[US] Understand and resolve tax filing blockers

Understand tax filing blockers

Resolve tax filing blockers

Understand tax filing blockers

A filing blocker means that a tax agency or Wave needs more information or action from you before a tax filing can continue processing. You will see a banner on your Payroll Dashboard if there is a blocker to resolve. Click Review blocked forms to view your blocked forms. You can also view your blocked forms directly from the Payroll > Tax Forms page.

You can still run payroll with a filing blocker notice on your dashboard.

Keep your account information up to date to ensure your tax filings are on time. Once you complete the necessary steps, your filing status will update to pending within 24 hours and be ready for resubmission. Learn more about filing statuses.

Resolve tax filing blockers

Click on the filing blocker below that matches your notice to understand what it means and see the steps to resolve it. 

Resolving blockers during the filing month may delay processing, and you remain responsible for any associated penalties and interest.

Missing tax ID

What it means

You haven’t entered the account number for this tax agency.

How to resolve

Enter your state tax account number into your employer tax profile:

  1. On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Payroll Dashboard.
  2. Click Payroll Setup
  3. In the Settings menu, under Payroll, click Tax Profile.
  4. Click Edit next to the applicable state tax.
  5. Enter your account number. Check the format matches your state documentation. 
  6. Click Next and sign the tax authorization form if prompted. 

Your filing will resume automatically once you add the number.

Invalid ID

What it means

The tax agency does not recognize the tax ID on file as valid or linked to your company.

How to resolve

Ensure the account information within your tax profile matches the records from the tax agency. To edit your state tax account number:

  1. On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Payroll Dashboard.
  2. Click Payroll Setup
  3. In the Settings menu, under Payroll, click Tax Profile.
  4. Update the account number with the tax ID, then click Next. 
  5. Once updated, contact our support team to reattempt the filing.

TPA failure

What it means

There is an issue with your third-party administrator (TPA) access or level. Filing cannot proceed until this is completed on your end.

How to resolve

  1. Log in to your tax agency portal and authorize Check as your TPA. 
  2. Grant full access for both filing and payments. Some agencies take a few days to process this request. 
  3. Once access is granted, contact our support team to reattempt the filing.

Bad standing

What it means

One or more payroll-related funding attempts have failed on your account, preventing this filing.

How to resolve

To resolve the failed funding:

  1. Navigate to Payroll > Payroll Transactions to review the failed transaction.
  2. If there were not enough funds, ensure funds are now available and contact our support team to resubmit.
  3. If the bank details are incorrect, update your payroll funding account or add a funding account. Once updated, contact our support team to resubmit.

Inactive tax account

What it means

The tax agency may have closed your account due to inactivity, or the tax ID you provided is invalid. 

How to resolve

Contact your tax agency to reactivate your account or verify your account number. If you are exempt from this tax, let our support team know so we can mark your account as exempt.

To update your state tax account number:

  1. On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Payroll Dashboard.
  2. Click Payroll Setup
  3. In the Settings menu, under Payroll, click Tax Profile.
  4. Enter your account number, then click Next.
  5. Ensure all account information matches the records provided by the tax agency.
  6. Once done, contact our support team to reattempt the filing.

Incorrect tax account setup

What it means

The tax agency portal details may not match the records in Wave, often due to a mismatched filing frequency or incomplete registration. 

How to resolve

Log in to your tax agency portal to review your filing frequency or complete your registration. 

To update the information in your tax profile:

  1. On the left-side menu, click Payroll > Payroll Dashboard.
  2. Click Payroll Setup
  3. In the Settings menu, under Payroll, click Tax Profile.
  4. Verify that your filing frequency matches the agency's requirements.
  5. Update any information as needed and click Next.
  6. Once completed, contact our support team to reattempt the filing.

For other filing blockers not listed above, our Support Team can help. Open Mave, Wave’s automated chatbot, and ask to speak with a Support Agent.

Once a blocker has been resolved, any affected filings in the calendar year will be queued for automatic refile attempts. If you do not want this refile, contact our Support Team to request a hold on the filing.