Fix payroll error codes in QuickBooks

“System failure. The submission of this document has failed due to an internal system error.”

This usually indicates a temporary issue with HMRC systems. You can check this here.

How to fix it:

• Wait and try submitting again later.
• If the issue continues, contact HMRC directly.

This is a generic HMRC gateway or validation error. Review employer and employee details for missing or invalid data, then try submitting again. If it continues, contact HMRC. 

“Authentication Failure. The supplied user credentials failed validation for the requested service.”

Possible causes:

• You may be using the wrong Government Gateway credentials. Double check that you are using the correct credentials specifically for payroll.
• If you copy and paste your user ID and password from elsewhere when signing in, try entering these details manually. 
• Check that you’ve entered the correct PAYE reference number. 
• If you’ve recently activated your account, it may take some time for HMRC to verify your account and update their platform.

If the problem continues after checking these details, contact HMRC.

“You have not been invited to submit this submission type.”

This usually means HMRC is not expecting RTI submissions for the PAYE scheme.

Possible reasons:

• PAYE submissions are not activated on the Government Gateway account
• The agent has not been authorised by the employer
• HMRC has closed the PAYE scheme due to inactivity

If you believe the scheme should be active, contact HMRC to confirm the scheme status.

HMRC notifications not enabled or incorrect credentials

This error will usually appear if the wrong user ID and password is used. You can double check if you’re using the right credentials to submit to HMRC in QuickBooks by signing in on the HMRC website.

If this error still shows, you may need to turn on notifications and messages on your account.

How to fix it

• Sign in to your HMRC account to confirm your credentials.
• Make sure notifications and messages are turned on.

To check notification settings:

1. Sign in to your HMRC account.
2. Select Change how you get tax code and student loan notices.
3. Set all notices to Yes.

“This submission cannot be accepted as it does not fall within the eligible filing period.”

This may be due to one of the following: 

• The scheme hasn’t started yet 
• The scheme started after the submission date
• The scheme has ended before the submission date

You’ll need to check when the scheme was created and registered with HMRC or when it was ceased. If you don’t have these details, please contact HMRC directly.

“This submission cannot be accepted as the employer scheme has been cancelled.”

HMRC has cancelled the PAYE scheme.

To fix it, contact HMRC to confirm the scheme status and next steps.

This error appears when the Accounts Office Reference is missing from HMRC settings in QuickBooks.

How to fix it

1. In QuickBooks, go to Settings, select Account and settings, then Payroll.
2. In the HMRC references section, select Edit.
3. Enter the correct Accounts Office Reference.
4. Save your changes and submit again.

“Accounts Office Ref or PAYE Ref is incorrect.”

Make sure the Accounts Office Reference number or PAYE Reference number is entered correctly in QuickBooks. Be sure to save any changes made before re-submitting to HMRC. To do so:

1. Go to the Gear icon, select Account and settings, then Payroll. 
2. In the HMRC reference section, select the pencil icon to Edit.
3. Enter the correct PAYE reference and Accounts Office reference. 
4. Save.

“Invalid content found at element”

This error is caused by invalid or missing information in employer or employee records.

To fix it, check the following:

• Remove any extra spaces before or after names and address fields
• Use an apostrophe (’) instead of a closed single quote in names such as O’Connor
• Remove unsupported special characters (for example ~ @ # $ ^ _ { } [ \ ])
• Ensure all required fields are completed
• Make sure Year to Date values are not negative
• Check the employee National Insurance number is entered in the correct format
• Enter middle names only in the middle name field, not with the surname

“Value doesn’t have the correct format.”

This error is usually caused by the same issues as error code 4065.

Follow the steps above to review employee and employer details, then submit again.

“At least two address lines are required for a new starter.”

How to fix it

1. Open the employee profile.
2. Add a second line to the employee address.
3. Save and submit again.

These errors can appear when starter information is missing.

How to fix it

1. Check the employee start date.
2. Review starter declaration details.
3. Save your changes and submit again.

“At least one of [EMPLOYEE], [COMPRESSEDPART] or [FINALSUBMISSION] must be submitted:”

This error appears when there are no employees included in the pay run. To fix it, add at least one employee to the pay run before submitting.