QuickBooks Error 40001 | Your All in 1 Guide to Fix it

After the maintenance release, 5 (R5) for QuickBooks 2021, payroll users using Direct Deposit to pay their employees are required to update their account information as per the New Federal Compliance Rules. Users will need to update the Principal Officer, Address, Physical Address, SSN, and other business info before a certain date. You get a warning message to update the account info in the Payroll Center that reads “Update your Payroll Account info by (Date).” However, due to some technical glitches, if you are getting QuickBooks Error 40001 like several other QuickBooks users, you will need to go through several troubleshooting solutions before submitting the updated account info to Intuit.

In this article, we will try to figure out what prompts QuickBooks to throw “Error Code: 40001 Something’s not right. We are unable to complete your request at the moment” error message and how you can get rid of it to activate or process direct deposit in QuickBooks.

Dealing with errors while running payroll, activating direct deposit, and updating accounts with the latest Federal compliances can be distressing. It is best advised to let the experts handle the payroll-related chores, who you can contact by dialing payroll support number 1.800.579.0391

Reasons that Prompt QuickBooks Payroll Error 40001

After going through several online resources and intensively analyzing the error 40001 in QuickBooks payroll, we have found the following reasons responsible for it.

1. Like other general operations in QuickBooks, activating or running payroll required you to run QuickBooks as an administrator. If you are not using an account with admin rights, you will likely face issues like QuickBooks Desktop error 40001.
2. It is pretty obvious that corruption in the company file can also trigger issues running or activating payroll as payroll data is saved in the company file.
3. Due to some technical glitches between the program and the Intuit server, the Company Realm ID of your QuickBooks Desktop is not matching what Intuit has on their end.
4. If the installation of the QuickBooks Desktop has been messed up due to some other program or accidental deletion of QuickBooks program files, then also you can face QuickBooks error code 40001.
5. You might also encounter the same error when your QuickBooks Desktop or payroll tax table is not updated.
6. When Internet Explorer is not used as the default browser on your Windows operating system.

As of now, you must be well aware of the reasons that can result in error 40001 in QuickBooks that can restrict you from running direct deposits for your employees. Next, in this article, we will highlight the troubleshooting solutions that can help you eliminate the issue with zero effort.

What is QuickBooks Error PS038 & How to Resolve It?

Solutions to Fix QuickBooks Direct Deposit Error 40001

Solution 1: Run QuickBooks with Administrative Privileges

1. If you are not the network administrator, you will need to ask your admin for the Windows admin account login credentials.
2. If you have the admin account login credentials, right-click the QuickBooks Desktop icon and select the Run as Administrator option.
3. When prompted, enter the required login credentials and hit the Enter key.
4. Once QuickBooks starts running with admin privileges, retry to activate direct deposit or send the updated account info to Intuit.

If running QuickBooks as an administrator does not help you resolve the issue, jump to the next troubleshooting solution.

QuickBooks Cannot Verify Payroll Subscription Error PS036

Solution 2: Diagnose and Repair Corruption in the Company Data

1. Run QuickBooks Desktop and go to the File tab, where you will find the Utilities drop-down menu.
2. Click the Utilities option and select the Verify Data option.
3. QuickBooks will start verifying the data for corruption.
4. If corruption is found, QuickBooks will prompt you to repair it.
5. Click the Rebuild Data option and once the data is repaired, retry to perform the same action that triggered the error.

Try the next troubleshooting method if you continue getting QuickBooks payroll center error 40001.

Solution 3: Update QuickBooks Desktop and Payroll Updates

1. Run QuickBooks Desktop as an administrator and go to the Help tab.
2. Select the Update QuickBooks Desktop option and when the Update QuickBooks windows pop up, click the Update Now tab.
3. Select the Get Updates option and restart QuickBooks when the updates are completely downloaded.
4. Select the Install Updates option and go to the Employees tab.
5. Select the Get Payroll Updates option from the drop-down menu and select the Download Latest Updates option.
6. Once your QuickBooks Desktop and Payroll are updated, retry to activate direct deposit to check if updating has resolved QuickBooks error 40001.

Solution 4: Repair Installation Issues using QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool

1. To repair QuickBooks Desktop installation, you will need QuickBooks Tool Hub.
2. Download it by selecting the QuickBooks Tool Hub option under the Help tab and clicking the relevant download link on the Tool Hub page.
3. Run the QuickBooksToolHub.exe file to begin the installation and once it completes, run the program using the shortcut icon on the desktop.
4. Go to the Installation Issues tab, select QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool, and wait until it repairs the QuickBooks Desktop installation damage.
5. After the application is completely repaired, launch QuickBooks and verify if repairing has resolved the error.

If the error is still not resolved, you will need to apply the troubleshooting methods mentioned further in this article.

Solution 5: Set Internet Explorer as the Default Internet Browser

1. Launch Internet Explorer and click the Tools option or the Gear icon at the top-right.
2. Select Internet Options and move to the Programs tab.
3. Select the Make Default option and click Apply and OK to save the changes.
4. Once Internet Explorer is set as your default internet browser, you can retry to activate direct deposit or update the account info.

If none of the solutions resolves QuickBooks Error 40001, this points towards the only reason left, that is, issues with the Realm ID. To get your Realm ID updated, you will need to contact support. Once your Realm ID is updated and matches your Realm ID in your payroll account, you will need to reset your payroll login and re-login with the new Realm ID and payroll login credentials. You do not have to wait in the long customer service queues for on-call or chat support to get relevant help. All you need to do is dial 1.800.579.0391 and connect with the live team.