Solved

Form 941 not opening

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
July 2, 2020
13 replies
0 views

I am trying to open Form 941 for Q2 2020 payroll tax reporting in QB desktop 2019. This client had no payroll for Q2. QB desktop will not open Form 941 saying that no employees were paid in that period. I still need to file a zero Form 941. Why won't QB open Form 941? I have done the payroll update, so that's not the problem.

QuickBooks Desktop

Best answer by BigRedConsulting

Someone at Intuit messed up and thought this a reasonable change to make, to stop you from being compliant and filing when you had no payroll. Support has been posting here trying to defend it.

Their workaround for this bug - instead of just fixing it - is to create a dummy paycheck in the period and then void it. Apparently then it's OK to create and empty 941.

BigRedConsultingAnswer

Someone at Intuit messed up and thought this a reasonable change to make, to stop you from being compliant and filing when you had no payroll. Support has been posting here trying to defend it.

Their workaround for this bug - instead of just fixing it - is to create a dummy paycheck in the period and then void it. Apparently then it's OK to create and empty 941.

U

UA ScannerAuthor

Thank you! Will they ever learn what's it is like in real life?

J

Johnna

I'm having the same problem. Did that work for you?

C

clairel

Is QB's going to fix the issue with filing forms regardless of payroll?

C

ccutright

QB, please fix this. We have a complicated payroll that is more really than Quickbooks can handle. We have made it work for several years, but you keep making changes that make it more and more difficult for us. How difficult can it be to remove the change? I need to be able to get into the form and enter the correct numbers. Processing dummy payrolls for 14 accounts is time I don't have.

R

robinz46

I have sent QB several messages stating form 941 won't populate and generate a zero wages paid for this quarter. Nothing seems to have been done to rectify the problem. I need to file this form to remain compliant. Is anyone at QB looking at these posts?

Angelyn_T

Hello, @robinz46.

The form is already available in QuickBooks Desktop. If you're experiencing issues, you can update your QuickBooks to the newest release and get the latest payroll tax table update. For your guide, check out these articles:

However, the form is temporarily blocked in QuickBooks Online. Rest assured our engineers are now working to provide the form as quickly as possible so customers can file it through QuickBooks. While they're finding a fix, you can go to the IRS website and manually fill out a 941 return. This way you can print or download the form then mail it to the Federal Agency.

For now, I also encourage reaching out to our Support Team and have them attach your case to INV-45584 so they can add your account information to the notification list.

To contact support, tap on Contact us from the Help menu.

If you have any other questions, mention me in the comment section below. I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. Keep safe!

T

treynolds241

I just tried to generate this report in QB desktop and still continue to receive the message regarding there not being any employees in Q2 2020 and yes, I have updated payroll

H

HSI_Stan

I'm having the same problem - QB2020 refuses to generate a Form 941 because I had no payroll in Q2.

I've updated QB2020 to the latest version, and also updated the payroll info. Still doesn't work.

Since we are required to file Form 941 even if there is no payroll activity, my Quickbooks payroll subscription is NON-COMPLIANT with IRS regulations. Note to the QB team - if you are not going to keep your payroll services compliant with IRS regulations, I will be requesting a refund for my payroll subscription.

L

Library Inc

At least I'm not the only one. But we have dozens of payroll clients and this will take forever for those S Corps who only run their payroll at the end of the year

C

CMRowland

Same here. I do hope this is fixed by 7/31/20.

Tori B

Hey there, @CMRowland.

Thanks for following the thread. Let me share some information with you.

I've checked on the investigation provided by my colleague above. I found that our engineering team has closed it as resolved on 7/13/2020. Since you're still experiencing the issue, I recommend contacting support, providing them with INV-45584, and letting them know you're still unable to access the form. This way, the engineering team can conduct further investigation. I've included the steps for contacting support below.

1. Open QuickBooks.

2. From the Help menu at the top, choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.

3. In the search bar, enter Contact Us. Then, click on the Contact Us icon at the bottom.

4. Choose which method you wish to speak with support (Chat, Callback, Etc.).

Take a look at the Support Hours to know the best time to get in touch.

Let me know if you have additional questions or concerns. Feel free to reach out to the Community any time. Wishing you and your business continued success. Take care!

D

DKM-CPA

Creating a dummy check cannot be a correct solution. Please look into this - per the IRS instructions you must file a 941 with zero wages in a quarter where there is no activity. If you do not, you will get a notice from the IRS requesting a 941 be filed.

S

Stevecpa66

It is unacceptable to have a work around to file the easiest Form 941 there is. One with no taxable wages. It basically includes name, address, and one box checked to indicate no taxable wages.

B

bookcents

I agree. Why would they block an IRS form that is mandatory? They keep increasing the price of payroll and then take away forms? Does not make any sense!

M

MaryAnn_E

Hello there, @bookcents.

I know how important to file the 941 form return with zero payrolls. Currently, this is a reported issue and under investigation. Rest assured that our product engineers are now working to resolve this as soon as possible.

I'd recommend contacting our Payroll Support Team, so you'd be added to the list of affected users. Just provide your name, updated email address, and the investigation number INV-48016.

Here's how:

Go to the Help menu.
Select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
Click the Contact Us button.
Enter a short description of your concerns, under the Ask a question field.
Click Continue.
Select Get a callback.
From here you can choose to schedule a callback for a time that is convenient for you.

You can see their hours of operation from this article: Support hours and types.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

N

nazderian

Thank you for the info. I will call the support team to add my name to the list. I too have Zero payroll and am looking to file online.

I'm not sure what it means that the"form is blocked" - is this the fault of the IRS or is it a programming glitch on Quickbooks side?

In other words, does this mean the government is giving us an extension to file our quarterlies?? Or are they still due by the 31st and our fate is in Quickbooks hands? Because it sounds like while you hope your team can fix it, Quickbooks cannot promise that this will be resolved by the time we need to file our 941. Am I understanding this correctly?

Also, FYI, It is July 21st - I just tried again, and it didn't work for me. If there is an update on ETA - this would be good to know as well.

Thanks for the clarification and help.

Show more replies

Sign up

Login with SSO

Login to the community

Login with SSO