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Troubleshooting FPS submissions in QuickBooks Online Payroll

by Intuit•8• Updated 1 month ago

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

This article is for customers who use QuickBooks Online Core, Premium, or Elite Payroll.

Before you begin

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 Details report. Then, go to the employee profile to change the data.

  1. Go to Reports Icon image of the Reports menu. and select Standard reports (Take me there).
  2. In the Type report name here ▼ dropdown, search Employee Details, and select it.
  3. Review the name, address, and National Insurance (NI) letter in the report.
  4. Compare this information against the guidelines below to identify any discrepancies

Common FPS submission issues

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: Delete the pay period containing the employee

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Overview (Take me there).
  2. Select Payroll payment list.
  3. Locate the pay period that includes the employee with the incorrect information.
  4. Select the ▼ dropdown from the Action column, then select Delete.
  5. Select Delete again to confirm the deletion.

Step 2: Edit employee information in the FPS 

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Find and select the employee whose name needs correction.
  3. From the Personal info section, select Edit.
  4. Edit the Legal first name or Legal last name field to remove any unaccepted characters.
  5. Select Save.

Step 3: Recreate the pay run

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Select Run payroll.
  3. Select your desired pay schedule, then select Continue.
  4. Select or review the Pay period and Pay date.
  5. Select the checkbox next to the employees you'd like to pay.
  6. Select Preview for employee.
  7. Select or review the account from the Chart of account ▼ dropdown.
  8. Select Submit payroll, then select Close.

Step 4: Submit the FPS

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

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

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Overview (Take me there).
  2. Select Payroll payment list.
  3. Locate the pay period that includes the employee with the long address.
  4. Select the ▼ dropdown from the Action column, then select Delete.
  5. Select Delete again to confirm the deletion.

Step 2: Edit the employee’s address

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Find and select the employee whose address needs correction.
  3. From the Personal info section, select Edit.
  4. Edit the address, 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"
  5. Select Save.

Step 3: Recreate the pay run with the updated address

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Select Run payroll.
  3. Select your desired pay schedule, then select Continue.
  4. Select or review the Pay period and Pay date.
  5. Select the checkbox next to the employees you'd like to pay.
  6. Select Preview for employee.
  7. Select or review the account from the Chart of account ▼ dropdown.
  8. Select Submit payroll, then select Close.

Step 4: Submit the FPS

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

Certain National Insurance (NI) letters (B, E, and I) 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

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Overview (Take me there).
  2. Select Payroll payment list.
  3. Locate the pay period that includes the male employee with the incorrect NI letter.
  4. Select the ▼ dropdown from the Action column, then select Delete.
  5. Select Delete again to confirm the deletion.

Step 2: Edit the employee’s NI letter

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Find and select the male employee whose NI letter needs correction.
  3. From the Tax information section, select Edit.
  4. Select the correct letter from the NI letter ▼ dropdown.
    For example, change the NI letter from "B" to "A" for a male employee
  5. Select Save.

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

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Select Run payroll.
  3. Select your desired pay schedule, then select Continue.
  4. Select or review the Pay period and Pay date.
  5. Select the checkbox next to the employees you'd like to pay.
  6. Select Preview for employee.
  7. Select or review the account from the Chart of account ▼ dropdown.
  8. Select Submit payroll, then select Close.

Step 4: Submit the FPS

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

The National Insurance (NI) letter can't be B, E, or I if the date of birth is after 5 April 1961. If you see this error, you'll need to check your employee records to identify who has NI letters B, E, or I, and then verify their date of birth.

How do I fix this?

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

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Overview (Take me there).
  2. Select Payroll payment list.
  3. Locate the pay period that includes employee with the incorrect NI letter.
  4. Select the ▼ dropdown from the Action column, then select Delete.
  5. Select Delete again to confirm the deletion.

Step 2: Edit the employee’s NI letter

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Find and select the male employee whose NI letter needs correction.
  3. From the Tax information section, select Edit.
  4. Select the correct letter from the NI letter ▼ dropdown.
    For example, change the NI letter from "B" to "A" for a male employee
  5. Select Save.

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

  1. Go to All apps A bunch of numbers and letters on a tile wall., select Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Select Run payroll.
  3. Select your desired pay schedule, then select Continue.
  4. Select or review the Pay period and Pay date.
  5. Select the checkbox next to the employees you'd like to pay.
  6. Select Preview for employee.
  7. Select or review the account from the Chart of account ▼ dropdown.
  8. Select Submit payroll, then select Close.

Step 4: Submit the FPS

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

If your employee date of birth is after 5 April 1961, contact HMRC to confirm the correct NI letter, as the employee may be on a different code.