Sending Payroll Data

Hi there, @Creat01.

I'll explain to you some information about why we need to send the data if not using direct deposit in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. 

Ideally, sending payroll data into Intuit is applicable in Direct Deposit and Paper check. So that intuit can figure out how many of your Employees are on payroll.

Also, there's a possibility that you're employee has a standard fee. That's why you'll need to send the data to update the monthly billing. Additionally, please make sure that your Tax table is up to date. 

I've attaching articles about fixing different errors when sending payroll data and running payroll. 

• Error: QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data
• Troubleshoot Payroll Service Server Error or Payroll Connection Error
• Manage Payroll

If there's anything else you need help with, let me know by adding a comment. I'm always here for you. Have a good one!

I’ve been using Quickbooks desktop with enhanced payroll and we’ve never had to send data until this week when I tried to run payroll it won’t allow me to run payroll update. After two hours on call with tech support we figured out that last pay period was stuck. Not uploaded to Intuit. Now I ran payroll and it popped up saying send to intuit. Does this mean I have to send data every pay period? I don’t know my PIN. Tech support sent me a temporary one that worked today 2/23/21

I’ve been using Quickbooks desktop with enhanced payroll and we’ve never had to send data until this week when I tried to run payroll it won’t allow me to run payroll update. After two hours on call with tech support we figured out that last pay period was stuck. Not uploaded to Intuit. Now I ran payroll and it popped up saying send to intuit. Does this mean I have to send data every pay period? I don’t know my PIN. Tech support sent me a temporary one that worked today 2/23/21

Thanks for bringing this concern to our attention, AJaccount.

I'm here to make sure you'll get the answer you need about sending payroll data every pay period. Our QuickBooks Support Team can check and have this investigated. I'd suggest reaching out to them to determine the main cause of this.

Aside from phone support, you can also chat with us online. Please ensure to select the correct product before clicking the link:

• Do It Yourself
• Assisted

Also, it's best to run the latest payroll update before running payroll. This ensures your tax table is up to date.

Additionally, I encourage visiting our Help articles page for reference. From there, you're able to browse all articles that'll help you complete your other payroll tasks.

Please let us know how it goes by clicking the Reply button. We're here to help in case you'll need further assistance. 

We run payroll on a weekly basis and every week the ACTION under recent payrolls says complete.  3 weeks ago the ACTION said TO SEND, the following week it said complete and this week it says TO SEND again.  We do not offer direct deposit and when you look at the report it wants to send, everything has a 0.00 amount under direct deposit.  Why did this start happening and do I need to submit the data?  Please advise.

Hello @Peggy37,

I appreciate you for dropping by here in the Community. I'm here to help you with your payroll concern in QuickBooks Desktop.

It usually happens when QuickBooks connects your data to Intuit's server. Two possible options will show up. Either the Send Usage Data (for non-direct deposit users) or Send Payroll Data (for direct deposit and Assisted Payroll users) option.

In your case, the purpose would be to verify your QuickBooks version and ensure you're using a supported product. To answer your question, yes, you'll need to submit the data for verification. To know more about the several reasons why you need to send data, check out this link: Install QuickBooks Desktop on a server.

For more information about sending usage data, as well as how to fix an incorrect time zone, I recommend the following article: Error: QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data.

Keep us posted if you need any clarification or assistance with the payroll features in QuickBooks. Have a great day.

We do not offer direct deposit and all of a sudden 2 weeks ago I received a request to send data.  1 week ago I did NOT receive a request to send data, the payroll was listed as "complete" and this week I am also being asked to send data.  When you click on what the data info is, it has all zero balances.  What do I do and why/how did it get changed?

Thanks for following up with the Community, Peggy37.

When using payroll services and sending data, there will be a couple available options. Since you don't work with direct deposit, you'll want to select Employees, then Send Usage Data to send your data for non-direct deposit employees.

This is normal behavior when connecting to Intuit's servers. There's several reasons why you may need to do this:

• To update your version of QuickBooks Desktop with Intuit. This is important especially if you were previously using a discontinued version of QuickBooks Desktop. This allows Intuit to know that you are now using a supported version of QuickBooks.
• To verify your bank account information after a Bank Account Change is processed
• To notify Intuit after voiding a paycheck.
• To recover the latest payroll service fees check (Direct Deposit liability check) in the register.

