QuickBooks Payroll Inputs Checklist for a VA

Assemble inputs around a specific payroll run

A payroll input packet should tell the authorized reviewer what has arrived, what is missing and what changed since the previous version. It should not leave the reviewer reconstructing a run from scattered messages. The assistant organizes the material and follows the documented preparation scope; approval and release remain with the authorized payroll reviewer.

Start with the pay period, planned pay date, input cutoff and named reviewer. Confirm the approved source for each kind of input and the location where sensitive records belong. Do not request payroll details through an unapproved channel merely to speed up collection.

Check the source and approval for each input

Separate a received document from an approved instruction. A manager's timesheet, an employee's question and a confirmed pay change are different records. Preserve those distinctions in the queue so an unreviewed request cannot appear ready for processing.

Time records

Collect The correct period, employee reference and approved source record.

Flag Missing approval, conflicting versions or unexplained gaps for the designated reviewer.

Personnel changes

Collect Authorized new-hire, departure or role-change documentation and its effective date.

Flag Incomplete instructions or dates that conflict with the scheduled run.

Pay and deduction changes

Collect The approved instruction and the run to which it applies.

Flag An informal request without approval; do not infer an amount or treatment.

Reimbursements

Collect The supporting record and approval required by the employer's process.

Flag Missing support or a question about how the item should be handled.

Late information

Collect The arrival time, source, affected person and prior packet version.

Flag Ask the authorized reviewer how to handle the change after cutoff.

Example: a revised timesheet arrives after handoff

The assistant has already delivered the input packet when a supervisor sends a revised record. Keep the earlier packet intact. Record which input changed, who supplied the replacement and whether the required approval is present. Notify the reviewer using the agreed escalation channel.

The reviewer decides how the late input affects the run. If an updated packet is requested, give it a new version and a short change note. Do not silently replace the original attachment or assume that an email sent after cutoff has been accepted.

Make the handoff easy to review

Put a short status summary at the front: scope, version, completed collections and open questions. Link each exception to the source and the person responsible for resolving it. Keep sensitive details out of broad distribution lists; use the approved restricted workspace for the underlying records.

Check that every requested input has an explicit state. “No change confirmed” is different from “no response received.” Where a record is unavailable, say so and route the gap rather than filling it from a previous period without instruction.

Preserve the decision and outcome

After review, retain the approved packet version and the reviewer's instructions. Record unresolved inputs and the next action separately from the completed handoff. Do not label a payroll run approved or paid based only on the assistant's preparation being finished.

For a recurring preparation role, define collection sources, cutoff handling and escalation responsibilities with payroll support. The off-cycle input packet guide covers a separate handoff when the reviewer requests work outside the regular schedule.