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

Hi bdwlib-gmail-com,

Welcome to Community!  QuickBooks Online offers a dynamic payroll module for paying your staff with confidence.  I can see how concerning it would be when you're prompted with a message that 'something you're trying to use has been made inactive'.  This can be due to a couple of factors.  I'd be glad to assist so you can meet your QuickBooks goals!

Initially, I suggest clearing cache on your browser, if you haven't already done so.  Proceed to open your QuickBooks account in a private or incognito browser, or try other browsers such as Safari, Edge, Firefox or Google Chrome.  If you see the same message, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Gear in the top right and then Payroll Settings

2. Under Preferences, open Accounting

3. Review all accounts that are mapped to payroll

4. If any of these accounts have been made inactive in the chart of accounts, you'll need to make them active.  Here's how:

2. From the Gear, select Chart of Accounts

2. Click on the small Gear above the Action column

3. Check the box to Include inactive

4. Locate the account associated with the payroll mapping and hit Make active

You should be able to proceed with payroll without further delays or error messages.  Typically, if you've previously terminated an employee or made them inactive, this wouldn't prompt the error message you've noted above.

If you continue to experience the same result, please don't hesitate to contact us.  It would be a pleasure to work with you in real time and ensure you're able to get back to what you love without further delay!

For any other questions, feel free to reach back out.  We'd be happy to help!