QuickBooks Error Messages and How to Fix Them
Look up a QuickBooks message you see in MetaFleet, learn what it means, and fix it.
For: Owners, managers and bookkeepers · Permission: Manage account settings to retry, reconnect or change QuickBooks settings · Time: ~5 minutes
MetaFleet shows a message when QuickBooks turns something down, when a send has to wait, or when a sync can't run. This page lists those messages by where you see them. Search the page (Ctrl+F, or ⌘F on a Mac) for the first words of your message or for its code, such as 6240. To find the messages on the QuickBooks tab in the first place, see Fix What Needs Attention in QuickBooks.
Quick summary
- Copy the first few words of the message, or the code in parentheses.
- Search this page for them.
- Do what the Fix column says.
- Send it again: click Retry on the row in Failed pushes or Activity, or Retry now on the Review tab to send them all. A message that says something is waiting goes by itself once you fix the cause. When a retry works, the row on Activity reads Sent since and leaves Failed pushes.
- Still stuck? Send MetaFleet support the Support ref.
How to read a message
When QuickBooks refuses something, the row shows up to 3 lines:
- MetaFleet's sentence. What QuickBooks did, why MetaFleet won't send it again on its own, and what to do.
- QuickBooks' own words. This line starts with QuickBooks: and ends with QuickBooks' code in parentheses, for example (6240). It appears only when QuickBooks gave a reason.
- Support ref. QuickBooks' reference for the refusal. Support uses it to look up QuickBooks' own log.
A temporary problem, such as QuickBooks not answering, gets 3 tries: the first send, another 1 minute later, and a last one 5 minutes after that. Attempts on Failed pushes shows how many were used, for example 3 of 3. Tried once or Tried 2 times with refused means MetaFleet won't send it again on its own: sent as it is, QuickBooks would refuse it the same way. stopped means all 3 tries were used.
Fix the cause before you click Retry. A refused send is refused again if nothing changed.
When QuickBooks refuses a send
You see these on Failed pushes on the Review tab, on Activity, and in the QuickBooks panel on the order's Billing tab. In the messages, this invoice can also read this payment, this bill, this customer or another kind of record. A Tax Code that QuickBooks refused shows on Activity with its own Retry.
| Message starts with | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks didn't accept our sign-in | MetaFleet's sign-in to QuickBooks ended or expired. It retries by itself. | If the QuickBooks card shows Connect QuickBooks Online, connect again. See Disconnect, Reconnect and Use Brands with QuickBooks. Then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks asked us to slow down | Too many requests reached QuickBooks at once. It retries by itself. | Nothing to do. If Attempts says stopped, click Retry a few minutes later. |
| QuickBooks didn't respond in time | QuickBooks was busy or down. It retries by itself. | Nothing to do. If Attempts says stopped, click Retry later. |
| QuickBooks couldn't find the item linked to part …, so we've removed that link | The part's item was deleted or merged in QuickBooks. MetaFleet removed the part's link to it. | Run Sync now on Parts to link the part again or create its item. Then send the invoice again. |
| QuickBooks couldn't find an item on this invoice | An item on the invoice is missing in QuickBooks. If the item's link was removed, the message adds that sent now, the part would go on QuickBooks' general sales item. | Check the items of the invoice's parts in QuickBooks, then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks refused this … because it names a record QuickBooks doesn't have (2500) | Something it uses, usually a customer, item or account, was deleted in QuickBooks. The QuickBooks: line says which. | Restore it in QuickBooks, or link the MetaFleet record to another one. Then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks refused this … because something it uses is inactive in QuickBooks (610) | A customer, item, account, vendor or payment method it uses is inactive in QuickBooks. The message names which kinds. | Make it active again in QuickBooks, then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks refused this … because it's dated …, before the start date of an inventory item on it (6270) | An inventory item on the invoice or bill starts later in QuickBooks than its date. | In QuickBooks, set that item's inventory start date on or before the date of the invoice or bill. Then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks already has a customer, vendor or employee named … (6240) | QuickBooks names must be unique across customers, vendors and employees together. | Rename one of them, or link to the existing one on the Review tab. Then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks already has an item named …, active or inactive (6240) | Item names must be unique in QuickBooks, inactive items included. | Rename one of them, then click Retry. |
| QuickBooks refused this change because the invoice was being edited in QuickBooks at the same time (5010) | Another change reached the invoice in QuickBooks first. MetaFleet tries again by itself. | Nothing to do. If Attempts says stopped, click Retry. |
| QuickBooks refused this …: followed by QuickBooks' words | Any other refusal. MetaFleet quotes QuickBooks' reason. | Fix what QuickBooks names, in QuickBooks or in MetaFleet, then click Retry. If the reason is unclear, send support the Support ref. |
| QuickBooks refused this … without giving a reason | QuickBooks gave no reason. | Click Retry now. If it's refused again, send support the Support ref. |
| QuickBooks didn't accept it. The reason is in the server log | MetaFleet recorded the reason where only support can read it. | Contact MetaFleet support with the record and the time it was last tried. |
| QuickBooks refused to void this … or QuickBooks refused to delete this … | You voided or deleted something in MetaFleet, and QuickBooks wouldn't do the same. | Void or delete it in QuickBooks yourself. The row on Activity says where. |
When MetaFleet couldn't send something
These are short problems on MetaFleet's side. The Fix column says which retry by themselves.
