Integrated Payroll That Eliminates the QuickBooks Workaround
Ask any controller at an elevator or HVAC contracting company how payroll works today and you’ll hear a version of the same story: time entries in one system, job codes in another, union rules in a spreadsheet, QuickBooks doing the final calculation, and someone manually reconciling all three every two weeks.
Total Service replaces that stack entirely.
What Integrated Means
- When we say integrated payroll, we don’t mean an API connection to QuickBooks. We mean payroll is native to the same platform that runs your dispatch, job costing, and work orders — sharing the same data, in real time.
- Technician time entries from the mobile app flow directly into payroll calculations
- Job codes and cost center allocations are pulled automatically from work orders
- Union agreement rules are applied automatically — no manual rate lookup
- Multi-state withholding is handled natively — one employee, multiple jurisdictions, no problem
- Certified payroll and prevailing wage reports generate automatically from time and wage data
For Union Contractors
Union payroll is where most software platforms give up and tell you to “configure it yourself.” Total Service was built with union contractor workflows in mind from the start. Multiple union agreements, apprenticeship tier calculations, benefit fund contributions, and remittance reporting are handled without custom development or third-party middleware.
The Payroll Portal
Total Service includes a technician-facing payroll portal where field staff can view pay stubs, check PTO balances, and access W-2s — without calling the office. It reduces the administrative load on your accounting team and gives technicians the transparency they expect from a modern employer.
Why Others Handles Payroll Differently
Other elevator contract software built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 handles payroll through external integrations — typically QuickBooks or a separate HR platform. That approach works, but it maintains the data gap between field operations and payroll that creates reconciliation work. Total Service is one of the few platforms in the elevator/HVAC space where payroll is genuinely native — not bolted on.
How payroll feeds job costing
In TS Cloud, payroll runs on the same data as work orders and job costing. A technician’s time entry picks up the job codes and cost centers of the work order it belongs to, so payroll and job costing work from the same time entries and nothing is entered twice.
- Field time entry. Technicians record time in the TS Cloud mobile app, which runs on Android and iOS.
- Wage rules. Federal and state taxes, union wages, deductions and job-specific wages are supported.
- Labor costing either way. Total Service provides labor costing tools whether or not you run payroll in TS Cloud.
- Contract profitability. TS Cloud gives real-time visibility into dispatch, service history, job costing and contract profitability.
Payroll complexity is one of the factors in TS Cloud pricing. The elevator software comparison shows how vendors handle payroll.
Certified payroll context
On federally funded or assisted contracts over $2,000 for the construction, alteration or repair of public buildings or public works, the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts require contractors to pay laborers and mechanics no less than the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Covered contractors must submit certified payroll information weekly with a signed Statement of Compliance, and the DOL’s Form WH-347 is an optional way to submit it.
TS Cloud generates certified payroll and prevailing wage reports from the time and wage data already in the platform. Ask to see one during your demo, and use 7 questions before you sign to test any vendor on payroll.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need QuickBooks for payroll with TS Cloud?
No. Payroll is native to TS Cloud, on the same platform as dispatch, job costing and work orders, so there is no QuickBooks step in the payroll process.
Can TS Cloud handle multiple union agreements?
Yes. Multiple union agreements, apprenticeship tier calculations, benefit fund contributions and remittance reporting are handled without custom development or third-party middleware.
Does TS Cloud generate certified payroll reports?
Yes. Certified payroll and prevailing wage reports generate automatically from time and wage data in the platform.
Can one employee be paid across several states?
Yes. Multi-state withholding is handled natively, including one employee working in multiple jurisdictions.
Can I use TS Cloud labor costing without its payroll?
Yes. Total Service states that its labor costing tools are available whether or not you choose to use payroll.
What can technicians see in the payroll portal?
Technicians can view pay stubs, check PTO balances and access W-2s without calling the office.
See Payroll in the Platform
Request a demo and walk through a complete payroll cycle — from technician time entry to payroll close. We’ll show you what no more QuickBooks dependency looks like.