QuickBooks and APlus: How We Take the Headache Out of Your GL

If your business runs QuickBooks for accounting and another program for payroll, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question at the end of every pay cycle: how do I get what just happened in payroll into my books without manually entering every line? That’s a fair question. And it’s one we’ve been answering for clients for years. Here’s how we do it — and more importantly, what it means for you on payday.

The APlus Approach: We Build It, You Post It

APlus doesn’t just run your payroll inside UKG Ready — we customize the system to fit your business. That customization includes configuring your General Ledger export exactly the way your accountant needs it.

After every payroll run, we generate a GL export file. Our team configures that export so it maps your payroll data — wages, taxes, deductions, employer contributions — to the exact account numbers in your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts.

What you receive from us is a clean, ready-to-enter GL summary. Your job is simple: open QuickBooks, enter the journal entry, done. No digging through payroll reports. No translating codes. No guessing which account is which.

What’s Actually in Your GL Entry

Every GL entry we prepare for you after a payroll run will include:

  • Gross wages: Total compensation earned by your employees, broken out by department or cost center if applicable.
  • Employee tax withholdings: Federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare — the amounts withheld from employee paychecks.
  • Employer tax contributions: Your share of Social Security, Medicare (FICA match), FUTA, and SUTA.
  • Voluntary deductions: Health insurance premiums, 401(k) contributions, garnishments, and any other benefit deductions.
  • Net pay: The total amount funded to your payroll bank account or clearing account.

A note on account mapping: The GL entry only works correctly if your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts is set up to receive it. When we onboard a new client, part of our setup process is working with you (and your accountant if needed) to confirm the right account numbers for each payroll category. That’s a one-time conversation that makes every future payroll run seamless.

How It Works in Practice

Here’s what the process looks like from your side every pay period:

  1. Payroll runs in our system. We process your payroll, review it for accuracy, and finalize the run.
  2. We generate your GL entry. We produce a GL export based on the configuration we’ve set up for your account. We review it and prepare it in a format you can work with.
  3. You receive your GL summary. We send you the entry details — typically as a simple document or spreadsheet — showing each debit and credit, the account numbers, and the amounts.
  4. You post — or import — into QuickBooks. Here’s where it gets even better: We can export GL reports in file formats that import directly into QuickBooks Online — meaning instead of manually keying each line, you may be able to import the file with a few clicks. Note: the direct import option is currently available in most states, but clients based in Missouri will need to key the journal entry manually for now. Either way, we’ll provide the GL summary in whatever format works best for how you run your books.
  5. Done. Your books reflect your payroll.

What you don’t have to do: You don’t need to log in to our system to pull reports. You don’t need to understand GL mapping or payroll coding. You don’t need to figure out which numbers go where. We handle all of that. You just post the entry.

Entering the Journal Entry in QuickBooks: A Quick Walkthrough

For clients who are new to posting journal entries in QuickBooks Online, here’s the basic process. It takes about two minutes once you’ve done it once.

  1. Log in to QuickBooks Online.
  2. Click the “+ New” button in the upper left corner.
  3. Under “Other,” select Journal Entry.
  4. Set the Journal Date to match the payroll pay date.
  5. Enter each line of the GL summary we’ve provided — account number, description, and debit or credit amount.
  6. Verify that total debits equal total credits. (They will, if you’ve entered everything correctly.)
  7. Add a memo such as “Payroll – [Pay Period End Date]” in the description field.
  8. Click Save and close.

APlus Tip: Keep a copy of each GL entry we send you and file it with your payroll records for that period. If your accountant ever has a question about a specific pay cycle, having the GL entry and the payroll register together makes reconciliation straightforward.

Common Questions

Do I need to give APlus access to my QuickBooks account? No. Your QuickBooks account stays entirely in your hands. We work on our side to configure and generate the GL export. What we send you is just data — you control what gets posted to your books.

What if my accountant wants to adjust the account mapping? Easy. Just let us know. We’ll update the GL configuration in our system to match whatever your accountant needs. This is one of the advantages of having a dedicated team managing your setup — changes like this take us minutes, not a project plan.

What if I run payroll for multiple departments or locations? Our system supports department-level and cost-center-level GL segmentation. If you need wages for your warehouse team posted separately from your administrative team, we can configure that. Just tell us how you want your labor costs broken out and we’ll set it up.

What if I use QuickBooks Desktop instead of QuickBooks Online? The GL entry process works the same way regardless of which version of QuickBooks you use. The journal entry format is standard — debits, credits, account numbers, amounts. We’ll provide the same summary and you’ll post it in whichever version you’re running.

I’m based in Missouri — does the import option work for me? Not yet. Clients based in Missouri will need to key the journal entry manually in QuickBooks for now rather than using the direct import option. The good news: the GL summary we send you is formatted to make that as straightforward as possible — every line is labeled, every account number is included, and the debits and credits are clearly laid out. It takes just a few minutes once you’ve done it once. We’re keeping a close eye on availability in Missouri and will let you know as soon as that changes.

Can my accountant receive the GL entry directly? Absolutely. If you’d prefer us to send the GL summary straight to your accountant or bookkeeper each pay period, just give us their contact information and we’ll add them to the distribution. Some of our clients have us send it directly to their CPA firm — payroll closes and their books are updated without them lifting a finger.=

Payroll and Accounting are two systems that have to talk to each other. They’re just rarely set up that way out of the box. Our job is to bridge that gap for you — so your books stay accurate, your accountant stays happy, and your Friday afternoons stop involving data entry.

“We don’t just process your payroll. We make sure it lands correctly on both sides of the ledger.”

If you have questions about your current GL setup, want to change how your entries are structured, or just want to understand what’s actually in that journal entry we send you contact your CSS. We’ll walk you through it. If you’re new to APlus, welcome, and contact us here.

This blog does not constitute formal Accounting or legal advice and does not address all state or local laws.