Understand how to add an EIN to an existing QuickBooks desktop Payroll account
Running payroll for more than one business under the same QuickBooks subscription is more common than you’d think especially for accountants managing multiple clients, or business owners who operate under more than one legal entity. The good news is that QuickBooks Desktop Payroll makes this possible by letting you add an additional EIN (Employer Identification Number) to your existing Basic, Standard, or Enhanced subscription, rather than having to purchase a separate plan altogether.
That said, the process isn’t always intuitive, and quite a few users get stuck somewhere along the way especially if they purchased their subscription directly from Intuit before setting up a payroll company file. This guide walks through the requirements, limitations, and exact steps to add an EIN to your existing payroll subscription, plus what to do if you run into the missing subscription number issue. If you’d rather have an expert handle the setup for you, our QuickBooks Payroll Support team is just a call away at +1-888-510-9198.
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Requirements and Limitations:
Before you start adding a new EIN, it’s worth understanding a few rules and restrictions that come with this process knowing them upfront will save you from running into errors later:
- The user will have to use the same registered copy of QuickBooks Desktop on the same machine, in order to process payroll for all companies on one payroll subscription.
- QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is programmed to support just one company data file per EIN. If you try to use more than one company files under the same EIN and payroll subscription, you may encounter errors.
- The contact details and QuickBooks Desktop payroll administrator for the payroll subscription will be the same for all companies that you add to a single subscription.
- If you use Direct Deposit (DD) to pay your employees, you can choose to have several companies (separate data files with different EINs) with Direct debit on the same DIY Payroll subscription.
- Each QB Desktop Payroll service can add a limited number of companies to a single subscription. Please note that the limit does not depend on number of employees but company data files.
- If the user is an Enhanced Payroll for Accountants license owner, then it is recommended not to give service keys to the clients. This might expose the payroll subscription account to unauthorized users.
| Service | Maximum number of EINs |
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic | 3 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Standard | 3 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced | 3 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced for Accountants | 50 |
| QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted | Each EIN is charged separately. Discounts apply for multiple companies |
Steps to add an EIN or another organization to your subscription
With the requirements out of the way, here’s exactly how to add the EIN to your existing subscription, step by step:
- Choose the “Employees” menu.
- And then Go to “Payroll” option.
- Select “Use My Existing Payroll Service” from the top menu bar.
- In Account Maintenance window, choose “Add File“.
- Choose the “Add to Subscription Number” XXXXXXXXXX-(SUBSCRIPTION NAME) radio button.
- Put in your information that includes of Zip code and select other “I have an existing subscription if you do not see your own subscription in the list.”
- If the radio button (Add to Subscription Number XXXXXXXXXX-(SUBSCRIPTION NAME) is not available, that means the payroll service has already been authenticated in the company file.
- You can move the EIN to your existing subscription, if you have a service key in the file and you wish to “add the EIN” in your existing subscription (you can contact us if you face an issue).
- Tap on “Next” button.
- Click next again to add the company EIN at no extra fee when the “Review Information” window appears.
- Select “Print”, or go back to QuickBooks. You will find a payroll subscription window open to validate and the service is added automatically.
- Verify the “Service Key” now.
- Click on “Employees” section
- And go to “My Payroll Service” option
- From the top menu bar, select “Manage Service Key” opt.
- Tap on “View “and it will open up the new service key with an Active Status.
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Important: You will not find the payroll subscription number when you click “Use My Existing Payroll Service” if you bought a subscription directly from Intuit before creating a payroll company file.
If you face the mentioned issue, check the following solution
If you purchased your payroll subscription directly from Intuit before setting up a company file, you likely won’t see the subscription number when going through the steps above. Here’s the alternate path to follow in that case:
- Find the service key of the “EIN” that have to add.
- Use Intuit’s Automated Service Key or “Disk Delivery key” tool.
- Contact our QuickBooks experts if you need help.
- Provide the EIN to us, and we will provide you with a unique service key. (Please use the automated service key or disk delivery key tool, in case you receive updates by disk.)
- Click “Employees” section.
- Go to “Payroll” menu.
- Enter “Payroll Service Key” from the top menu bar.
- Tap on “Add” and put in the service key as one number without hyphens.
- Next, Click “Add” and put in your service key, in case the “company file” already has the payroll service key.
- Now Click on “Next” button.
- Click “Finish” button.
The payroll function will be activated once you follow the steps mentioned above. Also, a new Tax Table will be downloaded in the QuickBooks desktop company file.
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Author’s words!
Once you’ve added the EIN successfully, QuickBooks will automatically download a fresh tax table for the new company file, and your payroll function should be ready to use right away. The whole process really comes down to following the steps in order most users get it done within a few minutes once they know exactly where to click. If you’re running into the missing subscription number issue, or if anything about the service key activation isn’t going smoothly, our certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors are available at QuickBooks online support .i.e. +1-888-510-9198 to walk you through it or set it up on your behalf.
Our experts have the right tools, technology, and expertise to assist you with any QuickBooks related issue in the least possible time. Thanks for your valuable visit. You are always welcome here anytime soon.
FAQs Related to Adding EIN to QuickBooks Payroll
You can do this by:
1. Moving to the settings tab ⚙, and further click on payroll settings.
2. You now have to, choose edit tab ✎ in the federal tax.
3. Update the employer identification number.
4. And further click on save and done tabs respectively.
You can do this by performing the steps below:
1. Sign in to QuickBooks online.
2. Further, choose settings tab ⚙ and hit account and settings
3. You now have to choose billing and subscription tab.
4. Once done with that, ensure that your payment info is updated.
5. Moreover, in QuickBooks online payroll section, choose upgrade your plan or downgrade your plan.
Yes, all QuickBooks online payroll plans offer full-service payroll. This indicates that in addition to automated payroll, you will get full-service features. Automated taxes and forms: Federal state payroll taxes, including your year end fillings are calculated, filed and paid automatically.
For this:
1. You need to first sign in to your QuickBooks desktop company file as the primary admin or payroll admin.
2. Once done with that, choose employees, and then payroll center.
3. You now have to see which payroll service you are using under the subscription statuses in the payroll center.
Yes, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic supports up to 3 EINs on a single subscription, just like the Standard and Enhanced plans. The steps to add an EIN are the same across all three Basic, Standard, and Enhanced. If you need to add more than 3 EINs, you’ll need to either upgrade to Enhanced Payroll for Accountants (which supports up to 50 EINs) or consider the Assisted Payroll service, where each EIN is billed separately.
QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is designed to support only one company data file per EIN. If you attempt to run payroll for two separate company files using the same EIN and subscription, QuickBooks will likely throw an error or block the action altogether. Each EIN you add to your subscription should correspond to exactly one unique company file to avoid this conflict.
No, the contact details and payroll administrator associated with your subscription remain the same across all companies you add under it. This is actually one of the key limitations to be aware of every company file added to a single payroll subscription shares the same admin and contact information. If you need separate administrators for different companies, you’ll need separate payroll subscriptions instead of adding multiple EINs to one.
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