How to handle a recurring transaction that did not run

Occasionally, you may notice that one or more of your recurring transactions were not created. To fix this issue, follow the recommended solutions outlined in this article.

Tip: For any templates that don't run, a quick way to create the needed transaction is to "Use" the template.

1. Go to Settings ⚙.
2. Under Lists, select Recurring transactions.
3. From the list, find the recurring transaction.
4. Select Use from the Edit ▼ dropdown.
5. Review the transaction details and add more if needed, then select Save and close and Save and new.

This manually creates a new transaction from the template.

Is the recurring template set to scheduled?

Recurring templates will only create transactions automatically when the type is set to Scheduled and the template has not reached its End Date or Maximum Occurrences.

1. Go to Settings ⚙.
2. Under Lists, select Recurring transactions.
3. Find the template for the transaction that was not created and in the Action column, select Edit.
4. Make sure the Type is set to Scheduled and End is set to None or the appropriate end date/number of occurrences.
5. Select Save template.

Is the credit card associated with the recurring sales receipt still active?

When QuickBooks prepares to create recurring transactions, it skips transactions that have an expired credit card. It’s important to review and make sure that your customer’s card is not expired or expiring soon. If it is, you need to update it as soon as you have your customer's new card information so that any recurring sales receipts that are scheduled continue to run.

Was the VAT code changed?

If some item or VAT code used within a recurring template is changed indirectly, the template should automatically update to use the new information. However, we have seen some instances when an error occurs and the VAT used needs to be re-saved on the actual template.

Tip: If the recurring template did not run, but the next date advanced, open the recurring template and make sure everything looks right then save the template and see if any errors are displayed. These errors give clues into what stopped the recurring transaction from being created.

Recreate then delete the problematic template

If all else fails and it's unclear why the recurring template failed, first try recreating the problematic recurring template.

1. Go to Settings ⚙.
2. Under Lists, select Recurring transactions.
3. Find the template you want to recreate and in the Action column, select Edit.
4. Print or write down any details you will need to recreate in the template.
5. Once ready, return to the list of recurring templates and select New.
6. Fill out the template and be sure to select Scheduled from the Type ▼ dropdown.
7. Select Save template.

You then need to delete the old template.

1. Go to Settings ⚙.
2. Under Lists, select Recurring transactions.
3. From the list, find the recurring transaction template you want to delete.
4. In the Action column, select the Edit ▼ dropdown, then select Delete.
5. Select Yes to confirm.

Now you know ways to troubleshoot issues when a recurring transaction isn't created.