Payroll liability accounts in QBO must be set up as Other Current Liabilities — not as expenses, and not as long-term liabilities. Here's the step-by-step setup for each account you'll need.
Step-by-step: creating a payroll liability account in QBO
- Go to Settings (⚙️) > Chart of Accounts
- Click New
- Account Type: Other Current Liabilities
- Detail Type: Payroll Tax Payable (for tax accounts) or Other Current Liabilities (for benefit accounts)
- Name the account (see list below)
- Click Save and Close
Accounts to create
- Federal Income Tax Payable
- Employee Social Security Payable
- Employee Medicare Payable
- Employer Social Security Payable
- Employer Medicare Payable
- State Income Tax Payable (one per state if multi-state)
- FUTA Payable
- SUTA Payable (one per state)
- Health Insurance Payable
- 401(k) Payable
- Net Payroll Payable
How they appear on financial statements
All payroll liability accounts appear under Current Liabilities on the QBO balance sheet. After each pay run, these balances increase. When you make tax deposits and benefit payments, they decrease to zero.
Common mistake: using wrong account type
If you accidentally create payroll liabilities as Expense accounts, they'll flow to your income statement instead of the balance sheet — making your financials incorrect. Always use Other Current Liabilities.
PostBooks maps to whatever accounts you've configured in QBO. Try it free.