Greenshades has shipped more than 70 compliance updates so far this year, plus new tools for ACH files, general ledger batches, and managed payroll. This recap covers what's new in Greenshades, what you may have missed, and what's coming next, as presented in our September 29, 2026 product update webinar.
Robert Crooms, our Product Intelligence Manager, walked through the updates with Bryan Lieber, Director of Product Marketing. Robert works directly with customers on how they use the platform, so the examples came from real payroll setups. You can watch the full session using the recording below.
Nearly every item on that list replaces something payroll teams were handling by hand. Robert's take on workarounds: they tend to get solidified, so the easiest one to live with is the one you never start.
Everything in this section and the next is already live on the platform.
The team has made more than 70 compliance-related updates this year, all aimed at keeping federal, state, and local tax calculations correct without customers building around each change.
Three examples from the session:
The ACH file tells your bank how much to pay into each employee's account, so a pay run isn't finished without it. Three changes came out of this work:
Employees can now open a OnePay bank account straight from GreenEmployee. Benefits include a high-yield savings account, early access to their paycheck, and credit-building tools.
As an employer, there is nothing to administer. OnePay works as a regular bank account, so the same ACH file that pays direct deposits pays OnePay accounts too. For the background on the partnership, read our overview of the Greenshades and OnePay partnership. Greenshades also has materials to help you promote it to employees. Email marketing@greenshades.com to get them.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) created deductions for qualified tips and qualified overtime, and both change what employers report on the W-2. For 2026 W-2s, the IRS draft form and final regulations put the new figures in these places:
| What is reported | Where it goes on the 2026 W-2 |
|---|---|
| Qualified cash tips | Box 12, code TP |
| Treasury tipped occupation code (TTOC) | Box 14b |
| Qualified overtime | Box 12, code TT, premium portion only (the extra half in time-and-a-half) |
Greenshades maps the Treasury tipped occupation codes to Box 14 and isolates the overtime premium portion so it can be reported apart from regular pay. Employees claim the deductions on their own federal returns, so the employer's role is accurate reporting. Only occupations on Treasury's final list qualify, and our breakdown of the final Treasury tipped occupation list covers each one. State treatment varies and isn't settled everywhere.
Until now, every general ledger action started from an individual pay run: open the run, generate the batch, submit it. A new screen lets you select multiple GL batches, sync or export them, and recalculate them in bulk when you add accounts or change mappings. For teams running several payrolls a week, that can save hours in every pay cycle.
Smaller teams benefit too. If you run weekly payroll but submit to the general ledger at month-end, a mapping mistake means fixing and resubmitting four pay runs. With bulk operations, it's one pass. It builds on the general ledger integrations Greenshades already offers for a range of accounting packages.
Flex Payroll Agent puts a dedicated Greenshades specialist in charge of running your payroll, inside the Greenshades platform. Outsourced payroll takes the workload off your team, but it usually costs visibility and flexibility when things change. Flex is built to keep both.
Not sure which model fits your team? Our comparison of in-house, outsourced, and managed payroll lays out the tradeoffs.
The rest of the webinar was a preview. Only the mobile app came with a timeline: the next few weeks.
Mobile app update. The employee app is getting a redesigned interface and a faster login that matches the desktop experience. Depending on what you enable, employees can view and manage documents, tax forms, and direct deposit from the app, along with pay statements. Settings carry over from the GreenEmployee site, with a few app-specific options, such as whether employees can clock in from the app if you use time and labor. It rolls out on Android first, with iOS slightly behind.
Year-end forms. Under OBBBA, the federal reporting threshold for Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC rises from $600 to $2,000 for payments made after December 31, 2025, and Greenshades' year-end forms are being updated to reflect it. Greenshades is also adding earlier error detection for 1095-C forms, so issues get caught during import instead of near the deadline. For W-2 distribution, you can make them available in the employee portal or mobile app, ask Greenshades to print and mail them, or download PDF batches.
Greenshades AI. Two features are coming. Ranger is an in-product AI assistant trained on Greenshades support articles and tax agency documentation, built to answer product and compliance questions and point you to the right resources. AI Custom Reports lets you describe the report you want in plain language, and the AI drafts a report definition for you to review and run. No release dates were given for either. Ranger is still in training, so its answers are meant to be verified before anyone acts on them.
Staying informed. Greenshades is looking for beta testers who want early access to new features, including the AI tools, and a say in how they're built. To join, email marketing@greenshades.com.
Employees who don't use the app yet will see a download link when they visit the GreenEmployee site on their phone. Greenshades will send more communication once the app is widely available in the app stores.
Not yet. Admin permissions make it tricky, because different admins may not have access to employees in another workspace. It matters most for a parent company that runs multiple EINs in separate workspaces. It may be possible in the future.
Email marketing@greenshades.com and say which update you're not seeing. It could be a licensing or admin permissions issue, and the team will route you to the right person.
Flex Payroll Agent is a Greenshades service where a dedicated specialist runs your payroll inside your Greenshades account. Your team keeps visibility into the pay run and the ability to approve it, and can still make last-minute corrections or run off-cycle payrolls. You also get direct contact with the specialist processing your payroll.
Under OBBBA, the federal reporting threshold for Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC rises from $600 to $2,000 for payments made after December 31, 2025. It first applies to forms filed in early 2027. State requirements can differ, so check each state where you have payees.
Note: This information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute formal tax, legal, or compliance advice. Always consult with qualified tax advisors, legal counsel, and your organization's internal teams for guidance specific to your situation. Additional regulations may apply. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, refer to official government resources and regulatory agencies.