Question

How to remove the red "needs attention" alert in the invoices section of the dashboard? We have handled w/ customer. QB said to wait

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
September 29, 2021
6 replies
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QuickBooks Online

MJoy_D

I can help you with removing the needs attention alert, @LWAY1.

You can remove this alert by voiding or deleting the invoice and then create a new one.

Here's how:

Go to Sales and select Invoices.
Find the invoice(s) that has the needs attention alert.
From the Action column click the dropdown menu, select Void or Delete.
Click Yes to confirm.

To know more about when to delete or void an invoice, refer to this article: Void or delete transactions in QuickBooks Online.

You can now recreate the invoice. Check out this article for the detailed steps and information: Create invoices in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to leave a comment on this thread if you have any other questions or concerns with your invoices. I'm always here to assist. Keep safe and have a wonderful day!

L

LWAY1Author

We were told to do that initially so we did. The alert persists.

Adrian_A

I appreciate you for gettingback to us, LWAY1.

You can run some steps to isolate what causes the persistence error.

To start with, try voiding or deleting the invoice through an incognito window. This is the best place to identify any browser-related issues. You may use these keyboard shortcuts to open one:

Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
Mozilla Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + P
Microsoft Edge: Ctrl + Shift + P
Safari: Command + Shift + N

If it works, you can go back to a regular browser and clear its cache. A piled cache can also be the reason for some unexpected issues on the opened pages.

You can also use a different browser like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.

Afterwards, you're good to recreate the invoice.

Also, if you want to take and process payments online, you can check this guide: Process customer payments.

Keep me posted as to how these steps work on your end. Keep safe!

R

RBLoom

I am dealing with this same issue. A customer paid online through QB payments. For reasons unbeknownst to either of us, the payment was rejected. They gladly repaid using a paper check. I deleted the old invoice, recreated a new, applied the correct payment, yadda, yadda, yadda. I have followed all correct bookkeeping procedures so my books aren't out of whack but the alert will.not.go.away. Sometimes, QB has really simple things that just annoy the crap out of us. Like little pebbles in our shoes. Except those are easy to fix!

M

mbursolutions

And here we are in 2023, and I have the same problem. QUICKBOOKS - LET US REMOVE THE "NEEDS ATTENTION" ALERT!!!!!!!!!

This is completely ridiculous!

JaeAnnC

I hear your sentiments, @mbursolutions. I can see how the alert message has caused some challenges in your business. Let me provide tips on how we can remove it in QuickBooks Online (QBO), so we can get back to business seamlessly.

If you've already followed the steps suggested by my colleague, MaryJoyD, about deleting and recreating the invoice, we can perform some basic troubleshooting steps to isolate the issue. This way, it removes the accumulated cache that results in errors when using QBO.

First, let's log in to your account through a private window. Please refer to these keyboard shortcuts:

For Google Chrome browser: Ctrl + Shift + N
For Mozilla Firefox browser: Ctrl + Shift + P
For Safari browser: Command + Shift + N

Then, let's check again to see if we're still getting the same alert message.

If it's resolved, we can go back to your regular browser to clear its cache or use a different supported browser. It might be a temporary issue with QBO and the browser you're currently using.

However, if the error message persists, It's best to reach out to our customer support. They have access to a screen-sharing tool, which can further investigate the cause of the issue.

When a customer pays an invoice, we'll have to record them to balance your accounts. Otherwise, the invoice stays open and remains unpaid in your reports. Also, we can either record the payment as full or partial, and QBO tracks the remaining balance.

Keep in touch if you have additional concerns about managing invoices. We're right here to back you up. Have a good one.

P

poley21

Seems like this has been an issue for years. I called yesterday (following the directions given by many qbo associates on this thread) and they were absolutely clueless on how to fix this. Seems like a simple enough thing to fix so I am not sure why they cannot figure out a way. I have been staring at this false alert for months. This is insane.

MaryLandT

I understand how you feel, poley21.

Let's work together and get rid of the invoices that has needs attention message. This happens when the invoice tracker didn't clear exceptions automatically. You can delete the invoice in question and re-create it.

Here's how to delete the invoice.

Go to Get paid & pay and select Invoices.
Find and select the invoice you wish to delete.
On the Invoice page, choose More at the bottom, then Delete.
Select Yes to confirm.
Once done, re-create it.

If the invoice is already paid in QuickBooks, navigate the Receive payment option to link the invoice and the payment.

I've outlined the steps below.

Click the + New icon.
Select Receive Payment.
Choose the Customer from the drop-down. This displays all open invoices and outstanding credits for your customer.
Enter the day you received the payment in the Payment date field.
From the Outstanding Transaction section, mark the invoice you need to mark as paid.
Under Credits, mark the payment .
Hit Save and close.

I also recommend visiting our website for more tips and other resources you can use in the future: Self-help articles.

If this doesn't resolve the issue, I recommend contacting our QuickBooks Live Team. They'll pull up your account and review the details of the affected invoice. Then, they'll create a case and forward it to our Product Team for further investigation.

If there’s anything else I can help you with QuickBooks, feel free to click the Reply button. I’ll be right here to assist further. Have a good one.

P

poley21

Thanks for the attempt, MaryLandT. I did so yesterday on the phone with a rep for an hour and 4 minutes. I told her I tried deleting the invoice and remaking it but it didn't work. I told her I tried voiding the invoice and then redoing it but it didn't work. She didn't believe me so I did it while she was remote viewing 3 times in a row but it still didn't work. Nothing has been solved.

Please recommend something else other than what all of the other QB associates are saying. I've tried it all at this point.

