Can't schedule bill payment. Error: "Payment can't be scheduled right now."

Try opening your QBO account on any private/incognito browser. Did you encounter the same error?

Hello there, @wegerm. I appreciate the screenshots you've provided, along with the detailed information about the error message you received and the steps you've taken to resolve this. They give me a clearer understanding of how to assist you with your concerns.

Upon checking here, I've found out that there's an ongoing investigation about the error message: QB Bill Pay "Payment Can't be scheduled right now. Our Engineers are aware of the issue, and it is in the process of being prioritized/investigated. Although this is being actively looked at, we do not have an ETA for resolution at this time.

For now, I recommend that you contact our Customer Care Team. They will keep you updated on any developments regarding the issue. By reaching out to them, you can be added to the list of affected users, and they will notify you via email about any updates regarding the resolution. You can present this investigation number (INV-90612) to our representative to speed up the process. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help icon to connect to a live support agent.
2. Click on the Contact Us button and provide some details about this concern.
3. Provide us some information about your concern in the What can we help you with? box and click on Continue.
4. You'll now be provided options on how to connect to our Customer Support.

Please check out our support hours to ensure that we can address your concerns on time.

On the other hand, since you're not using QuickBooks Payroll, you can choose between ACH Bill Pay or paper checks to pay your contractors. The prompt message you received indicates that the system has detected that you haven't used the direct deposit option. For more details about using a paper check when paying a contractor, see this article: Pay a contractor with a paper check.

In case you want to turn on the payroll option in your QBO account so you can pay your contractor using direct deposit, from the  Workers (Payroll) menu, click Employees. Tap the Get Started button and select the payroll service of your choice.

Let me also share these resources that will guide you in recording your bills and setting up your company for direct deposit:

• Enter bills and record bill payments in QuickBooks Online.
• Set up your company payroll for direct deposit

We appreciate your patience in this matter. Please know that you're always welcome to post a reply if you have any other questions about paying your bills and contractors. I'll be here ready to assist you.

I too am new to Quickbooks bill pay and I'm getting the same error. I was told the next update in November 3, but I can't wait that long. Are there ANY possible solutions?

Hello, @mgrissmer. Thanks for raising your QuickBooks Bill Payment concern here. I understand that being new to this product isn't simple at the beginning. However, I assure you it's easy in the long run. 

Concerning the error you encountered, let me share the info below that will be helpful on your end. 

Currently, there's an ongoing investigation (INV-93660) about the QuickBooks Bill Pay "Payment Can't be Scheduled Right Now" error. You can be sure that our Product Development Team is doing its best to find a resolution. 

However, there's no exact time frame for when this will be fixed. With that in mind, I recommend contacting QuickBooks Online (QBO) Live Support, so that you'll be added to the affected users. And once an update is available, you'll be notified through email:

Here's how to contact our live team:

1. Go to (?) Help icon.
2. Choose the Search option. Click Contact Us below.
3. Enter a brief description of your concern, then Continue.
4. Select either Have us call you or Chat with us.

To learn more about the basics of QB Bill pay, check out these articles;

• Learn about QuickBooks Bill Pay.
• QuickBooks Bill Pay explained: How it works, benefits, and setup.

Thank you for utilizing QB Bill Pay to manage your daily financial routines. Click the Reply button below, and we'll reply to that. Take care, and have a great day ahead.

@mgrissmer 

You can sign up for a separate Melio account for free to integrate with QBO as a workaround.

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/quickbooks

You can also get $100 as cashback.

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/cashback

Our company is currently experiencing the same issue with the error 'Payment can't be scheduled'. We were told to wait 48 business hours and try scheduling the payment again. That worked for three payments and then we received the error message again.

I cannot believe after all these months this issue has not been resolved. Since signing up for the QuickBooks Bill Pay service it has not worked more than it has worked.  

Very disappointing!

Hi there, @cfoote1.

I understand how challenging for you to schedule your payment right now. Yet, we appreciate you for contacting our support and being able to follow the instructions they provided.

Currently, the investigation about the "Payment Can't be Scheduled Right Now" error is marked as closed. I recommend contacting the QuickBooks Online (QBO) care team again to further look into your account and check the root cause of it. 

Moreover, if they see that several users experience the same error again while scheduling payments, they can open another investigation and find a better fix.

To learn more about the basics of QB Bill pay, check out this article:

• Learn about QuickBooks Bill Pay.

Please come back if you have more questions about managing your bill payments. We'll respond as soon as possible.

@cfoote1 

Use the workaround mentioned by Fiat Lux - ASIA earlier. It is a free app and you can use it anytime as the backup option.

Getting same error (Dec 2024)... very frustrating 

Payment can’t be scheduled
We can’t schedule this payment right now.

I appreciate you for bringing this to our attention, @user64763.

As per checking, we have a recently concluded investigation into the Payment can't be scheduled error message when using Bill Pay in QuickBooks Online (QBO). Since you're still experiencing the issue, I recommend reaching out to our customer support team so they can determine the root cause of the problem and reopen the investigation if necessary. To do that:

1. Go to the Help icon and select the Search tab.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Provide a brief description of your concern and select Continue.
4. Choose between Chat with us and Have us call you.

Additionally, QBO offers reports that detail various areas of your company. You may also customize them to filter data and display information relevant to your business needs.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime whenever you have further queries about scheduling payments. I'm always available 24/7 to provide additional assistance. Take care, and have a good one.

@user64763 

You can sign up for a free Melio account to integrate with QBO as a backup

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/quickbooks

You can also get $100 as cashback.

https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/cashback

I keep getting the error message "Payments not scheduled." I’ve called customer service three times, and they keep telling me my invoice amounts are too large and that I need to wait 24 hours. It’s been five days, and the issue still isn’t resolved. I even tried issuing a paper check, but the same error occurred. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I keep getting the error message "Payments not scheduled." I’ve called customer service three times, and they keep telling me my invoice amounts are too large and that I need to wait 24 hours. It’s been five days, and the issue still isn’t resolved. I even tried issuing a paper check, but the same error occurred. Does anyone have any suggestions?

@judytrevino 

How big the bill do you need o pay?

$8,000

It’s clear that paying your vendors on time is a top priority for you, Judy, and I truly appreciate your commitment to maintaining those important relationships.

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to our phone support team to address this issue. Your proactive approach demonstrates how dedicated you are to ensuring everything runs smoothly.

I see that you’ve already contacted our QuickBooks Team multiple times regarding this matter. However, I still recommend reaching out to them once more. They have the expertise and resources to provide you with updates on the issue and can conduct further investigations to help resolve it.

Here’s how you can connect with them:

1. Click the (?) Help icon.

2. Select the Search option and choose Contact Us.

3. Enter a brief description of your concern and click Continue.

4. Choose either Have us call you or Chat with us.

Additionally, you can run expense reports in QuickBooks Online. These reports can give you a comprehensive view of the expenses incurred while running your business, helping you keep track of your finances more effectively.

We truly appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. If you have any more questions about paying your bills in QuickBooks or if there's anything else you need assistance with, please feel free to reply. I’m here to help you navigate through this process and ensure everything is resolved to your satisfaction!

I have called them three days in a row and no additional information or solution has been provided.