| Message starts with | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| MetaFleet couldn't read which QuickBooks invoice, customer or items …, or whether this vendor bill is still open | MetaFleet couldn't read its own link to QuickBooks for a moment, so it held the send. It retries by itself. | Nothing to do. If Attempts says stopped, click Retry. If it keeps happening, contact support. |
| In QuickBooks as …, but its link couldn't be saved on this order | The purchase order reached QuickBooks, but MetaFleet couldn't save the link to it. | Run Sync now. It links the purchase order again. |
| MetaFleet couldn't send this to QuickBooks | The send failed before it reached QuickBooks. | Click Retry now. If it fails again, contact support with the record and the time. |
| The invoice PDF couldn't reach QuickBooks | The invoice is in QuickBooks, but its PDF didn't attach. It retries by itself. | Nothing to do. If Attempts says stopped, click Retry. |
| The invoice PDF MetaFleet sent is no longer in storage | The PDF file is gone, so it can't be attached. It won't retry. | Contact MetaFleet support. |
| Couldn't get this invoice's tax from QuickBooks, or Couldn't get tax, try again. | Shows when you click Use QuickBooks' Sales Tax. QuickBooks works out the tax for this company. Either it didn't answer, or it gave a reason after QuickBooks said:. MetaFleet's Sales Tax stays on the invoice. It doesn't retry by itself. | Try again in a minute. If QuickBooks gave a reason, fix what it names. If it keeps happening, contact support. |
| Still open in QuickBooks: it couldn't be closed. Sync now will close it. | MetaFleet couldn't close the purchase order in QuickBooks once it was cancelled, or fully received and billed. QuickBooks' own words show under it. There is no Retry button. | Run Sync now. It closes the purchase order in QuickBooks. |
When a send waits for an account or setup
A send that is Waiting goes to QuickBooks by itself once you fix the cause. A message that ends with then retry or re-send it, or says Ready to sync, needs you to send it again.
| Message starts with | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for account setup | QuickBooks account setup isn't finished, so nothing goes yet. | Finish account setup on the QuickBooks card. See Choose Where Your Money Posts in QuickBooks. If QuickBooks then refuses the invoice, it moves to Failed pushes and leaves Needs a home. |
| Waiting for a QuickBooks account, followed by … is inactive in QuickBooks, … is now a … account in QuickBooks, or The QuickBooks item … is inactive | An account or item MetaFleet posts to was made inactive or changed type in QuickBooks. | Open Needs a home on the Review tab, click Choose an account and pick another. If QuickBooks then refuses the invoice, it moves to Failed pushes and leaves Needs a home. |
| Waiting for a Tax Agency for … | A tax on the invoice has no Tax Agency yet, so MetaFleet can't make its QuickBooks Tax Code. | Choose a Tax Agency on the Tax Group page. The invoice then goes by itself. |
| Waiting for its Tax Code, … | The Tax Code for this invoice's tax isn't in QuickBooks yet. | Open Sales tax rates in Settings on the QuickBooks card and click Try again on that rate. The invoice then goes by itself. |
| No QuickBooks account is set for … | That row in Posting accounts has no account. | Choose one in Posting accounts on the QuickBooks card. Then click Retry, or run Sync now if the message says sync it again. |
| This invoice's tax has no working QuickBooks account | The Sales tax posting account is missing, inactive or the wrong type. | Check Sales tax in Posting accounts, then re-send the invoice. |
| A line on this invoice has no working QuickBooks account | A line posts to an account that's missing, inactive or the wrong type. | Check Posting accounts on the QuickBooks card, then re-send the invoice. |
| This payment has no QuickBooks account to be deposited to | No deposit account is set for payments. | Choose one for Payments received in Posting accounts. |
| Customer isn't linked to QuickBooks | The company has no QuickBooks customer, so the invoice was skipped. | Click Link customer, or see Link a Customer to QuickBooks. The row then reads Customer is now linked. |
| Not synced to QuickBooks: the customer for this invoice isn't mapped to a QuickBooks customer. Map the customer, then re-send the invoice. | The invoice was skipped because its customer has no QuickBooks customer. Sync now on Invoices counts it as Skipped, not Failed. | Link the customer. See Link a Customer to QuickBooks. Then re-send the invoice as the next row says. |
