect to Deputy. You will be asked to enter your Deputy login credentials if you are not already logged into Deputy.
5. Once logged into your Deputy account, select the Deputy business you wish to connect to QuickBooks Online from the drop-down menu and click Allow access.
6. Your integration will now show as connected.
You can follow the link to import employees from Deputy into QuickBooks Online if you wish.
Match your location / business code
Using one location
If you are connecting just one Deputy location to QuickBooks Online you can use that location code in Deputy to map to QuickBooks Online.
1. In Deputy, go to Locations settings > General to check or edit your location code.
2. In QuickBooks Online click on the cog icon on the top right, then select Payroll settings.
3. On the Details page, scroll down to the bottom of the Business Details page.
4. Enter your Deputy Location code into the External ID field and then click Save.
Using multiple locations in Deputy
If you have multiple Deputy locations but want all the timesheets to come through as one business unit to QuickBooks, you can instead set a Business ID to override the location codes when exporting the timesheets to QuickBooks.
To do this you will need to enter a unique code in the QuickBooks Online External ID field.
1. In Payroll settings, on the Details page, scroll down to the bottom of the Business Details page and enter a unique text code of your choosing. In this example, 'SPARK was used'. Please take note of this code for later when you are ready to export timesheets.
2. When exporting timesheets from Deputy to QuickBooks Online, you will enter this exact code as a Business ID to override the location code for these timesheets.
Using Areas
If you have areas set up in Deputy, and want timesheets worked in those areas to map to the equivalent business unit (sub-location) in Quickbooks Online then you will need to ensure the Area/sub-location names match in Deputy and Quickbooks Online.
Note: Deputy does have an area export code field but in this instance, it is the area name that is used to match between the two systems
The area name used in Deputy should be unique for your business, do not use the same area name more than once across multiple locations in Deputy. If required, use a suffix e.g. "Kitchen AZU" if you want to use the area name 'Kitchen' in multiple locations. If you simply use "Kitchen" as an area name in multiple Deputy locations then when timesheets are exported from each of the Deputy locations, you will find they will be assigned to the first location in QuickBooks Online with that named area and not necessarily the correct location.
If you export a timesheet for an area that exists in Deputy that does not exist in Quickbooks Online (either because the sub-location isn't configured in Quickbooks Online or because it has a different spelling) then the timesheets will still export but to the general location in Employment Hero instead.
If the Deputy area name exactly matches a Quickbooks Online sub-location name, the timesheet will be allocated to the named Quickbooks Online sub-location.
Match your employees
Link your employees between Deputy and QuickBooks using a unique code for each employee that matches between the two systems. You can set this code to be anything you like as long as the two systems match.
It's also important to ensure your employees have the same email address recorded in each system.
Setting the employee's External ID in QuickBooks Online
1. In QuickBooks Online select Payroll from the menu on the left-hand side, then click on the name of the employee you wish to set an ID for.
2. In the Employee's details, scroll to the bottom of the page and enter a unique code in the External ID field then click Save.
Setting the employee's Payroll ID in Deputy
1. In Deputy, on the People tab click on the name of the employee you wish to add a Payroll ID for.
3. In the Pay details section, scroll down to enter the Payroll ID then click Save. Ensure the code you enter is the same as the code entered for this employee in QuickBooks.
Tip: Would you like to update lots of Deputy Payroll ID's at once? Read more about Bulk updating team member data.
Obtain your API Key
1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online account and click on the cog icon on the top right, then select Payroll settings.
2. Scroll down to the Advanced section to select My account from the menu on the left-hand side.
3. On the Account Details page, click on the Copy icon to copy the API key to the clipboard.
You will need this API key to export timesheets from Deputy. Once you have entered it the first time, Deputy will save it for the next export. You would only need to update the API Key in Deputy if the API Key in QuickBooks Online is changed.
Export timesheets from Deputy to QuickBooks Online
- Deputy customers on Enterprise plans may import their timesheets from Deputy into QuickBooks Online.
- Deputy customers on Premium or Timesheet only plans should follow the instructions below to export timesheets to QuickBooks Online.
Once you have approved your timesheets in Deputy, you are ready to export them to Quickbooks Online.
1. From the Export Timesheets page in Deputy select the required employee timesheets you wish to export then click on Export Selected Items.
2. From the drop-down menu select Employment Hero (Formerly KeyPay) then paste in your API Key.
It is optional to enter a code to override the Business ID. If you leave this field empty then the timesheets will be sent with your current Deputy location code so ensure this code matches with the External ID set in QuickBooks Online.
Click Export.
3. If the export was successful you will receive a message.
If you receive an error, use the message to troubleshoot the problem and check you have completed all the steps above correctly to configure the integration.
FAQs
Why do I need to use KeyPay/Employment Hero to export to QuickBooks?
For Australian customers, QuickBooks has advised Deputy that they re-use the KeyPay platform in order to get timesheets from Deputy for the purposes of payroll.
Can I set the External ID to be anything for employees in QuickBooks Online?
Yes, the External ID can be set to anything you like however it needs to be unique to the employee. This is typically an email or Payroll ID and you need to ensure it matches between both QuickBooks Online and Deputy.
Does the integration use Deputy pay rates and awards?
Not at this time. Award interpretation can be done on the KeyPay side. Please speak to QuickBooks for more information.
Where can I get more help?
You can read more about exporting timesheets from Deputy Premium or Deputy Enterprise plans or contact Deputy support for assistance.
Common QuickBooks errors
ERROR:
Upload Timesheet Request Failed: message= Throttle Exceeded; error code=003001;statuscode-429
This error message is encountered when trying to export to QuickBooks from Deputy. The root cause of this issue is due to the employees not having a specified Payroll ID or having an incorrect Payroll ID in their Deputy account.
SOLUTION:
In the employee's Deputy profiles, specify the employee's Payroll ID as their Deputy registered email address.
Note: the employee's email address should be the same as their registered email address in their QuickBooks profile. If not, the error below will be encountered.
ERROR:
Key does not match an external ID for any employee.
*Please note, this error message is for KeyPay export.
This error message is encountered when trying to export to KeyPay from Deputy. The root cause of this issue is due to the employees having different registered email address between their Deputy and KeyPay profile.
Please note, even when their Deputy Payroll ID and KeyPay Export ID match they will be receiving this error message if their email addresses do not match.
SOLUTION:
Make sure that the employee's email address between Deputy and KeyPay is the same.