QuickBooks Manual Payroll Entry Setup

I need all of my payroll activity recorded in QuickBooks through manual journal entries rather than a full-service payroll add-on. For now the scope is limited to employee salaries and wages, so your task is to build clean, repeatable entries that hit the correct expense, liability, and bank accounts without touching bonuses, commissions, or withholding lines.

Here’s what success looks like for me:

• A reusable journal-entry template (Excel or Google Sheet is fine) showing the exact debits and credits for each pay run.
• The first set of entries posted in QuickBooks and tied back to the payroll register so I can see dollar-for-dollar accuracy.
• Clear, step-by-step notes inside QuickBooks (or a brief PDF) so I can post future periods on my own using the same method.

I already have the chart of accounts in place; you simply need to map the salary and wage figures, post the entry, and demonstrate the reconciliation to my bank clearing account. If you prefer QuickBooks Online Accountant tools or the classic desktop version, let me know—my file can be shared either way.

Once the initial template and walkthrough are done, I’ll review and sign off.