---
title: Warnings and Errors in Payroll
description: Troubleshoot warnings and errors you may find while reviewing payroll.
---
[Skip to content](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/warnings-and-errors-in-payroll#main-content)
English
Show submenu for translations
Open main navigation
Close main navigation
- English
Show submenu for translations
- [Checkwriters Login](https://www.checkwriterspayrollhr.com/)
[Checkwriters Login](https://www.checkwriterspayrollhr.com/)
Hello. How can we help you?
- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.
1. [Checkwriters Knowledge Base](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge?hsLang=en)
2. [Payroll](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll?hsLang=en)
3. [Payroll](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll?hsLang=en#payroll)
# Warnings and Errors in Payroll
## Troubleshoot warnings and errors you may find while reviewing payroll.
[What are Warnings and Errors?](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/warnings-and-errors-in-payroll#what-are-warnings-and-errors)
[Troubleshooting](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/warnings-and-errors-in-payroll#troubleshooting)
- [Error Messages](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/warnings-and-errors-in-payroll#error-messages)
- [Warning Messages](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/warnings-and-errors-in-payroll#warning-messages)
### What are Warnings and Errors?
As humans, sometimes we make mistakes! The **Warnings and Errors** section of the **Review & Submit** page alerts you to any potential issues before you submit your payroll.
### Troubleshooting
These tables provide a course of action for potential Warning and Error messages displayed during payroll Review. Each table is sorted alphabetically by **Code**, then alphabetically by **Message.**
**Note:** Payroll cannot be submitted until all **Errors** are corrected. While **Warnings** can be bypassed/accepted, we strongly advise reviewing all Warning messages and taking corrective action where needed.
If you encounter a Warning or Error not on this list and need assistance or more information, please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com).
#### Error Messages
| **Code** | **Error Message** | **Locate this issue** | **Corrective action** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Employee | ACTIVE Employee has NO Base Rate | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **New Base Rate**. Fill in the fields appropriately. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee Base Rate is missing a START DATE | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Edit** for the appropriate active Base Rate. Enter a valid start date in the **Start Date** field. |
| Employee | Employee is W2 but missing FITW | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Tax tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down menu to select **FITW - Federal Income Tax**. Follow the employee’s W4 to fill out the remaining fields. |
| Employee | Gender Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information tab → Demographics tab | Use the **Gender (for compliance purposes)** drop-down to select the appropriate gender. |
| Employee | Hire Date Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information tab → Status tab | In the **Employee Information** section, enter the employee’s hire date in the **Hire Date** field. |
| Employee | SOC code is needed per state reporting requirements. Enter SOC code in EE Demographics. | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information tab → Demographics tab | In the **Additional Info** section, enter the appropriate Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code for the employee. Not sure which code to use? [Find the SOC code on US Bureau of Labor Statistics website](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_stru.htm). |
| Employee | SSN Missing/Invalid | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information tab → Demographics tab | For security purposes, Checkwriters must handle any issues with Social Security Numbers (SSN). Please contact Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for assistance. |
| Payroll | Employee Direct Deposit TRANSIT# is incorrect | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Direct Deposit tab | Select  **Edit** for the appropriate Direct Deposit. Verify with your employee that the transit/routing number is correct. If the number is correct according to your employee, please contact Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for assistance. |
| Payroll | Payroll cannot be submitted past your scheduled check date. | | Please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for assistance. |
| Payroll | Pay Type is Blank | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee | Use the **Pay Type** drop-down menu to select the appropriate Pay Type. The standard Pay Type is **Regular**. |
| Payroll | Negative taxable wages detected for (Employee ID and Name). Review and correct the check before submitting. Note: Manual, Nocalc, and 3Pty checks are not impacted. | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee Negative taxable wages can occur when an employee's pretax deductions are higher than their taxable earnings. Please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for additional assistance. | Increase the employee's taxable earnings to cover their pretax deductions. In addition, decrease any tax-exempt earnings they may have by the same amount so they are not overpaid. For example, if an employee has $500 for their salary (taxable), a $1000 non-taxable housing stipend, and has $700 in pre-tax deductions, this will result in a -$200 tax balance. To remedy this, you would increase the salary from $500 to $700 and decrease the housing stipend from $1000 to $800. This ensures that the employee is still paid properly with no negative taxes. |
| Tax | EE Tax ERROR: Check contains multiple lines with the same tax code | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee | For a regular batch: Locate the [Detail Entry](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll-detail-entry?hsLang=en) grid lines with the same tax code. If applicable, consolidate the information into one line. Delete the extra line using the  **Delete** button. For a VM batch: Please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for assistance. |
| Employee | Employee FITW end date has expired. | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll (tab) → Tax (tab) | If the previous FITW was accidentally end-dated incorrectly, select  **Edit** beside the FITW code and re-establish a new end date. We highly recommend end-dating all taxes for 12/31/2100. |
| Payroll | The payroll appears to be empty. | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** | This error indicates that there are no checks in any of the batches for the selected check date. This may indicate multiple things: 1. All checks were deleted from all batches. If this is the case, [restart each batch](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll-batches#types). The checks should repopulate, and you can enter payroll data as usual. 2. If your checks do not repopulate after restarting the batches, your Company Calendar could be configured improperly. If this is the case, please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [support@checkwriters.com](mailto:support@checkwriters.com). |
| Payroll | It appears that no employees are being paid. | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** | This error indicates that there are checks in the payroll, but no data (hours, amounts, auto pays) entered for any of the checks. To remedy this, select **Enter Pay Data** beside a batch and enter the appropriate payroll data for each employee. |
#### Warning Messages
| **Code** | **Warning Message** | **Locate this issue** | **What to check** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Employee | Birth Date Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Enter the employee’s date of birth in the **Birth Date** field. Select save. |
| Employee | Direct Deposit Bank Account Add - New. | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Verify that the direct deposit change is legitimate. Verify the account number with your employee. |
| Employee | Direct Deposit Bank Account has been changed. | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Verify that the direct deposit change is legitimate. Verify the account number with your employee. |
| Employee | Direct Deposit Transit Number has been Add - New | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Verify that the direct deposit change is legitimate. Verify the routing/transit number with your employee. |
| Employee | Direct Deposit Transit Number has been changed | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Verify that the direct deposit change is legitimate. Verify the routing/transit number with your employee. |
| Employee | Employee does not have all of the MAPFML taxes assigned to them | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Check to see which of the following MAPFML taxes your employee is missing: MAFLI-EE, MAFLI-ER, MAPML-EE, MAPML-ER Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select the missing tax code. Refer to **(form)** to fill out the remaining fields. Repeat for all missing MAPFML tax codes. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (MED) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select **MED - Medicare**. Select N/A for **Filing Status**. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (MED43) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select **MED43 - Medicare (943)**. Select N/A for **Filing Status**. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (MED-R,MED43-R,MEDVI-R) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | These “-R” codes denote an employer tax. Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select the appropriate tax code. Select N/A for **Filing Status**. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (SS) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select **SS - OASDI**. Refer to **FICA Federal tax** to fill out the remaining fields. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (SS43) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select **SS-R - OASDI - Employer**. Select N/A for **Filing Status**. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing (SS-R,SS43-R,SSVI-R) entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | These “-R” codes denote an employer tax. Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select the appropriate tax code. Select N/A for **Filing Status**. Select **Save**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing FUTA entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select **FUTA - Fed Unemployment**. |
| Employee | Employee is missing SITW entry | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Select  **Add New**. Use the **Tax Code** drop-down to select the correct state SITW tax code. Refer to the employee’s **state tax form** to fill out the remaining fields. |
| Payroll | Employee being paid at a rate of $400 or more per hour | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Payroll tab → Rate tab | Verify that the rate is correct. Change rate if incorrect. |
| Payroll | Employee hours greater than 99 | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee | Verify that the number of hours is correct. Change the number of hours if incorrect. |