You'll be able to find many useful resources about using QuickBooks in our help article archives.

Please don't hesitate to send a reply if there's any questions. Enjoy the rest of your day!

QB support says they will fix the problem, but it never gets fixed.  This cycle has been happening for me since August.  My September payroll and withholding was a mess that I will pay the price for at year end.  The people answering questions on here give the same responses.  The problem is that we cannot update payroll, QB software will not update until we send payroll data (all 0.00 amounts) every payroll.  Stop telling us to update payroll when IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to update without sending our useless data.  Tech support cannot fix it or they would have by now.  Good luck to you.  You are not alone.

I got you covered, @KimAtCamp.

I've got here additional troubleshooting steps to ensure you can send your payroll data in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). Let's start with checking the date and time on your computer where the file is located. If all information is correct, toggle the time zone (correct, wrong, correct) and try again.

Next, check if there's an existing accountant's copy. If you have one, I'd suggest waiting until the Accountant's Copy is returned or manually removing the restrictions (confirm with your Accountant before doing this process). Once the copy was returned or the restriction was removed, attempt to send it to Intuit again.

If you encounter the same thing, obtain the qbwin.log  to review for errors before closing your QBDT program.

However, if the issue still persists, please perform Steps 5 to 6 of this article: Error: QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data. 

It's easy to view your employee data and track your business finances with QBDT. To do this, you can open any payroll reports that suit your needs. To give you a list of those reports and an overview of what data they display, please go to the Excel-based payroll reports page.

You can always get back here and post a question if you need help resolving QuickBooks issues. I'm always around to help. Have a good one. 

Me too!  I am tired of how much time it takes to try and resolve these issues!!  Why do I need a pin, not to mention a pin that I had never received, to send data?  Do you really think that I entered payroll and then was thrown out of my chair by an evil doer to take over!

Hello, I am in the same boat as Peggy,  We do not offer direct deposit to our employees and I started getting a pop-up box after I ran payroll checks saying "your payroll information was sent successfully". How do I stop this?  I don't even know where it is going.  This is very distressing.  Above you said something about bank setup to Peggy.  We didn't change our bank, but they changed their website.  I had to reconnect to the site in QB in order to reconcile the account.  Could this be the problem?  what do I need to do to stop this, I am using QB Desktop Pro 2021. Please advise.  Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Good morning, @ANJ828. 

Thanks for chiming in on this thread. Let me point you in the right direction to get this problem handled with payroll information. 

Yes, the reason this may be happening is because of your bank changing their website. However, we're unable to be sure unless using a screen share tool and reviewing your account with you. 

With that being said, I recommend contacting our Customer Support Team so that they can use this tool to see what's causing this to happen. Here's how: 

1. Go to the Help menu. 
2. Pick the QuickBooks Desktop Help option. 
3. Click the Contact Us button/hyperlink. 
4. Give a brief description of the problem and hit Let's talk. 
5. Scroll down and choose to Get a callback. 

It's that easy! 

Keep us updated on how it goes. I'm only a post away if you need me again. Take care! 

I keep sending payroll data.  The message will not go away.  I've sent it 5 times today

Thanks for getting involved with this thread, Denise510.

To verify my understanding, are you encountering a "QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data" message?

If so, here's a list of things that can cause this error:

• An incorrect time zone on your computer.
• There's an accountant's copy that has been created.
• Issues with paychecks that you've already sent to Intuit.

Initially, I'd recommend checking your computer's date and time for accuracy. In the event you're using a server, be sure to check its date and time as well.

Here's how to check your date and time in Windows 10 and newer versions of Windows:

1. Right-click on the Start menu, then choose Settings.
2. In your Settings window, hit Time & Language.
3. From the Date and Time screen, access your Date & Time tab.
4. Under Change date and time, press Change.
5. Confirm the date and time are accurate. If they're not, make any necessary changes.
6. Select Change.
7. Check to make sure your changes have been applied by double-clicking the time in your notification area.

Now you can try sending payroll data again. If you're still seeing the message when trying to send it, you'll want to check if there's accountant changes pending and if there's any issues with paychecks.

