When you record a payment in STRATAFOLIO, the payment syncs to QuickBooks so your books stay up to date without double entry. Most of the time, this happens quietly in the background. Sometimes QuickBooks cannot accept the payment. When that happens, STRATAFOLIO marks the payment with an Error status and shows a message that explains what went wrong.
This article explains where to find these messages, what each one means, and how to fix the problem so the payment can sync. You will also learn how the Retry button works, who can use it, and what each Retry message means.
These errors are different from ACH bank returns. If a tenant’s bank rejected an ACH transfer, see How to Handle ACH Error Codes instead.
Before You Begin Troubleshooting Payment Sync Errors
Make sure you have the following:
- Access to the Lease the payment belongs to in STRATAFOLIO.
- Admin access, if you plan to use the Retry button.
- Access to the QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online company file connected to the Entity, so you can correct the problem at its source.
- A healthy QuickBooks connection. If your whole integration has stopped syncing, fix the connection first. See How to Reconnect and Fix a Broken QuickBooks Desktop Sync or How to Use QuickBooks Online with STRATAFOLpIO.
Where to Find Payment Sync Errors
Payment sync error messages appear on the Payments tab of each Lease, under the Error Message column.
Any payment that did not sync shows an Error status. The error message for that payment appears with it on the Payments tab.
What To Do When You See A Payment Sync Error
Follow these steps whenever you see a payment with an Error status.
Step 1: Check the specific error message from the Payments tab on the Lease
Go to Operations, then Leases. Click the “i” button next to the Lease, then select the Payments tab. Find the payment marked Error.
Step 2: Read the error message
Read the full message. Each message tells you what QuickBooks could not find or accept, such as the invoice, the customer, or an account. Use the tables in the next section to match the message to its cause.
Step 3: Correct the problem in QuickBooks first
Almost every message asks you to check whether the problem can be corrected in QuickBooks. Open your QuickBooks company file and fix the cause. For example, you might remove a duplicate payment, restore a merged customer, or confirm that a deposit account still exists.
Always correct the problem in QuickBooks before you retry. If you retry without fixing the cause, the payment will fail again with the same message.
Step 4: Retry the payment
Once you fix the cause, click the Retry button for the payment on the Payments tab. If the retry is accepted, you will see this message: “The payment will be retried on the next QuickBooks sync.”
Step 5: Confirm the payment synced
For QuickBooks Desktop, the payment is sent the next time Web Connector runs. For QuickBooks Online, the payment usually syncs within minutes. After the sync, return to the Payments tab and confirm the Error status is gone. You can also open the invoice in QuickBooks to confirm the payment is applied.
What the Error Statuses Mean
An Error status means STRATAFOLIO recorded the payment, but QuickBooks did not accept it. The payment exists in STRATAFOLIO but not in QuickBooks. Until you fix the cause and retry, the payment and your books will not match.
This is different from the Sync Error status you may see on invoices on the Rent Collection page. That status applies to invoices. The Error status described in this article applies to payments.
QuickBooks Desktop Error Messages
QuickBooks Desktop sends back a code when it rejects a payment. STRATAFOLIO translates the most common codes into plain messages that tell you what to check. Some codes, like 3120, can mean more than one thing, so STRATAFOLIO shows a different message for each situation.
| Error Type | QuickBooks Code | When It Happens | Message You Will See | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice not found | 3120 | QuickBooks cannot find the invoice the payment is applied to. The invoice was deleted in QuickBooks, or it is already fully paid there. QuickBooks uses the same code for both situations. | The invoice for this payment could not be found in QuickBooks. It may have been deleted, or it may already be fully paid there. Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks (for example, by deleting the payment that already covers the invoice). If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Open the invoice in QuickBooks Desktop. If a duplicate payment already covers it, remove the duplicate. If the invoice was deleted, recreate or correct it. Then retry the payment. |
| Customer not found | 3120 | The customer on the payment no longer exists in QuickBooks because it was deleted or merged. | The customer for this payment could not be found in QuickBooks. It may have been deleted or merged. Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks. If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Check the customer in QuickBooks Desktop. Confirm the Lease is linked to the correct Accounting Customer in STRATAFOLIO. Then retry the payment. |
| Account not found | 3120 | The bank deposit account or A/R account on the payment no longer exists in QuickBooks because it was deleted or merged. | The bank deposit account or A/R account for this payment could not be found in QuickBooks. It may have been deleted or merged. Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks. If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Confirm the deposit account and A/R account still exist in QuickBooks Desktop and are mapped correctly in STRATAFOLIO. Then retry the payment. |
| Payment is more than the balance | 3210 | The payment is larger than the amount still owed on the invoice in QuickBooks. | This payment is bigger than what’s owed on the invoice in QuickBooks. Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks (for example, by deleting the payment already entered there for this invoice). If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Look for a payment already recorded on the invoice in QuickBooks Desktop. Remove the duplicate if there is one. Then retry the payment. |
| Invalid account | 3140 | QuickBooks rejects an account on the payment as missing or not valid. | The bank deposit account or A/R account for this payment is missing or not valid in QuickBooks (for example, it was deleted or merged). Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks. If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Check the deposit account and A/R account in QuickBooks Desktop and your account mapping in STRATAFOLIO. Then retry the payment. |
| Other invalid item | 3140 | QuickBooks rejects something else on the payment as missing or not valid, such as the customer, item, class, or template. | Something used in this payment (like the customer or an account) is missing or not valid in QuickBooks (for example, it was deleted or merged). Check whether this can be corrected in QuickBooks. If it can, correct it there first, then retry this payment. | Review the customer, Income Item, and Class in QuickBooks Desktop to find what was deleted or merged. Correct it, then retry the payment. |
| Other QuickBooks errors | Any other code | QuickBooks returns a code STRATAFOLIO does not translate. Examples include a record that is locked because someone has it open, an amount mismatch, or a record that was edited in QuickBooks at the same time. | The error text from QuickBooks itself. | Read the QuickBooks message for clues. For a locked record, close the record in QuickBooks and try again after the next sync. If you cannot resolve it, submit a ticket to Support. |
| Payment could not be sent | No code | STRATAFOLIO stops the payment before it reaches QuickBooks. This happens when the payment has no active lines, or when the customer, deposit account, or invoice belongs to a different QuickBooks integration. | A short message from STRATAFOLIO that explains what is wrong, such as the payment having no active lines to sync. | Confirm the payment has at least one active line and that the customer, deposit account, and invoice all belong to the same QuickBooks integration. |
A few things to know about QuickBooks Desktop errors:
- Code 3120 for an invoice can mean the invoice was deleted, or that it is already fully paid. QuickBooks uses the same code for both. A common cause of the second case is a payment that was already recorded directly in QuickBooks.