| Customer is now linked. Ready to sync. | The invoice was skipped because its customer wasn't linked to QuickBooks. The customer is linked now. | On the order's Billing tab, click Re-sync on the Invoice tab, then QB Sync there. Or click Re-sync on the invoice's row on Activity, which opens the Invoice tab. Or open the Review tab, where the invoice is marked Ready to sync under Needs attention, and send it from there. Or open the company's QuickBooks card and click Re-send 2 invoices (the number is yours). An invoice on a visit says to re-send it from the visit. |
| Sent before account setup. Re-send it. | The invoice went out to your customer before QuickBooks setup was done. | Re-send the invoice. |
| … is turned off for QuickBooks | That kind of record is switched off on the Settings tab. | Turn it on in Settings on the QuickBooks card. See Choose What Syncs with QuickBooks. |
| Finish QuickBooks setup to send invoices, or MetaFleet couldn't read this company's sales-tax setting | MetaFleet couldn't read whether your QuickBooks company uses Automated Sales Tax. Nothing syncs and no invoice can be sent until it does. | Click Try again on the QuickBooks card. If it still fails, disconnect and connect again, or contact support. See How Sales Tax and Exemptions Work with QuickBooks. |
When Sync now or a sync run fails
You see these in the message above the QuickBooks card after Sync now, and under Sync runs on the Activity tab. A sync that didn't run shows one Failed line for the whole kind, such as All customers, with the reason.
| Message starts with | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Customer sync failed:, Parts sync failed: or another kind | That Sync now didn't finish. The reason follows the colon. | Look up the reason on this page. The nightly sync tries again. |
| Failed to query QB customers: Unauthorized, Failed to query vendors: or Failed to pull payments: | Unauthorized means QuickBooks didn't accept MetaFleet's sign-in. Other words mean QuickBooks didn't answer. | For Unauthorized, connect QuickBooks again if the card shows Connect QuickBooks Online. Otherwise run Sync now again later. |
| A customer sync is already in progress for this connection | Another sync of the same kind is running. | Wait a few minutes, then run Sync now again. |
| Customers have not been set up yet. Choose what syncs first, or Nothing synced: this tenant has not yet chosen which records to sync | The first choice of which records sync hasn't been made. | Choose what syncs. See Choose What Syncs with QuickBooks. |
| Nightly sync is turned off | Nightly sync is off on the Settings tab. | Turn it on to sync again at night. Sync now still works while it's off. |
| Could not read this tenant's QuickBooks exclusions, so the … sync was not run | MetaFleet couldn't read the records you chose to leave out, so it skipped the sync rather than bring them in. | Run Sync now again later. If it repeats, contact support. |
| … QuickBooks … link(s) on this connection don't record their QuickBooks company yet | Some older links need an update that support finishes. | Contact MetaFleet support. |
| This run didn't sync anything | The run stopped before it synced. The reason for each kind follows. | Look up each reason on this page. |
| QuickBooks already has a customer named …, and it's linked to another company in MetaFleet | 2 MetaFleet companies have the same name, and QuickBooks names must be unique. | Rename this company in MetaFleet, then sync again. |
| QuickBooks already uses "…" for a …, which can't stand in for an inventory item | A QuickBooks item of another type already has the part's name. | Rename one of them, then sync again. |
| The company has no name, or The vendor has no name (6080) | QuickBooks won't take a customer or vendor without a name. | Give it a name in MetaFleet, then sync again. |
| QuickBooks plan does not support inventory items (Plus/Advanced required) | Your QuickBooks plan doesn't track inventory. Inventory items need QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced. The part is skipped. | Move to Plus or Advanced if you want parts tracked as inventory in QuickBooks. |
| Cannot create the QuickBooks inventory item: no account is set for … | A parts row in Posting accounts has no account. | Choose one in Posting accounts on the QuickBooks card, then retry. |
| QuickBooks refused the accounts set for parts | A parts account is the wrong type. | In Posting accounts, choose a Sales of Product Income account for Parts, a Cost of Goods Sold account for Cost of parts and an Inventory account for Parts on the shelf. Then retry. |
| Its on-hand quantity couldn't be read | MetaFleet didn't create the item rather than give it a wrong opening stock. | Nothing to do. The next sync tries again. |
| MetaFleet couldn't create this customer from QuickBooks, or a vendor, part or payment | One record failed during the sync. | The next sync tries again. Contact support if it keeps happening. |
On an order's QuickBooks panel
The QuickBooks panel on the order's Billing tab shows a short status. For every status, see Send an Invoice and Check It in QuickBooks.
