How to Fix Submission Errors in Sage 50 Payroll

Sage Payroll is a powerful tool for businesses to manage employee payments and handle Real Time Information (RTI) submissions to HMRC. However, like any software, issues can arise when submitting information, which may result in submission errors. Sage 50 Payroll Submission errors are caused due to authentication failure, filing period, insufficient permissions, incorrect government gateway user ID or password, employer scheme cancellation, and PAYE scheme not being set up correctly.  In this article, you will learn how to fix Sage RTI Submission errors and successfully submit FPS (Full Payment Submission) without issues.

What are the Prerequisites for Resolving the Submission Error in Sage Payroll

Before you start fixing the submission errors in Sage 50 payroll, you must ensure that you are submitting the correct user ID and password. Apart from this, check if there are any spaces or special characters present in the business address or employee fields. Lastly, make sure that your account is active. 

Steps to Fix RTI Submission Errors in Sage Payroll

When attempting to submit RTI information to HMRC, you may encounter different errors, each with its specific cause. It is important to identify the exact error code to apply the correct solution. Here is a breakdown of the most common Sage 50 submission errors and how to fix them.

1: Error 1046: Incorrect Credentials or Server Issues

This error occurs when HMRC does not recognize the credentials entered in your payroll system, or if there is a temporary issue with the HMRC servers.

Solution:

• Sign in to your Government Gateway account through a Chrome browser in an incognito window to ensure no stored credentials are causing the issue.
• Verify that your account is active and that the “PAYE For Employers” section is visible. If not, you may need to sign up for the PAYE scheme.
• Check your business name, address, PAYE reference, and Account Office Reference. Ensure they match the details held by HMRC. You can update them if necessary from the Manage Business Account section in Sage Payroll.
• Try to resubmit your FPS (Full Payment Submission) after updating the credentials.

If the Sage 50 error 1046 persists, it might be an issue with HMRC’s system. Contact them to confirm the status of your PAYE for Employers account.

2: Error 4065: Invalid Characters or Missing Data

This error usually occurs due to invalid characters (such as @, #, or $) in employee details or missing mandatory information in the payroll system. Even a small typo can trigger this error.

Solution:

• Open the Employees tab and check each employee’s details, including their National Insurance number, name, and address.
• Make sure there are no extra spaces or special characters in these fields. Special characters like “~” or “@” should not be included.
• Ensure that the employee’s address is complete and accurately entered in the system, with no missing details in fields such as Street 2 or the postcode.
• Save the details and try the submission again if everything looks good

Note: Go to Manage Business Account and correct any discrepancies in the business details if this error affects the business address

3: Error 4084: Negative Amount in Employee Pay

This error occurs when a negative value is recorded for an employee’s pay, such as an over-refund for a previous payroll period.

Solution:

• Run the P11 report to review employee pay and ensure there are no discrepancies in year-to-date totals.
• Ensure that the refund amount does not exceed the total pay recorded for the year if you have issued a refund to an employee.
• Correct any opening balance issues in the Employee Pay section. In case of any requirement, you must make adjustments to the values before proceeding with the submission.

You must ensure the P11 values are accurate and that no negative balances are present if the issue is due to a previous year’s payroll.

4: Error 4085: Invalid Characters or Missing Data (Employee Details)

Similar to Error 4065, this issue arises when invalid characters or spaces are present in employee data.

Solution:

• Go to the Employees tab and select the employee in question.
• Edit the Personal Details and Contact Details sections, ensuring that there are no spaces or special characters in the NI number, forename, surname, or address.
• Save the corrected information and re-attempt the submission.

Repeat these steps for all employees included in the pay run to ensure the data is error-free.

5: Error 7801: Incorrect PAYE Reference or Accounts Office Ref

This error will occur during submission if your Accounts Office Ref or PAYE Reference is incorrect if your Accounts Office Ref or PAYE Reference is incorrect

Solution:

• Go to Settings and select Payroll Settings.
• Double-check that both the Accounts Office Ref and PAYE Reference are correctly entered.
• Save your changes and try to submit your FPS again.

This error may also occur if these references were changed by HMRC and not updated in Sage Payroll.

6: Error 7782/7953: Invalid Corporation Tax Reference

You will encounter this error if an incorrect Corporation Tax reference is entered.

