I keep receiving the same error message "Something you're trying to use has been made inactive. Check the fields with accounts, customers, items, vendors or employees.

Hello there, @staff7.

Let's work together to solve the error message you received. I'm here to provide detailed information and steps to help you address this issue.

The error message appears when you attempt to use a field that has been deleted or marked inactive for a Customer, Contractor, Employee, Account, Item, or when running payroll.

To fix this, let's check inactive options for each field:

Employees:

1. Go to Payroll and select Employees.
2. Choose the Employees tab and click the Active Employees dropdown menu.
3. From the dropdown, select All Employees. If you notice any inactive employees, proceed to open their employee profiles.
4. Click the Actions dropdown menu and select Change status. In the Status dropdown, change the status to Active.
5. Click Save.
6. Make the necessary changes to other inactive employees.

Customers:

1. Go to Sales and select Customers.
2. Click the Gear icon and tick the Include inactive box.
3. If you notice any inactive customers, proceed to open their customer profiles.
4. Click Make active.

Items or Products and Services:

1. Go to Sales and select Product & Services.
2. Click the Filter symbol next to the search field.
3. Select All from the Status drop-down menu and click Apply.
4. If you notice any inactive items, click Make active in the ACTION column.

Accounts:

1. Go to the Transactions and select Chart of Accounts.
2. Click the Gear icon and tick the Include inactive box.
3. If you notice any inactive accounts, click Make active in the ACTION column.

Additionally, you can access the audit log to track your activities and see changes in your company.

Let us know if you have other concerns with your transactions or list in QuickBooks. We're here to help you in any way we can.

I am have the same exact issue as the original poster.  I have checked EVERYTHING you mentioned, none of it fixes the problem.  None of the customers/items/accounts that are inactive have been changed within the past several months.  This problem just started late last week.  I think it's related to the awful update that Quickbooks did to their online invoices, but I don't know how to fix it. I cannot even create an invoice. This is a huge problem that needs to be fixed immediately.  

Since I've checked everything on my end that you mentioned, and none of that was the problem, what can I do?

It doesn't seem to have saved and posted my reply, so I'm trying this again...

I am having the exact same issue as the original poster.  I followed all of your instructions.  None of the customers/items/accounts that are inactive are being used on these invoices.  We have literally not made a single customer/item/account inactive in several months (if not years), and this problem just started late last week.

I personally think it's related to this awful invoice revamp/update that QBO did, but either way, I have to be able to create invoices.  This service is far too expensive to not be able to do something as simple as creating and saving an invoice.  I need this fixed and working today.  Please let me know what I can do to fix it, since checking all of the things you suggested did not help.

Thank you.

I am having the same issue as the original poster.  I've tried all of the suggestions noted above.  None of our inactive items/customers/accounts have been changed in the past year or more.  We are not trying to use any of those items/customers/accounts, but still getting this error message.

I absolutely NEED to be able to create invoices.  I think this is a problem related to the QBO invoicing revamp that was released several weeks ago.  

What can I do to fix this if the above advice did not fix anything?

I can see how crucial creating invoices is in your business operations, Briannatsp. We have received similar cases regarding the error message you encountered when creating an invoice. Our engineers are actively working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

For now, I recommend contacting our Support team. They'll securely collect your contact information and add you to the list of affected users. This way, you'll receive email updates directly related to this issue.

Here's how to reach them: 

1. Go to the Help menu at the upper right.
2. Choose the Search tab.
3. Select Contact Us at the bottom of the screen.
4. In the Ask about something else section, enter your concern.
5. Hit on Continue and choose a way to connect with us.

You can provide this investigation number INV-108713 for a faster transaction.

Our customer service hours for Plus, Essentials, and Simple Start are Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM PT and Saturday from 6 AM to 3 PM PT. Advanced support is available any time, any day.

Additionally, I'll share these articles to assist you in customizing your sales forms and finalizing your financial records by reconciling your payments and entries:

• Customizing sales form in QBO
• Reconcile an account in QBO
• Learn the reconciliation workflow in QBO

We appreciate your patience and understanding in this investigation, Briannatsp. You can always drop by if you have questions about handling your sales forms in QBO. Reply below or create another post. I’m grateful for the opportunity to assist.

I have also tried the following steps and it is very frustrating because this is stopping me to send out invoices.  I need to get invoices out in order for me to  continue my business.  Every month quickbooks gets my payment but yet i still have the same issue 

We value your time, and we are dedicated to resolving this issue as quickly as possible. Our top priority is to restore the invoicing functionality so you can access all the necessary features and tools to ensure the success of your business needs.

We appreciate you performing the recommended steps to resolve this issue. I've checked our records and this is still an ongoing issue where customers encounter a "Receiving error "Something you're trying to use has been made inactive. Check the fields with accounts, customers, items, vendors, or employees." when creating an invoice. Rest assured our engineers are working together for the permanent fix.

We recommend contacting the Customer Support Team to add you to the list of affected users. Then, they'll send an email notification once there's an update on this issue. You can provide this investigation number INV-108713 to the support agent. Here's how to contact them:

1. At the top right, click the Help icon and choose the Assistant section.
2. Type your concern in the Type Something field.
3. Click Talk to a human.
4. Hit I still need a human.
5. Press the Get help from a human.
6. You'll be routed into the How can we help? page. Then, choose a way to connect with us: Start a chat or Get a callback.

You can check out this article containing our support hours: QuickBooks Online Support.

Additionally, you can visit these articles to learn more insights and information on the new invoice layout and other processes in managing invoices using QuickBooks Online: 

• See what’s new with estimates and invoices in QuickBooks Online
• Convert an estimate into an invoice in QuickBooks Online

If you require further assistance with managing your sales transactions or any QuickBooks-related, kindly utilize the Reply button below. I'll be here to help you out.