| Message starts with | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks refused this invoice | QuickBooks turned the invoice down. The reason is under it. | Look up the reason in the When QuickBooks refuses a send table above. |
| QuickBooks didn't take this invoice's sales tax | QuickBooks refused the tax MetaFleet sent. Nothing has gone to QuickBooks yet. | Click Choose another Sales tax account, or Send without the tax to send it with a different tax in QuickBooks. See How Sales Tax and Exemptions Work with QuickBooks. |
| QuickBooks couldn't be read just now. The last read stands. | Read back now couldn't reach QuickBooks. The panel keeps what it last read. | Try again in a minute. |
| Off by, Voided in QuickBooks or Not in QuickBooks any more | The invoice in QuickBooks no longer matches MetaFleet. | See How Invoices Map to QuickBooks. |
When you connect QuickBooks or link a customer
| Message or sign | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You come back from QuickBooks and the card still shows Connect QuickBooks Online | The connect didn't finish. You may have cancelled at QuickBooks, or that QuickBooks company is already connected to another MetaFleet account or brand. No message shows. | Click Connect to QuickBooks again. If it still doesn't connect, contact MetaFleet support. |
| The card shows Connect QuickBooks Online again, though nobody disconnected it | QuickBooks ended MetaFleet's sign-in. Nothing reaches QuickBooks until you connect again. | Connect the same QuickBooks company again, then click Retry for anything that failed meanwhile. See Disconnect, Reconnect and Use Brands with QuickBooks. |
| On Brands: That QuickBooks company is already your shop's | You picked your shop's own QuickBooks company for a brand. A brand without its own connection already posts there. | To give the brand its own books, connect a different company. |
| On Brands: That QuickBooks company is already connected to … | Another of your brands uses that company. | Connect a different company, or disconnect the other brand first. |
| On Brands: That QuickBooks company is connected to another MetaFleet account | The company belongs to a different MetaFleet account. | Connect a different company, or contact support. |
| On Brands: Something went wrong. Please try again or contact your administrator. | The connect was cancelled at QuickBooks, or the sign-in couldn't be saved. | Click Connect on the brand row again. |
| QuickBooks' customers couldn't be read. Try again in a minute. | On a company's QuickBooks card, the list of QuickBooks customers didn't load. | Try again in a minute. |
| The company needs a name before it can go to QuickBooks. | The company has no name. | Give it a name, then try again. |
| The customer was created in QuickBooks, but the link couldn't be saved | The customer exists in QuickBooks, but isn't linked yet. | Link the company to that customer. See Link a Customer to QuickBooks. |
| View only. Changing QuickBooks settings or running a sync needs the Manage account settings permission. | Your role can look but not change anything. | Ask an admin to make the change, or to give your role Manage account settings. |
FAQs
Does a refused invoice go again after I fix the cause?
Not by itself when the row says refused or stopped. Click Retry on the row, or Retry now to send them all. A send that is Waiting goes by itself once its cause is fixed.
What is the number in parentheses?
QuickBooks' own error code, such as 6240 for a duplicate name. Search this page for it, or give it to support with the Support ref.
My message isn't on this page. What do I do?
Copy the whole message and the Support ref, and send them to MetaFleet support with the invoice or record number. See Fix What Needs Attention in QuickBooks.
Do I need to fix anything in QuickBooks itself?
Sometimes. A deleted, inactive or duplicate record, or an item's inventory start date, is fixed in QuickBooks. Accounts, names and what syncs are fixed in MetaFleet.