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QuickBooks connects to Visualcare through the KeyPay API, the same connection method used by Employment Hero Payroll and Pay Cat. Once connected, you sync employees and pay items from QuickBooks into VCore, then export completed timesheets and kilometre data directly from Visualcare at the end of each pay run.

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Linking VCore to QuickBooks

1

Get your API key from QuickBooks

Log into your QuickBooks payroll account, go to Account Settings → My Account, and locate the API Key field. Click Copy.
If you’re unsure where to find your API key, check with your QuickBooks administrator or contact QuickBooks support.
2

Open data export settings in Visualcare

In VCore, click the Settings icon in the top right, then go to Settings → Data Export.
3

Connect your QuickBooks API key

Click KeyPay Connection. In the pop-up that appears, paste the API key you copied from QuickBooks and click Connect.A success message confirms the connection, and your QuickBooks company file name appears on the page.
To verify the connection, refresh the page and click KeyPay Connection again. You should see your company name and a connected status. If the field is blank, the API key wasn’t copied correctly. Try copying it from QuickBooks again.

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Syncing data from QuickBooks

Once connected, pull your QuickBooks data into Visualcare from Settings → Data Export. Scroll to the KeyPay section and click each of the following:
  • Sync Employees
  • Sync KeyPay Pay Items
  • Sync Tax Rates
  • Sync Expense Categories
This brings across employee records, pay items, and other data from QuickBooks so they’re available for mapping in Visualcare.

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Set the accounting code on each worker profile

Before your first export, you need to link each Visualcare worker to their matching employee record in QuickBooks.
1

Open the worker profile

Go to Workers → Profile and open a worker’s record.
2

Set the accounting code

Click the Finance tab, scroll to the bottom, and find the Accounting Code field. Click the drop-down - this lists all employees synced from QuickBooks. Select the matching employee name and click Save.
3

Repeat for all active workers

Complete this for every active worker before running your first export.
Any worker without an accounting code set returns an “invalid worker accounting code” error at export time. If you see this error, click the hyperlink on the error message. It takes you directly to that worker’s profile to fix it.
This mapping is permanent and doesn’t need to be redone each pay run. You only need to update it if an employee record changes in QuickBooks in a way that breaks the link.

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Configuring work types and allowances

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Set allowance codes for services with special conditions

Some services, such as sleepover shifts, need to be tagged with a work type so the correct award conditions apply on export.
1

Find the work type external ID in QuickBooks

Go to Settings → Data Export, scroll to the KeyPay section, and click the blue arrow next to KeyPay Work Types. Locate the relevant work type and copy its External ID.
2

Add the allowance code to the service

Go to Maintenance → Services, open the relevant service, paste the External ID into the Allowance Code field, and click Save.
This is a one-time setup per service. Check which of your services have special award conditions - for most providers this applies to sleepover shifts.

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Set the kilometre pay code

If your workers are paid for kilometres travelled, you need to set a pay code so kilometre data exports correctly.
1

Open Finance settings

Go to Settings → Finance.
2

Set the kilometres pay code

Find the Kilometres section and paste the External ID for the kilometre allowance work type from QuickBooks into the Pay Code field.To find the kilometre allowance External ID, go to Data Export → KeyPay Work Types and search for “kilometre”.
3

Configure kilometres between shifts (if applicable)

If your organisation pays workers for kilometres between shifts (provider travel), set the pay code for that as well.
Kilometres export as a separate step to timesheets. After exporting timesheets, go back and run Export KM to KeyPay as a second export. This step is easy to miss.

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Setting the timesheet approval preference

On the Data Export page, there’s a setting for whether timesheets arrive in QuickBooks as draft or auto-approved. Starting with draft is the safer option. Once you’ve confirmed the data looks correct across a few pay runs, you can switch to auto-approve if you prefer. This setting only affects how timesheets land in QuickBooks. It doesn’t trigger a pay run automatically.

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Exporting timesheets to QuickBooks

1

Open data export

Go to Timesheets → Data Export.
2

Select the period

Select the pay period to export and click Reload.
3

Select items for export

Apply any required column filters, then tick to select all items.
4

Export to QuickBooks

Go to Export timesheets and select Export to KeyPay.
5

Review and process

A summary window opens and highlights any items that won’t export successfully. Review these, then click Process Export to send the payroll data to QuickBooks.

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Location tagging (optional)

QuickBooks locations let you tag payroll data by participant or area, which helps with cost tracking in your payroll reports. This is optional. Only configure it if you want cost tracking by location. When exporting timesheets, Visualcare tags each shift with a location value pulled from a field on the roster. The available mapping options are:
The text in the Visualcare field must exactly match the corresponding location name in QuickBooks. For example, if the QuickBooks location is called “North Coast”, the value in the mapped Visualcare field also needs to be “North Coast”. If these don’t match, the location won’t flow through on export.
To set up location tagging:
  1. Go to Settings → Data Export
  2. Scroll to the KeyPay section and find the KeyPay Locations drop-down
  3. Select the Visualcare field that best matches how your locations are structured in QuickBooks

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Running into issues?

See Integration troubleshooting for common errors and fixes.

KeyPay integration

Connect Visualcare to KeyPay for payroll export

Pay Cat integration

Connect Visualcare to Pay Cat for award interpretation and payroll

Exporting payroll data

Export timesheet data to your payroll software

Supported integrations

Full list of integrations supported by Visualcare