Unable to create recurring payment. Please try again later.

Let me help you fix this error, @DarthNO2.

First, let's update QuickBooks Desktop to make sure the software is running to its full potential. Doing this can also fix unexpected behaviors within the system. Let's simply follow these steps below:

1. Go to the Help menu and select Update QuickBooks.
2. Click Update Now.
3. Select Get Updates to start the download.
4. When the download finishes, restart QuickBooks.
5. Click Install Now.

If it doesn't fix the issue, you can also run the repair tool in QBDT to fix the error right away. 

I also recommend reaching out to our QBDT Support Team if you're still getting the "Please try again" error message. They have the available tools that can directly check your account to determine the cause of the error. Here's how:

1. Go to the Help icon and select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Write your concerns in the description box, then select Continue.
4. Select which one of the support options you'd like to use.

 
You can also click the reply button below to let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the reply ReymondO. Sorry for taking so long to get back. I went through your solution on 3 different PC's: mine, our 3rd user, and finally this morning, after weeks of pestering, I was able to get into the bosses machine that's actually hosting the books. I went to single user to make sure there was no outside interference. The file is fully updated, has been repaired without error, reboots and all. The error is still occurring. My last option is now contacting support directly.

Is there a difference between contacting intuit through the web, through the desktop, or from the merchant services area? I've tried clicking help in the merchant service area, but that only brings up an identical front page of the merchant service area. My second issue is, I'm kind of on my own on this one. I'm not getting any help the one, is there any info I'll need from the boss before I contact support? Last thing I want to happen at this point is to get hung up because I didn't have a pass phrase or something silly like that.

Hi @DarthNO2,

Thank you for your prompt reply, as well as the amount of detail you've included in your post above. 

Merchant Services support is specific for QuickBooks Payments queries. I suggest you contact our Technical Support team for QuickBooks Desktop instead.

Here's how:

1. On your QuickBooks homepage, go to the Help menu.
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Tap the Contact us button.

As for the required info, they'll ask you to confirm these:

• Customer Account Number (CAN)
• Registered name
• Registered email address
• License Number
• EIN

Now that's out of the way, you can refer to this article in the future if ever you decide to make some changes in your recurring payments: Modify existing recurring payments.

I'll be around in case you need further assistance. Leave a comment below, and I'll be sure to get back to you. 

Thanks for the reply Ryan_M. I've got modifications down pat. The problem I ran into at the end of the year were part numbers, the larger issue we have is when a quantity changes or price changes occur. In a fluctuating market that we and our colleagues are in I can't just simply go into a recurring payment and change a few numbers. The whole invoice needs to be recreated. Clients that have signed up for auto-recurring get changed quarterly instead of monthly purely as a time saver; nearly all our clients have bills that fluctuate monthly. Since I've been dealing with this issue since the beginning of the year I'm attempting to convince the owner it's time to run cards manually each month and send over invoices separately. We still run into the time crunch issue (with processing cards instead of recreating invoices), but this way we'd be sending out more accurate invoices. Then again, we've had push-back about doing exactly that. It's turned into a real nightmare.

Anyways, that wasn't the reason for my reply. I just wanted to verify that the Customer Account # is a 16 digit number? The rest I was able to find quite easily.

Thanks for going through the steps and for sharing the details with us, @DarthNO2.

As my colleague suggested above, you'll want to contact our Support Team. They can look up your account number securely. You can refer to the steps above on how to reach them.

Then, in case you need to void a credit card payment, you can check this article for the detailed steps: Void or refund credit card payments in QuickBooks Desktop.

Know that we're always here if you have other concerns or questions. Our door is always is open to serve you. Have a great day!

Thanks everyone for the help, but I've spent almost 4 hours attempting to get this issue fixed with support and have gotten absolutely nowhere (except disconnected or hung up on). No one seems to have heard of this error, no one knows what to do when I tell them about the error. We keep going through the same diagnosis steps, keep getting the same articles sent to me. If quickbooks support is only as good as the quickbooks support articles in this directory I fear I already have my answer. I have learned something positive thought: that the Merchant Service Center can be used via normal web browser, not just through quickbooks desktop, however I can't create itemized invoices when I use a browser so it's a non-starter. I'm going to give support 1 more opportunity over the weekend to help me before I officially consider this problem unfixable.

this does not fix the issue .... I keep catching this problem and once it happens this customer can never be billed again THIS IS A NIGHTMARE I LOST 4 CUSTOMERS NOW BECAUSE I CANT MAKE A RECURRING PAYMENT FOR THEM PLS SEND ME A PHONE NUMBER TO TALK TO SOMEONE.... WHAT DO I DOOOOO???????/

This isn't the kind of service we want you to experience, @Lenny-health.