S

ShaneQ

I'm just replying only to add to the number of accounts experiencing this issue. I have the same issue. Followed the posted technical document on how to resolve it. The account is reconciled but still shows needs attention.

R

RoseJillB

Thank you for sharing your experience, @ShaneQ.

I understand the hurdle that this issue causing you when working on your transactions in QuickBooks Online (QBO). That said, I recommend you contact our Technical Support Team. This way, they can double-check your account to know what causes the reconciled accounts showing a need attention alert.

Moreover, our phone support has the tools to initiate a further investigation and provide fixes in no time. To reach them, you can follow the steps below:

Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account.
Click the Help button.
In the QuickBooks Assistance chat box, select Talk to a human and or tap the Contact Us button at the bottom.
Then, type in your reason for contacting us in the What can we help you with? Box and click Continue.
From there, choose a way to connect with us; either to Chat with us, get a Callback, or call our support line directly by getting our Phone number.

Additionally, refer to this article for other options when contacting them. You can also scroll down to the bottom to see their support schedules and hours: QuickBooks Online Support.

Let me know if you have more concerns about your QuickBooks transactions. I’ll make sure to get back as soon as I can. Stay safe!

K

KBM Bookkeeper

For anyone who has spent half a day tearing their hair out over this (like I have, 4 calls to QBO help line later and still no resolution!), here is the solution I used that cleared the dispute message for a bounced payment:

1. When the bounced payment withdrawal is taken back out of the account, create an expense using the customer's name and the accounts receivable account to match to the withdrawal.

2. Change the payment that later bounced, to match to the new expense. The original invoice will go back to showing being due.

3. Once the bounced payment is resolved and final payment is made, match that payment against the original invoice.

All four of these transactions show under the same customer and at this point the error message has disappeared, my BS and P&L are accurate, and I can finally go take a walk 😉

Best of luck!

B

BGJ

Today is Feb 7, 2025 and this is STILL an issue! In our case, the husband of a client didn't recognize our company name and disputed the transaction with his CC company. But to our knowledge, the amount was never taken back from our account. The appropriate paperwork was filed with QBO after the consultant talked with the wife. But the red "needs attention" and "disputed" transaction remains. In the case of a 2nd customer, we have no idea why that one is marked in the same way. She's happy with the product and service. We've not seen money "bounce" back.

I'm going on record with others - QUICKBOOKS - ADD A RESOLVED/CLEARED button so we don't have to do accounting gymnastics that are NOT best practices!! PLEASE!!

AlverMarkT

I hear you, @BGJ. I understand resolving the Needs Attention error notifications on your invoices can pose a challenge. Your workflow needs to be as smooth as possible, and I get that these lingering alerts can be a real hurdle. I'm chiming in to point you in the right direction to get your situation addressed.

The Needs Attention error for disputed transactions will continue to show as long as the failed payment is tied to an invoice, and as you pointed out and with other Community members who replied in this thread, we'll have to do accounting workarounds since situations like disputed payments require manual intervention currently.

The software should accommodate various business needs by adding an efficient option for a resolved or cleared button for disputed customer payments. I encourage sending your feedback to our Product Engineers to consider adding this option in the future:

Go to the Gear icon.
Select Feedback.
Enter your comments and suggestions.

Regarding the invoice linked to the second customer that also shows the Needs Attention error, I recommend contacting our Live Support team for assistance. They can access your account in a secure environment, assist you in conducting further research, and create an investigation ticket if needed.

Go to the Help (?) option.
Choose the Search tab.
Select Contact Us.
Click on Customer and vendor payments.
Pick Chat with us, Schedule appointment, or Have us call you.

For future reference or once this is resolved, I'm adding this guide about matching transactions in QBO: Confirm suggested matches for bank transactions in QuickBooks Online.

Addressing these persistent alerts is crucial, and your feedback plays an essential role in improving QuickBooks. If there are details or other questions you'd like to add, feel free to click on the Reply button. We're committed to offering ongoing support.

L

LSefcik1

This is once again a ridiculous QB error that the people who run QB are trying to pawn off as a work around or an alternative fix. I've been on the phone for 2 hours today because none of my invoices were delivered to customers. The rep said I need to contact my customers to see if they changed something since Nov/Deb 2024 when invoices were emailed just fine!!!! What? Contact all my customer because they ALL did something to stop QB from sending them invoices? This is just the kind of ridiculous answers you get when you call the help line! Obviously there is something that changed in the software of invoicing online between Nov 2024 and Jan 2025 when it stopped working! I am waiting on hold going on 2 hrs to speak to a supervisor. They want to tell you they will call you back but they never (NEVER) do! I'm trying to run a business and NEED to send out invoices!!! I cannot download every invoice and manually send it!!!!! QB this has been an issue since 1/1/25 (I know because I have invoices that HAD to go out on 1/1/25 and yes, i had to download every single one and send it). This is not across the board because I use invoicing for my main company and it isn't a problem there; just with a side job client. The most frustrating part is that instead of the rep on the phone admitting this is a problem that needs to be fixed, they try to pawn it off as the customers have done something (all 45 of them!) to make this problem happen!! It is just ludicrous and ridiculous and until QB can get some people who understand accounting issues and programmers who are capable (this would be a 5 min fix in my main company), they will never be in mainstream accounting software!!!

cody_a

Employee

@LSefcik1 We understand this has been incredibly frustrating for you, and we recognize the difficulties you've experienced. We've escalated your issue to our Next Level Help team. They'll carefully review all your Community comments and your previous support history to get the full context of the problem. You can expect to hear from one of our experts soon with next steps to get this resolved.

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