THANK YOU SO MUCH!! None of the above suggestions worked, but yours did!! This saved an hour on hold with QB!

this worked for me after trying everything else.  Bless you!!!

This finally worked for me after trying everything else!!  Bless you!!

You are my HERO for sharing this information!  This worked for me also!  

So glad to hear this worked for you all and that you found the answer you needed right here in the Community. You know where to come if you ever need assistance again in the future.

Awesome....It Worked!!!  Deleting PAYSUB.INI and running Payroll Update fixed the problem with a stuck Red ! "Renew Subscription" Icon in the Employees section of the QB Desktop 2019 Home Page. The PAYSUB.INI file was located at: C:\ProgramData\INTUIT\QuickBooks 2019\Components\DownloadQB29 on my PC.  After running Payroll Update again, a fresh PAYSUB.INI is created by Quickbooks and the nag icon is finally gone!

May 1, 2020  

Had trouble with the payroll taxes. Called yesterday, got a tech, tried to sell me a plan

for $799.00 then he got it down to $499.00.  I said not. He wanted to rebuild my software.

Called back this morning, got a professional payroll customer service. She knew exactley

what to do.  No charge.   It was a glitch in the payroll. 

Thanks so much!   I haven't had to run payroll in several weeks due to our shutdown from Covid and had this same issue 
Upon doing the search I found several "Paysub" files but only deleted the most recent one and after doing the update again, the issue was fixed.   This saved so much time and frustration of having to make a call in the morning. 

I tried that twice,  says it verified and downloaded tables, but still says  reactivate payroll  subscription.

Hello there, TeeRubi.

If you don't have Direct Deposit activated, we can verify your payroll subscription by opening the Payroll Account Management Portal. then, reboot your computer and download the payroll update again. After that, reset QuickBooks Desktop Update. 

Here's how to reset updates: 

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. From the Update Now tab select the Reset Update checkbox to clear all previous update downloads.
3. Select Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks.
5. When prompted, accept the option to install the new release.

On the other hand, if you are running a direct deposit please contact us. This way we can look into your account and help you manage your subscription. 

If you need more help you can always reach out to me if you have other questions. 

I updated quickbooks,  still don't have payroll working.  What are you people doing to this program that is not verifying the payroll subscription is active??

How do I deactivate direct deposit,  I don't use it yet?

Do I need to get a different payroll service? I need this fixed  NOW!

I'll share details about the alert message, TeeRubi.

When you get a reactivation message, it's possible that the automatic renewal was unsuccessful. This also happens if the system was not able to charge the monthly usage fee due to outdated billing information.

To fix this, you'll want to follow the steps in this article: Update or renew your subscription. 

Otherwise, reach out to our Payroll Support Team for further assistance. Before doing so, please check out our support hours here. Then, follow these steps:

1. In your QuickBooks Desktop program, go to Help > QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. In the Have a Question window, click the Contact Us link at the bottom.
3. From the Contact Us page, select any topics.
4. Under Here's how to connect with a QuickBooks expert section, click the Get Phone Number button.

Please feel free to reach out to me here if you have any additional questions.

This fixed my problem as well!  Thank you!!!

I don't get a contact us box to choose to chat with someone

I don't get the contact us option from the help menu. I have this same issue and have tried every fix given in this article.

Thank you for joining the thread and alerting us about the issue you're getting, @HopeP.

Since you don't have the Contact us option after clicking the Help menu, you can follow these two workarounds to achieve your goal. First, try to search for something from the Have a Question? page after selecting QuickBooks Desktop Help. Once completed, you'll see the Contact Us link under Need Support?, click on the link so you can choose a way to connect with a representative.

Or, follow these steps:

1. Open this link: https://help.quickbooks.intuit.com/en_US/contact.
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop under Which QuickBooks do you need help with?.
3. Tap on Continue as a guest.
4. Select your QuickBooks Desktop version.
5. Click on the Search for something else button, then type in a short description of your concern, then hit Search.
6. Connect with QuickBooks expert by tapping on the Start a Message button.

You can also check the instructions from this link for additional guide: Contact the QuickBooks Desktop Customer Support Team.

As always, feel free to read our help articles in case you need future references while working with QuickBooks.

Leave a comment below if you have any other questions. I'm a post away to help. Keep safe!

I'm having this issue but its for Quickbooks online

I try to run payroll, it says my subscription is expired, redirects me to the subscription page, then says subscription error and redirects me to the subscription tab in the settings where it says that my subscription is active!

Hello @CBachhal,

Currently, we have an on-going issue where users, like you, are unable to run payroll with subscription error though its active or subscribed. Rest assured that we've already informed our engineering team and they're in all hands working to fix this as soon as possible.

With this, I'd recommend contacting our Customer Care Support as they haven't shared a workaround yet. With their tools, one of our specialists can associate your account on file to the said investigation so you'll receive all updates via email message.

1. Go to Help.
2. Select Contact Us.
3. Enter the error message in the What can we help you with? field.
4. Click Continue.
5. Choose a channel where you wish to connect with our specialists.

Lastly, I've also included this reference for a compilation of articles you can use while working with us: Help Articles for QuickBooks Online Payroll.

We appreciate your patience as we're working on this, please let me know in the comments if you have any other concerns. Stay safe!

This is an old question, but I had the same issue for the past two years. Here's what worked for me:

Click Start Scheduled Payroll. A window will open, click Verify Account. This will push the renewal through to your Quickbooks. Assuming that your billing information was correct and payment was made. Hope this helps!

HELP!  I have tried everything and I still can't get this fixed!  And where is the number to get someone from QB to call you?  I go to "help" "contact us" but I don't seem to be able to find where to get someone to call me.  I am so frustrated!!!

Hi there, JKWLLC.

I appreciate you for letting us know about your experience with the support. 

Since you've tried all the possible troubleshooting steps shared above, I suggest contacting our support. This issue deals with private information and is best handled in a secure environment through our support. They can review the status of your payroll and help you with the activation process.

Here's how to reach them:

1. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Select Contact Us.
3. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Let's talk, and then choose a way to connect. Phone support may be limited due to volume.

To ensure we address your concern, our representatives are available from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays and 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM on Saturdays, PST. See our support hours and types for more details about this one.

Feel free to visit our QuickBooks Help Articles page for more insight s about managing your business in your software.

Don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything else you need help with while working with bank transactions. Have a good one.

Says it’s reached expiration date 

need to do payroll 

I'll make sure you'll run your payroll flawlessly, @buddy.

Just want to ensure we're on the same page here. Are you referring to your payroll subscription? If so, you'll want to renew your subscription so you can run your payroll. Let me show you how.

1. Go to the Employees menu in your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).
2. Select Payroll, and click Enter Service Key.
3. Click Skip to go to the Service Key window, or Add File to add this file to an existing Payroll subscription.
4. Select Add, and enter the service key.
5. Click Next, and a confirmation message appears, then select Finish.

You can also check out this article for the complete details: Activate QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

If this issue remains, I recommend closing your QBDT and re-launch it again to refresh the system.

Once you're all set, you can utilize this link for guidance in running your payroll seamlessly: Learn about QuickBooks Desktop Payroll with how-to videos.

You can always get back to me whenever you need help with your payroll subscription and with your QuickBooks. I'll be here to back you up anytime!