Step 2 of Online Services Settings doesn't load/show as complete - Sage HR Online Services

What to do if you can't complete step 2 of Online Services Settings within Sage 50 Payroll.

When you try to set up Sage HR Online Services, 'Step 2: Register your company for Online Services' sometimes won't complete or load. 

The following can cause this:

• Invalid characters (including spaces) in the company details fields, such as in the company address
• There’s some information in your company settings that needs refreshing
• Your company already exists on a different Online Service
• Some information on your licence is incorrect

Accounts office

The first step is to check that you've selected an Accounts office in your company details.

1. Click Company, then Settings.
2. Click the HMRC Payments tab.
3. Check the Accounts Office field is correct:
   
   • If it is, skip to the refresh your company settings section below
   • If it's blank, click the dropdown and select the relevant office for your business
4. Click OK.

Check if you can complete step 2 of Online Services Settings again.

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Check your company settings

Invalid characters or spaces at the end of text fields can stop your Online Services registering correctly.

1. Click Company, then Settings.
2. Check each text field for spaces at the end of it.
3. If any have a space, remove them then click OK.
4. Check if you resolved the issue.

If the issue persists, check the Company Details report for any lines that are incorrect or need refreshing. 

1. Click Reports, then Company. 
2. Select Company Details, then Preview.
3. Check that your details are correct, with no invalid characters.
   NOTE: Check for any invalid characters (such as ~ @ # $ [ \ ] ^ _ { }). Remove any if found.

If there are any fields that are different on the report from those within your company settings, refresh these lines manually: 

1. Click Company, then Settings. 
2. Delete out the Name box and enter XXX. 
3. Delete out the Address and type X in all five address lines.
4. Delete out the E-Mail box and type X. 
5. Click OK.
6. Click Company, then Settings. 
7. Re-enter your company name, address and email address.
8. Click OK. 
9. Re-run the Company Details report to confirm the address is now correct.

You can then re-try Step 2 of Online Services Settings.  

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Check your audit trail settings

Check that your audit trail settings correct. If required, you can clear your audit trail log.

1. Click Company, then Audit Trail Settings. 
2. Tick the Enable Audit Trail Reporting tickbox.
3. Click Save. 

You can then re-try Step 2 of Online Services Settings. 

If the issue persists, you can try clearing your audit trail log. 

 NOTE: This clears all your audit trail information. Back up your data before you follow these steps.

1. Within Sage 50 Payroll, click Help, then About. 
2. Make a note of your data directory.
3. Close Sage 50 Payroll. 
4. Open File Explorer, then browse to the location in step 2.
5. Right-click the Paydatahandler.vxt, then click Rename.
6. Enter paydatahandler.old.
7. Click Enter.

You can then re-open Sage 50 Payroll, and re-try Step 2 of Online Services Settings.

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Further troubleshooting

If the steps above don't resolve your issue, there are a few things to check, depending on your scenario:

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Still having issues?

If you're still having issues setting up Sage HR Online Services, contact our technical support team. 

They'll be able to check what's going on for you and help you resolve the issue.

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