| Payroll | Inactive Employee is being Paid | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee | Verify that the pay is correct. If it is not correct, delete the check for that employee. |
| Payroll | The Check Date you are about to Submit is for a Date that has already Passed | | Please contact Checkwriters Client Support at [Support@checkwriters.com](mailto:Support@checkwriters.com) for assistance. |
| Payroll | There are pending time off requests waiting approval for the current pay period | HR Admin → Time Off Center → Time Off Calendar → Request Tab → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee | Approve or deny the request. If you approve the request, you will have to go back into the batch and manually enter the appropriate/applicable hours. |
| Employee | NEW HIRE Warning: Special Character in Last Name | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Remove the special character from the employee’s name and replace with a standard character. Accented characters are not accepted, e.g. á, ë, ô, ñ. |
| Employee | Employee Level Warning: Missing WCC Code | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Assign a workers comp code to the employee. |
| Employee | Employee Level Warning: Address1 Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Enter the employee's address. |
| Employee | Employee Level Warning: City Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Enter the employee's city. |
| Employee | Employee Level Warning: State Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Enter the employee's state. |
| Employee | Employee Level Warning: Zip Code Missing | HR Admin → Manage Employees → Employee Center → Select  **Edit** for the appropriate employee → Information (tab) → Demographics (tab) | Enter the employee's zip code. |
| Payroll | Payroll Entry Warning: Employee Gross Pay \> $50k | Payroll → Dashboard → Select **Enter & Review** → Select **Enter Pay Data** for the appropriate batch → Use the **Employees** drop-down menu to select the appropriate employee | Verify that the gross pay is correct. If incorrect, edit the payroll data as needed. |
**More Info:** Your company may suppress some tax warnings for exempt employees. Learn more about the [Suppress Missing Tax Warnings checkbox](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/release-note-suppress-missing-taxs-warning-checkbox?hsLang=en).
- [Employee Self-Service](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [My Dashboard](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#my-dashboard)
- [My Info](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#my-info)
- [My Payroll](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#my-payroll)
- [My Time](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#my-time)
- [Settings](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#settings)
- [My Documents](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/employee-self-service?hsLang=en#my-documents)
- [HR Admin](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Recruit Employees](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#recruit-employees)
- [Hire Employees](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#hire-employees)
- [Manage Employees](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#manage-employees)
- [Compliance](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#compliance)
- [ACA Center](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#aca-center)
- [Communications](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#communications)
- [Document Center](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#document-center)
- [Security Control Center](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/hr-admin?hsLang=en#security-control-center)
- [Company](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/company?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/company?hsLang=en#two-factor-authentication-2fa)
- [Accruals](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/company?hsLang=en#accruals)
- [Earnings](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/company?hsLang=en#earnings)
- [EE Custom Fields](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/company?hsLang=en#ee-custom-fields)
- [Payroll](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Payroll](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll?hsLang=en#payroll)
- [Taxes](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/payroll?hsLang=en#taxes)
- [Time Management](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/time-management?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Time Management](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/time-management?hsLang=en#time-management)
- [Time Off Center](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/time-management?hsLang=en#time-off-center)
- [Reporting](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/reporting?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [Standard reports](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/reporting?hsLang=en#standard-reports)
- [Custom reports](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/reporting?hsLang=en#custom-reports)
- [Release Notes](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/release-notes?hsLang=en#main-content)
- [2026 Release Notes](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/release-notes?hsLang=en#2026-release-notes)
- [2025 Release Notes](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/release-notes?hsLang=en#2025-release-notes)
- [2024 Release Notes](https://help.checkwriters.com/knowledge/release-notes?hsLang=en#2024-release-notes)
[](http://checkwriters.com)
[mailto:email@email.com](mailto:email@email.com)
Copyright © 2026, Checkwriters, Inc.