Solution:

• Navigate to Settings and select Payroll Settings.
• Check if your Corporation Tax details are correct.
• Update the reference if necessary and save your changes before resubmitting.

Ensure that all the details entered are up to date with the latest information from HMRC.

7: Error 7806: RTI Start Date Issue

This Sage 50 error 7806 indicates that HMRC is not expecting your business to start filing RTI returns yet, possibly because your PAYE scheme has not been activated.

Solution:

• Contact HMRC’s Employer Helpline and request confirmation that your RTI start date has been set correctly. You may need to update this information to align with HMRC’s records.

8: Error 5001: Submitting for a Previous Tax Year

This Sage error 5001 occurs HMRC does not accept FPS submissions for past tax years unless specific conditions apply.

Solution:

• You may need to reach out to HMRC’s Employer Helpline for manual submission instructions if you’re submitting information for a previous tax year.

9: Error 7802: Online Services Account Not Activated

This error happens if you haven’t activated your online services account with HMRC for submitting RTI data.

Solution:

• Contact HMRC’s Employer Helpline and ask them to activate your PAYE account for RTI submissions. Ensure that you are properly authorized to submit on behalf of your client if you’re acting as an agent.

10: Error 7815: Employer Scheme Cancelled

HMRC may cancel your employer scheme if you have not submitted any RTI data for at least three months.

Solution:

• To resolve this issue, contact HMRC’s Employer Helpline to check the status of your employer scheme. You may need to reactivate it before continuing with your submissions.

11: Error 7911: Early EPS Submission

This error will occur if you are submitting an Employer Payment Summary (EPS) before the 5th of the tax month.

Solution:

• Wait until after the 5th of the tax month to submit the EPS, as HMRC only accepts these submissions after this date.

12: Error 7818: Employer Scheme Cancelled (Long-Term Inactivity)

This is another error indicating that HMRC has canceled your employer scheme due to long-term inactivity (no RTI submissions for three months or more).

Solution:

• As with Error 7815, you will need to contact HMRC’s Employer Helpline to reactivate your employer scheme.

Additional Tips for Resolving Sage Payroll Submission Errors

• Verify Employee Details: Always ensure that employee names, addresses, and National Insurance numbers are accurate and free from extra spaces or special characters.
• Use Incognito Mode: To avoid issues caused by saved login details or browser caching, use incognito mode when logging into your Sage Payroll or HMRC portal.
• Check for System Updates: Regularly check for updates to Sage Payroll to ensure you have the latest version, which may resolve compatibility issues with HMRC’s system.
• Contact HMRC: HMRC’s Employer Helpline is your best resource for resolving submission errors related to account issues, registration problems, or other technical concerns if all else fails.

13: Error 0003 Unable to connect to Government Gateway

To Fix Sage 50 Error 0003 backup will need to be restored.

Loss of Network Connection

• The workstation losing the connection to the server may cause this error.
• Sage 50 may not work properly on wireless networks.

Actian Zen

If the Actian service was manually stopped, either by ending the process on w3dbsmgr.exe or through the Services menu, restart the computer. If the error still occurs, or if the service was not manually stopped, use the following steps:

• On the keyboard, press the Windows+R keys.
• Type services.msc, and then click OK.
• Right-click Actian PSQL Workgroup Engine, and then select Start or Restart.
• If after reinstalling Actian the error continues to recur, another program or service on the PC stops the Actian service. Try rebooting into Selective Startup; refer to Article ID 10903 Files to allow through firewall and antivirus.

Damaged Userpref.dat file

• Locate the Userpref.dat file, and then rename it to Userpref.old

Similar Issue: Sage Online Filing Errors

How to Identify the Sage Payroll Submission Error Number?

To identify the Sage Payroll submission error number, click on the Summary tab, look for the HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) Scheme, and click on it. Now, hit the Resolve button and make a note of the error number that is being displayed along with the error description. Once you find out the number, refer to the step-by-step guide mentioned above to resolve the submission error in Sage Payroll.

Conclusion

Encountering Sage Payroll submission errors while attempting to submit FPS to HMRC can be frustrating, but with the right steps, these issues are often easy to resolve. By carefully following the troubleshooting steps outlined above, you can fix most errors and ensure that your payroll submissions are successful. Always double-check your business and employee details, stay updated on any changes to Sage Payroll or HMRC’s systems, and contact HMRC if needed for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions