I am having the exact same issue!

Hi all. I understand the importance of being able to connect to ACH Payments.

If you're still getting the error message, I'd recommend contacting our Payments support team. This way, they can re-investigate this so you can enable the ACH E-invoice option. To reach them, click this link for details:  Contact Payments or Point of Sale.

After you sync your file to your Payments account, you can process a credit card payment in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac.

Should you have any other issues or concerns, let me know in the comments below. I'm always around to help.

@LieraMarie_A Why do you keep insisting on wasting people's time telling them to contact the Payments team!? I spent several hours on chat with the Payments and QB Mac support teams yesterday. This problem IS NOT FIXED. Do not waste people's time or insult your user's intelligence. At the risk of telling you how to do your job, your users seem to be universal in their opinion that you are not helping by suggesting "update software," "contact support," etc. Do not respond if you do not have an actual solution.

@LieraMarie_A 

Enabling the ACH E-invoice option is not the issue, and contacting the payments support team has not worked. Can you or someone at Intuit answer any of these simple questions?

• Is this a known issue?
• Is it being addressed?
• Is there a temporary workaround?

Please DO NOT respond with:

• Directions to update or upgrade QuickBooks
• Directions to accept payments outside of QuickBooks for Mac (that is not the issue)
• Links to contact the payments team, chat support, etc. (tried all and wasted hours)
• Anything that implies that it is user error 
• Anything that shows you have not read the customer posts on this thread to fully understand the issue/bug

Thanks for requesting some updates about this issue, @RobHere,

Joining the thread to share some updates about the "There was an error communicating with the QuickBooks Payments Service. Please try again later." error in QuickBooks for Mac. 

There has been some reported issues about this which was escalated to our engineers for a fix. However, the investigation was tagged closed as of today (05/05/2021). This means that those users experiencing the problem has already been taken care of, and can use the service again.

However, we do not assume that everyone else had their services up and running, which is why we still recommend contacting our Payments Team again. This way we can re-open the investigation, so our engineers can release additional workarounds and fixes specifically for your account.

I will share the suggested workarounds posted by our engineers, then try to check if it works for you. First, you can run the Verify/Rebuild Utility to fix minor program issues in QuickBooks Mac.

The next workaround is to configure and verify your firewall settings. You'll see the steps through this link: Verify application firewall.

Lastly, delete e-invoice keychains, then reboot QuickBooks for Mac and try again. To delete the keychain entry:

1. Quit QuickBooks so that it isn’t running.
2. Use Spotlight in the Finder to locate KeyChain Access – an Apple utility that ships with macOS.
3. Launch Keychain Access.
4. In the Window that appears select All Items from the Category section on the left.
5. In the search field at the top right type QuickBooks_eInvoicing
6. You should see a keychain entry that looks something like this: QuickBooks_eInvoicing_577604244511786429_F51354FE-674B-440A-8C99-4E21CED2A8D7
7. Select that entry and delete it (File->Delete menu).
8. Launch QuickBooks and create a testing invoice that uses e-Invoice.
9. You’ll be prompted to log in to payments again since the keychain entry is gone.

We want you to try these workarounds to test if this is a software or connection issue. That way, it's easier to rule out the problem when it gets reported again to our developers.

Kindly post an update here, as I want to make sure this is taken care of. I'll be right here if you need further help.

None of your suggested steps did anything to resolve the issue. I know it has something to do with either your communications software, or your Payments server software, because otherwise, it wouldn't have been working and then randomly break without any system updates or other changes on the client machines. Further, I would almost guaranty that all of your users are still having the exact same issue. Firstly, the problem is not resolved by contacting the Payments team, because I spent several hours on chat with them yesterday, and they said this problem wasn't fixed yet. By "reopening the investigation," you are basically stating that you decided to resolve an issue that wasn't resolved, and that you really had no way of knowing whether the client issue was actually resolved (it's not). "Verify/Rebuild Data" has nothing to do with this. My file verified without any issues. Also, referring to this as a "minor program issue," is really understating the point a great deal. This is a business-critical feature that you have broken. The application firewall setting did nothing. It wasn't turned on before, and turning it on (or off) with connections for the Quickbooks application allowed does not change the error or the (malfunctioning) operation of the software. 

Deleting the eInvoicing keychain entry also does nothing to resolve this issue. Doing that just requires the user to re-log in to the Payments system. The problem obviously isn't with the login functionality. Your users are able to log in and "disconnect" the merchant user account. The problem is clearly with downloading Payment and ACH transaction activity from the Payments server. Any solution that does not resolve that issue is not actually a resolution.  

@Jen_D Thanks for offering some actual information and possible steps to resolve the issue.

I tried all those steps once again (had already done so via chat support earlier this week), and it is still not working as of today (5/5/2021 10pm PT). To summarize the steps tried:

• Run the Verify/Rebuild Utility
• Verify macOS firewall settings (tried on and off)
• Log out and log back into payments (via deleting the key in the Keychain app)

As others have said this is almost certainly an Intuit server side issue. As for next steps:

• Is it possible for you to reopen the bug ticket with eng?
• Can you provide us a bug/case number, so we can avoid the very painful and time consuming process of reporting the issue from scratch?

Hi there, @jluros and @RobHere.

I appreciate the time and efforts you've exerted to enable the ACH e-invoice option in your QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. I'd like to redirect you to our best support group available to get this addressed right away.

Since you're still getting errors after performing the troubleshooting steps shared by my peer Jen_D above, I highly recommend contacting our QuickBooks Payments Team again. This way, they can review this issue further and re-open the investigation (INV-48693). They can also provide other troubleshooting steps that can help fix the issue.

For your future reference, you might want to read this article here to learn how you can help customers if they can't pay for an invoice you send them in QuickBooks.

I appreciate your patience while we're investigating this issue. If you have any other concerns about processing payments, feel free to leave a comment below. I'll be around to provide further assistance.

This is incorrect. Bug INV-48693 was fixed like a month ago, but then the issue came back (in a different way), thus breaking the same (or related) functionality again. However, invoicing is no longer the problem...it’s downloading Merchant Service transaction data. The new bug I believe is INV-57795, which is not resolved.

Reading comprehension is so important so you don’t waste people’s time. If you don’t understand what your users are writing, maybe written support isn’t your calling.

@Mark_R 

@jluros  Is correct, “invoicing is no longer the problem...it’s downloading Merchant Service transaction data. The new bug I believe is INV-57795, which is not resolved.”

Can you:

1) Confirm this is actively being addressed under INV-57795

2) Offer any temporary workarounds

Inuit folks please READ before posting: The issue is the inability to download data via “record merchant services deposits…” under the Customer menu. NOT the ability to invoice/charge customers. 

15 days since we initially contacted Inuit about this bug. Not resolved

[Posted under adventures in QuickBooks Mac support]

The issue is most certainly NOT resolved.

Hello Intuit support?

19 days since we initially contacted Inuit about this bug, and it is still not resolved. We’ve been told that it is INV-5779, INV- 58475, or INV-48693.

Which is it? What’s the status?

Hi there, RobHere.

I appreciate you for coming back to the thread and for sharing the exact INVs about your concern. I'll make sure to provide the details and statuses about the INV's you've shared.

Our support presents specific INVs for tracking purposes and to add you to our notification list. This will help our engineers determine the number of affected users. You'll also receive an update through email once this has been resolved. Since this issue is about communicating with the QuickBooks Payments service, I suggest contacting our QuickBooks Merchant Services Team. This is because the first and last INV's are tagged as closed. They'll have to pull up your account and discuss the troubleshooting steps to fix those concerns as soon as possible.

 As of the moment, INV- 58475 is still tagged as an ongoing issue. We're unable to provide an exact time frame when this will be fixed. Rest assured that our engineers are working to identify the cause of this issue to provide a solution.

Please refer to this article to view information on how you can see and download your check processing statements on the Merchant page: View and download statements in the Merchant Service Center.

Please know that you're always welcome to post if you have any other concerns. Wishing you and your business continued success.

This is not the kind of experience that we want you to have, MonicaVH.

I appreciate you for posting to the thread. Let me share the current status of the investigation about the error you've encountered while communicating with the QuickBooks Payments service. 

All the provided INV numbers are correct and related to the issue. However, the status of the first two mentioned investigations (INV-48693 and INV-57795) is already closed. For the time being, it's the INV-58475 that's still in progress.

In the meantime, I'd recommend contacting our Customer Care team. This way, they can add your account to the open investigation list of affected users. 

Here's how:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Select Contact Us.
4. 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.

I've added this article to answer the most commonly asked questions about managing your payments account: QuickBooks Payments FAQ. 

We appreciate your patience as we continue working for a fix. I'm just around to help you out. Take care and stay safe.

What is the expected resolution date and means to fix for INV-58475? Will there be an update to the software needed? Can you please confirm for your users that no amount of deleting of keychain entries, updating of settings, etc., will not result in any change to the QuickBooks software behavior? There seems to be some misunderstanding among your support staff about this.

Thank you for coming back and posting your concern here in the Community, jluros.

I appreciate your time to check the status of INV-58475, as of now we don't have any updates yet and we can't provide a specific date for this issue to be fixed.

For now, I recommend contacting our Support Team and they can check the status of your concern and add your account to open investigation and you will be notified via email if the issue was fixed.

Here's how to contact our Support:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then click QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Select Contact Us.
4. 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.

You can check this link for additional information managing payments.

Feel free to post here if you have additional concerns in managing payments. I'm always here to help.
 

@Need223 @seasea @Nick96 @Test2Go @Plumbing19 @Anonymous 

If you are still receiving the below error (let's face it, you likely are), please read this post.

QuickBooks Payments Error
There was an error communicating with the QuickBooks Payments service

Hi all, my case was escalated to "Intuit’s Office of the President" - a fancy name for the place they send customers that are upset and making a lot of noise :-) As a result, I received a call from a very nice "tier 3" support person, and she promised to provide me with daily updates.

Sadly, she provided no useful updates or indication on when this bug will be resolved. She stated that the "good news" is that more customers have recently been attached to the investigation. The message: the more customers we can get attached to the investigate, the more focus QuickBooks will put on fixing the bug.

So please be sure your company is "attached" to the bug investigation INV-58475. I posted instructions to (hopefully) make it easier here: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/payments/re-quickbooks-for-mac-there-was-an-error-communicating-with-the/01/872258/highlight/true#M28775 

Hello all! Ami here, from the QuickBooks team. I'm here to report that this Investigation (INV-58475) has now been resolved and you should be able to download deposits as normal. 

Please make sure you have all of the latest updates for QuickBooks. Then, if you are still experiencing this error after any updates, please let me know and I'll be happy to follow up and help!

Thank you again, as always, for your patience while we worked through the issue.

I'm still having an issue getting this to work for me... receiving: 

There was an error communicating with the Payments Service. -5000

I've updated my QB and when I try to log in to the QB payment website I get a spinning blue circle. 

I have recently started having this issue.  My QB is up to date.  I'm running the desktop version on a Mac, and I spent 3 hours on the phone with various people last week, to find this week a new issue.  I've restarted everything. Signed in, logged out, stood on my head and now searching for a new answer.  Please help.  We live in a world of instant, and clients want things instantly.  

TIA!

Hey there, @Dcinteriors. 

Thanks for chiming in on this thread. I can point you in the right direction to get this problem resolved. 

Even though you've contacted support already, the best route for them is to escalate the issue if they can find a solution. Let's get in touch with them again and see what else they can do. Here's how; 

1. Go to the Help menu. 
2. Pick the QuickBooks Desktop Help option. 
3. Hit the Contact Us hyperlink. 
4. Enter your question or concern and tap Let's talk. 
5. Scroll down and select to Get callback. 

That's all there is to it! 

Keep us posted on what your next steps are and how they resolved it. We're always here to have your back. Have a great day! 

I feel your pain. Everything worked great until i updated to 2022. Now my merchant service doesn't work ugh