Before I route  you to the right support who can fix your concern in creating a recurring payment. 

You can try the suggestion of my colleague @ReymondO , to update QuickBooks Desktop to refresh its connection.

If it doesn't fix the issue, you can also run the repair tool in QBDT to fix the error right away. 

Let me provide you the steps on how to reach  our Technical Support Team to  determine if the problem has something to do with the software and check your account in a secure way. Here's how:

1. Click the Help icon on the top menu. 
2. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help. 
3. Tap Contact us.
4. Select Search for something else and enter your concern in the Tell us more about your question: field. 
5. Tap Search. 
6. Choose Start a Message or Get Phone Number to connect with our support. 

See our support hours and types  for more details about this one.

By the way, we've listed some self-help articles if ever you need more Payments insights. Give it a shot to learn more: QuickBooks Payments FAQ.

If you have other questions in creating a recurring payment, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. I’ll be here to keep helping. Enjoy your day!

Was this issue ever resolved.  I'm getting the same error all of a sudden.  I can modify recurring payments, but can't add new ones.

Thanks for getting involved with this thread, smartin.

The "Unable to create recurring payment. Please try again later." message is an official notification QuickBooks will sometimes display. When you encounter it while trying to create recurring payments, you'll want to wait and try entering them after an hour's passed.

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

Please feel welcome to send a reply if there's any questions. Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for your response.  I tried it yesterday and received the same message.  Today, I tried and same message.  Then I went into single user on the Admin did a backup and a verify data/build data process.  Then tried again with the same message.

If anyone has a solution besides for just calling into the support phone line, that would be great. 

Thanks for getting back to us and providing updates about the issue, @smartin2.

You can perform some basic troubleshooting to isolate and fix the issue. Before you start, please make sure your QuickBooks is up to date and have the latest release.

Aside from improving the performance of the software, this process also fixes common and complicated errors. Here's how:

1. Click the Help tab in the upper-right corner, then select Update QuickBooks Desktop.
2. Go to the Update Now tab.
3. Select the updates you want to include.
4. Put a checkmark on the box beside Reset Update.
5. Hit Get Updates.
6. Close and re-open QuickBooks.

After performing the steps above, try again and check if you get the same message. If the problem persists, I recommend you proceed with recreating the recurring payment directly in the Merchant Services Center.

Use any supported and up-to-date browser, then go to https://merchantcenter.intuit.com/. Set up recurring payments from there (see screenshot below).

If In case the issue continues after following the suggested troubleshooting in this thread, please contact our Payments Support Team for Desktop. They can further check the message on your behalf so you can get back on track.

Additionally, I've included a link you visit to know more about the important reminders for recurring credit card payments in QuickBooks Desktop: Create a recurring credit card payment.

Hit the Reply button below if need more assistance fixing the error message when creating a recurring payment. I'm always available in this public space. Take care.

I had done the updates and I am on enterprise with the latest version.

I tried your troubleshooting step of adding the recurring payment through the merchant services center with the same result.  "Unable to create recurring payment. Please try again later."

Any other ideas>?

Thank you for following up, smartin2. I'd like to add some information about the recurring payment error message.

Before we can set up a recurring payment, we need to make sure we are entering the card details correctly. 

If you've entered the right card values and the issue remains, I recommend reaching our Payments Team for QuickBooks Desktop. This way, they can open a ticket and investigate further about this unusual behavior.

I'm also adding this link for the list of articles for commonly asked questions about QuickBooks Payments.

Feel free to get back to this thread or post other payment concerns in the Community. I'll be around if you need help. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Thanks! Your comment about making sure nothing was wrong with the card, prompted me to try to run it manually again and it didn't work.  So, it turns out, it was not an issue with recurring payments at all.  The client had a fraud charge and managed to cancel the card between us running manually and then adding it to the recurring schedule (in the same day!).  Thank you for your time and I probably should have tried that first. Oops.

Hello smartin2,

You are most certainly welcome, and there is no need to worry! If you have any other questions, we are here for you! Take care for now.

This is Absolutely Ridiculous!!!! This has been an ongoing issue since 2020 and it is 2024 and it is still not fixed.   This needs to be made a priority and fix it.  I have had repeated issues this issues for over a year.

We do not have time to keep going through the same issues over and over again spending days on hold.

Then your rep's just advise it is a known issue.