- Code 3210 means the payment is bigger than what is still owed. This usually means someone already recorded part or all of the payment in QuickBooks.
- If QuickBooks returns a code that STRATAFOLIO does not translate, you will see the original QuickBooks message instead. Examples include a record that is locked because someone has it open, an amount that does not match, or a record edited in QuickBooks at the same time as the sync.
- Sometimes STRATAFOLIO stops a payment before it ever reaches QuickBooks. This happens when the payment has no active lines, or when the customer, deposit account, or invoice belongs to a different QuickBooks integration. In that case, you will see a short message from STRATAFOLIO with no QuickBooks code.
QuickBooks Online Error Messages
QuickBooks Online errors work a little differently. When QuickBooks Online rejects a payment, STRATAFOLIO shows you the exact message that QuickBooks Online sent back.
Occasionally QuickBooks Online sends back a response STRATAFOLIO cannot read, such as an outage page. When this happens, STRATAFOLIO cannot tell whether the payment was created. To protect you from duplicate payments, STRATAFOLIO does not send the payment again automatically, and no error message appears. Check QuickBooks Online to see whether the payment exists.
| Error Type | When It Happens | Message You Will See | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sync failure | QuickBooks Online rejects the payment. | The error text returned by QuickBooks Online. | Read the QuickBooks Online message, correct the issue in QuickBooks Online or STRATAFOLIO, and then retry the payment. |
| Unreadable response | QuickBooks Online sends back a response STRATAFOLIO cannot read, such as an outage page. STRATAFOLIO cannot tell whether the payment was created. | No message is shown. STRATAFOLIO does not resend the payment automatically, so it does not create a duplicate. | Search QuickBooks Online for the payment. If it is there, no action is needed. If it is missing, submit a ticket to Support. |
How the Retry Button Works
The Retry button sends a failed payment back to QuickBooks on the next sync. It does not send the payment instantly.
Keep these rules in mind:
- Only Admin users can see and use the Retry button.
- You can only retry a payment that has a sync error.
- STRATAFOLIO will not retry a payment that already has a matching record in QuickBooks, because retrying could create a duplicate.
When you click Retry, you will see one of the messages below.
| Result | When It Happens | Message You Will See |
|---|---|---|
| Retry accepted | The retry was accepted. The payment is queued for the next QuickBooks sync. | The payment will be retried on the next QuickBooks sync. |
| Retry turned off | Retrying payments is not available at this time. | Retrying payments is currently disabled. |
| No permission | You are not an Admin on the Lease the payment belongs to. | You do not have permission to retry this payment. |
| Not in error | The payment does not have a sync error, so there is nothing to retry. | This payment is not in a sync error state. |
| Already in QuickBooks | The payment already has a matching record in QuickBooks. Retrying could create a duplicate. | This payment appears to already exist in QuickBooks, so it cannot be retried automatically. Verify in QuickBooks and create a support ticket only if it needs to be corrected manually. |
Why Fixing the Problem in QuickBooks Comes First
STRATAFOLIO sends the same payment details every time you retry. If the invoice is still missing, the customer is still merged, or the balance is still too low, QuickBooks will reject the payment again. Fixing the cause first means your retry works the first time.
Examples, Best Practices, and Tips
Example 1: A payment that was entered twice
Your bookkeeper recorded a tenant’s check directly in QuickBooks Desktop. Later, you recorded the same check in STRATAFOLIO. The STRATAFOLIO payment shows an Error status with the message “This payment is bigger than what’s owed on the invoice in QuickBooks.” Because the check is already recorded in QuickBooks, the invoice balance is too low for the second payment. Decide which record to keep. If you want STRATAFOLIO’s payment to be the one on file, delete the duplicate payment in QuickBooks, then click Retry.
Example 2: A merged customer
Someone merged two duplicate customers in QuickBooks Desktop. The next payment for that tenant shows the message “The customer for this payment could not be found in QuickBooks.” Open the Lease, select Edit Lease, and confirm the Accounting Customer points to the customer that still exists. Save your changes, then click Retry.
Example 3: QuickBooks Online was down
A payment you recorded does not appear in QuickBooks Online, and there is no error message. QuickBooks Online may have had an outage during the sync. Search QuickBooks Online for the payment. If you find it, no action is needed. If it is missing, submit a ticket to Support.
Best practices for Payments
- Record each payment in only one place, either STRATAFOLIO or QuickBooks. Most payment errors come from the same payment being entered in both.
- Check the Payments tab on your Leases after each sync, especially during month-end.
- Do not delete or merge customers, accounts, or Income Items in QuickBooks while they are still in use in STRATAFOLIO.
- Fix the problem in QuickBooks before you click Retry.
- For QuickBooks Desktop, close any open invoice or customer records before Web Connector runs so they are not locked during the sync.
