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Add an employee (with their W-4 and state withholding)

One form covers pay setup, the federal W-4, and state withholding; SSN and bank details go in an encrypted section right after you save.

1. Open the Employees tabGo to Admin → Books & Payroll, then click the Employees tab. Click "+ Add employee," or click an existing employee's name to edit them.
2. Name, role, and classificationEnter the name and an optional Role / title. Leave Classification on "W-2" for a regular payroll employee — switching to "1099 (contractor)" hides the W-4 and state withholding fields, since contractors fill out a W-9 instead.
3. Work stateSet Work state to NC or VA. This decides which state's income-tax withholding applies to their paychecks.
4. Pay type and rateChoose hourly or salary. Fill in Hourly rate ($/hr) or Annual salary ($/yr). Type dollar amounts as plain numbers like 25.00 — the form handles the cents. There's also a Commission ($ / billable hr) field if you pay commission on top; leave it blank if not.
5. Pay frequencySet Pay frequency to how often you actually run payroll: 52 — weekly, 26 — biweekly, 24 — semimonthly, or 12 — monthly.
6. Federal W-4: filing status and Step 2Under "Federal W-4," copy the Filing status from the W-4 the employee handed you. Check "W-4 Step 2 box checked (multiple jobs)" only if they checked that box on their form.
7. Federal W-4: the dollar boxesStep 3 — dependents: copy the dollar amount from Step 3 of their W-4. Step 4a — other income and Step 4b — deductions: copy those lines if filled. Step 4c — extra w/h: any extra flat amount they asked to have withheld each check. If they left a line blank, leave the matching box blank here too.
8. State withholdingSet the state Filing status and enter Allowances from the employee's state withholding form. Virginia employees also get an Additional exemptions (VA) field from the VA-4.
9. Save the basicsClick "Add employee." The form reopens in edit mode so you can immediately add their sensitive data and PTO.
10. SSN and bank detailsIn the "Sensitive data (SSN · DOB · bank)" card, enter the SSN, date of birth, and — for direct deposit — bank routing, account, and account type, then click "Save sensitive data." These are encrypted at rest; afterward only the last 4 digits ever show.
11. Overtime exemption, hire date, PTOCheck "Overtime-exempt (agricultural — FLSA §13(b)(12))" for farm workers exempt from federal overtime. Fill in Hire date and, if you offer paid time off, the PTO accrual (hrs / pay period).