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Troubleshooting FPS submissions in Core Payroll

by Intuit• Updated 2 weeks ago

Learn how to resolve common issues with your Full Payment Submission (FPS) in QuickBooks Online Core Payroll

Submitting your FPS correctly is important for staying compliant with HMRC requirements. However, issues can sometimes arise, leading to unexpected rejections. This guide will help you quickly identify and resolve common FPS issues.

Quick checklist

Before submitting your FPS, make sure you:

Complete your pay run
Use only accepted characters in employee names
Keep addresses within the 35-character limit
Assign National Insurance (NI) letters correctly by gender

How to identify impacted employees

The easiest way to find employees that might be causing FPS submissions to be rejected is to use the Employee Detail Report. Then, go to the employee profile to change the data.

Select Reports on the left navigation menu
Search for Employee Detail Report
Compare information:
- Review the name, address, and National Insurance (NI) letter in the report
- Compare this information against the guidelines below to identify any discrepancies

Common FPS submission issues

Incorrect character in employee name

Employee names in the FPS can only contain letters, dashes (-), and apostrophes (‘). Symbols, numbers, or other characters will cause a rejection.

For example:

✘ “John! Doe”, “Jane123”, “**Anne-Marie”
✔ “John Doe”, “Jane”, “Anne-Marie”

How do I fix this?

Step 1: Edit employee information in the FPS

Go to Payroll and select Employees (Take me there)
Find the employee whose name needs correction
Select the employee's name to open their profile
Edit the name field to remove any unaccepted characters
Save the changes

Step 2: Delete the pay period containing the employee

In the Payroll Overview, navigate to the Payroll Payment List
Locate the pay period that includes the employee with the incorrect information
Select the dropdown arrow in the actions column
Select Delete and confirm the deletion

Step 3: Recreate the pay run

Go back to Payroll
Create a new pay run for the same period
Enter the correct information for the employee
Review and finalise the pay run

Step 4: Submit the FPS

Once the pay run is finalised, submit the Full Payment Submission (FPS)

Employee address too long

Each address field in the FPS has a maximum limit of 35 characters (including spaces). Longer addresses can cause the submission to be rejected.

For example:

✘ “123 Long Street Name, Some City, Some County” (too long)
✔ “123 Long St Name, Some City” (within 35 characters)

How do I fix this?

Step 1: Delete the pay period with the long address

In the Payroll Overview, navigate to the Payroll Payment List
Locate the pay period that includes the employee with the long address
Select the dropdown arrow in the actions column
Select Delete and confirm the deletion

Step 2: Edit the employee’s address

Go back to Payroll
Select Employees and find the employee whose address needs correction
Select the employee's name to open their profile
Edit the address fields, making sure each line is within 35 characters (including spaces)
- For example, change "123 Long Street Name, Some City, Some County" to "123 Long St Name, Some City"
Save the changes

Step 3: Recreate the pay run with the updated address

Go back to Payroll
Create a new pay run for the same period
Enter the correct information for the employee
Review and finalise the pay run

Step 4: Submit the FPS

Once the pay run is finalised, submit the Full Payment Submission (FPS)

Incorrect NI Letter for male employees

Certain National Insurance (NI) letters (B, E, I, and T) are specific to female employees. Using these for male employees can cause submission errors.

For example:

✘ Male employee with NI letter “B”
✔ Male employee with NI letter “A” (use “B” only for female employees)

How do I fix this?

Step 1: Delete the pay period with the incorrect NI letter

In the Payroll Overview, navigate to the Payroll Payment List
Locate the pay period that includes the male employee with the incorrect NI letter
Select the dropdown arrow in the actions column
Select Delete and confirm the deletion

Step 2: Edit the employee’s NI letter

Go back to Payroll
Select Employees and find the male employee whose NI letter needs correction
Select the employee's name to open their profile
Edit the NI letter field to select the correct letter
- For example, change the NI letter from "B" to "A" for a male employee
Save the changes

Step 3: Recreate the pay run with the updated NI letter

Go back to Payroll
Create a new pay run for the same period
Enter the correct information for the employee
Review and finalise the pay run

Step 4: Submit the FPS

Once the pay run is finalised, submit the Full Payment Submission (FPS)

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