I'll be looking forward to hearing back from you. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I also get the pop up stating payroll information was sent. I never set up anything to send my payroll information to, I do not use direct deposit, my bank has not changed anything, I have not changed anything other than upgrading to Desktop 2024. I do NOT want to send any payroll information anywhere other than my accountant. How do I turn this off? 

The ability to turn off this functionality is currently unavailable, @dee609. Let me explain why such things have occurred in your end.

Please know that your privacy is our utmost priority. However, we need to collect certain details to record these data in our system. 

Even if you're not using direct deposit in processing your payroll, QuickBooks Desktop will have to accumulate your payroll information for various reasons, such as the following: 

• Employee Tracking: We have to send data to Intuit so they can track the number of employees on your payroll and their payments. At the same time, there are monthly usage and per-employee fees for your payroll services.
• Billing Updates: By doing this, we can adjust your monthly billing according to the exact number of employees you’re currently paying through our payroll services.

Our system needs to connect to servers so they can download and update the tax table each time you send your data to us. It will ensure that everything is up-to-date and accurately processing your payroll information.

You can read and review this article: Run payroll reports. It contains guidance and information about managing and supervising your employee's payroll.

Don't hesitate to get back to this thread if you have other questions about turning off this functionality. I'll be sure to help you anytime.

We had the same question.  We had enhanced payroll prior to upgrading to QB Desktop Enterprise 2024, which includes enhanced payroll as part of the bundle (hence no monthly per Employee Fee).  It up and transmitted our payroll which was very distressing.  When I called about it I was told by an Intuit Payroll Specialist that it was a new thing for 2024 (I wasn't clear if she meant the 2024  version of the software or the current calendar year) that the IRS was having Intuit upload payrolls and submit them to them.  I asked her why, there is no law requiring that, we did not consent to that and she confirmed that they were sending every payroll check to the IRS.  What???  I have contacted our Congressman regarding this.  There is no law requiring that and the IRS does not have the right to direct private companies to submit this data (especially without our knowing it).  I am awaiting the conclusion of the investigation initiated by our Congressman as to the validity of what I was told and if so, what can be done to stop it.  We are not subject to monthly EE fees nor do we use direct deposit.  There is absolutely no reason for Intuit to send our payrolls to themselves and we want it stopped immediately.  Intuit does not need my payrolls to update my tax tables, that is a bunch of double talk and does not justify transmitting my payroll without my consent, we do not consent and we do not consent to it being sent to the IRS without our explicit direction to do so (if that is in fact what they are doing).  We are in full compliance with all applicable filings and tax payments.  IF this is true it is an alarming and egregious overreach by the IRS.  I will post an update when my Congressman's investigation is complete, you may want to ask your Congressman about it too??? 

I agree whole-heartedly.  Please do update here if you get any new information.

Why does my Enhanced Payroll send my Payroll Data. I understood that the Enhanced  Payroll was similar

to the Basic Payroll I had and it did NOT send my payroll data anywhere.

Thanks for joining this thread, jm2124. I'm here to provide information about how sending payroll data works in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) Payroll.

There are versions of payroll in QBDT, the Old Basic Payroll and the New Enhanced and Basic Payroll that differ on the additional employee fee. You may have subscribed to the old one that doesn't need to track your active employees. Since it's discontinued and you are now using the QBDT Payroll Enhanced, please know that an additional employee fee needs to be tracked to be included the next time you're billed. To learn more about product and price changes, refer to this article: Understand changes to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic and Standard.

Moreover, sending payroll usage data is a regular process that guarantees precise record-keeping and effective administration of important payroll documents. QBDT will have to accumulate your payroll information for various reasons, such as the following:

• Employee Tracking: Sending data allows QuickBooks to track the number of employees on your payroll and their payment method. At the same time, there are monthly usage and per-employee fees for your payroll services.
• Billing Updates: Sending data enables QuickBooks to update your monthly billing based on the exact number of employees paid through payroll.

Aside from that, the system will also attempt to connect with our server to download tax table updates every time you send data to us. This ensures that your tax table is up to date and crucial for accurate payroll processing.

In case you encounter issues when sending payroll data, please refer to this article for steps to rectify it:

• Fix error “QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data”
• Troubleshoot Payroll Service Server Error or Payroll Connection Error

I've got your back if you have further inquiries about sending payroll data or need assistance with other payroll-related concerns. Kindly hit the Reply button below, and I'll be here to assist you.

