Fixing the missing information error in payroll export preferences
When an Intuit Online Payroll export to QuickBooks Online stops with a missing information message on the Export Preferences page, the cause is usually a blank account mapping. One or more of the accounts the payroll service writes to has no matching account in your chart of accounts, so the export halts until you fill the gap.
The message reads, in full, “You’re missing some information. Please enter the following on the Export Preferences page.” It typically lists the accounts it wants, and those are the lines to fix first.
Blank mappings stop the export
The payroll service does not create accounts in QuickBooks Online on its own. It writes only to the accounts you point it at, and it checks that list before every export.
If a mapping is blank, the check fails and the export stops. The same happens when a mapped account was later deleted, merged, or archived, because the preference now points at nothing.
Adding a new deduction, contribution, or wage category can also introduce a line that has never been mapped. The error often appears for the first time right after a change like that.
Which accounts need mapping?
The export preferences list every account the payroll service needs. Each line must point at a real account in QuickBooks Online:
- The bank account that paychecks and tax payments clear from.
- Expense accounts for wages and payroll taxes.
- Liability accounts for taxes withheld, employee deductions, and employer contributions not yet paid.
Set the export preferences
These settings live in the payroll service itself, not inside QuickBooks Online. Intuit has used both Intuit Online Payroll and QuickBooks Online Payroll as the name, so sign in to whichever you have.
- Open the Preferences or Setup area; the exact label varies by version.
- Select Export Preferences.
- Work down the list and map every line to the correct account in your QuickBooks Online chart of accounts.
- Save the changes, then run the export again.
If a line already shows an account, confirm that account still exists and has not been archived. A mapping can look complete and still be broken.
Things to check in QuickBooks
- The mapped account still exists; a deleted or merged account breaks the link quietly.
- The account is active rather than archived.
- The account type fits the line: bank for the bank line, expense for wage and tax lines, liability for withheld and accrued amounts.
- Accounts added to your chart of accounts after the last export may need to be selected in the preferences before the next one.
What if the error returns?
If every line is mapped and the message still appears, sign out and back in, confirm the mappings saved, and try the export once more. Settings that appear to save occasionally do not take.
If it still fails, the block sits on Intuit’s side of the connection. Contact Intuit’s payroll support team; the export preferences live in their service, and only Intuit can see them. We have no access to your payroll settings or your QuickBooks Online subscription.
If repeated exports leave duplicates
A halted export usually writes nothing to QuickBooks Online. Attempts that partly complete, though, can leave duplicate journal entries or paychecks behind.
If that happens, take a backup before cleaning anything up. We repair QuickBooks company data, including the duplicate payroll entries that failed exports sometimes leave behind.