Totally agree with you.  I have never heard anything about sending info to the IRS.  That sounds bogus.   Did you verify this with your CPA?   My system sends it to Intuit before I even print the paychecks.   If I made a mistake I usually check it by looking at the actual printed check, so do they think I'm writing 2 checks to the employee?    Why didn't we get a descriptive email from Intuit about this action?  I am very particular about sending my private info, let alone all of my employees information.  Who know who could get it.

I know the importance of keeping your private information safe and secured in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll, 414574. Let me share additional pointers regarding this matter.

The transmission of payroll usage data is necessary for tracking your employees and staying up-to-date with billing information only. Moreover, your information will be forwarded to Intuit. No worries, we will keep all your data secure with integrity.

In addition to that, although you haven't received an email about sending usage data, Intuit may enforce the need for you to connect to your Payroll for Desktop service as part of the process. It is mentioned in the (Additional Terms and Conditions # 5.2.9.2.) under Section B in this article: 2024 End User License Agreement for QuickBooks Software (US).

On the other hand, your method of verifying the accuracy by looking at the actual printed check is a good practice. Remember that QuickBooks doesn't assume you're writing two checks to the employee.

If you discover an error after printing a check, you can still edit, void, or delete it, depending on how the transaction is processed.

Furthermore, if you experience difficulties while transmitting payroll data, please consult this article for instructions on resolving the issue: Fix error “QuickBooks has encountered a problem sending your usage data”.

If you have clarifications or issues regarding the transmission of payroll data, please add your comment below. I'm available to assist you and wish you a wonderful day!

Below is the response (in bold) that I received from our Congressman with my comments below each :

This looks to be either an incorrect statement of Intuit’s customer support agent or an incorrect interpretation by Intuit’s customer.

It was not an incorrect interpretation by the customer, I specifically clarified what the Intuit representative was telling me. 

The National Account Manager (NAM) was able to obtain the following information during a general conversation and without going into any sort of details.

Intuit provided the NAM with the following:

* Enhanced payroll has never been a separate product.  Enhanced payroll has always been part of Intuit’s QuickBooks desktop version.

I believe NAM didn't quite understand the scenario presented or I didn't present it clearly to them.  We had the DT version with Enhanced payroll but not as a bundle.  When we upgraded to the 2024 version enhanced payroll was bundled with Enterprise (since we were forced into upgrading to Enterprise)

* Users on any of Intuit’s payroll offerings (desktop or online; embedded or standalone), transmit their payroll data when they choose to enable direct deposit for their employees.  Intuit cannot facilitate direct deposit without getting the data transmitted to them.

Again, we do not use direct deposit so this is not a satisfactory explanation for why Intuit is uploading our payrolls.

* Intuit has never transmitted paycheck data or payroll submission data to the IRS. Intuit only transmits tax return information (94x and 1099) to the IRS when a customer has a payroll agreement that enables tax filing.  That data is only sent to the IRS based on the schedule of the return (quarterly or annually). 

This would seem to be the most likely scenario for what they would transmit to the IRS but that is not what the Inuit payroll specialist told me. But of course, the IRS has been known to overreach its authority.

* Intuit can investigate an issue with customer specific information. Customers can reach out to Intuit’s escalation path directly via an email to: ‘[email address removed]’

I will be using this email address (it was removed when I went to post it, run this phrase together: Office of the President @ intuit dot com.  to pursue why our payrolls are being uploaded.  We do not use direct deposit and that is total nonsense that Intuit needs to upload our payrolls to download tax tables.  Payroll is also bundled in our product so we do not need to pay a monthly per employee fee.  So there is absolutely no reason for Intuit to upload our payrolls.  We will be pursuing alternative software solutions due to this issue as well as the astounding price increase with subscription pricing.  We are not going to pay $3000 every year, Intuit has sadly forgotten who their mission/customer is (SMALL BUSINESSES).  I am also currently researching alternative software solutions for another small business I work with over the subscription pricing and discontinuance of the desktop pro version.  I guess they will have to hike prices even more as they lose their core customer base.  This doesn't make any sense to me.