Validating the File
You must validate your file to continue the filing process. We encourage you to validate the data as early as possible. You may consider submitting data using the Test option first, if you have not previously submitted a report via QuickFile.
QuickFile will not allow you to send the file to TWC if your quarterly report file has errors. You should not wait until the last day to submit tax reports, as unforeseen network problems or program errors may delay transmission and result in late report penalties. Allow adequate time to fix errors within your payroll program and reconstruct the payroll file so that it will pass the QuickFile edits, enabling you to file the return on time.
- Select the Validate button to validate data. This may take a few seconds or minutes, depending on the speed of your computer and the size of the payroll file. If you are importing MMREF-1 formatted data and either the employer’s TWC tax account number (00-000000-0), or the Quarter/Year are missing, QuickFile will display a pop-up window requesting you to input that information before the verification can proceed.
- A pop-up window will appear if data or format errors are found in the file. Data errors must be corrected before the file is sent. Format errors are for your information and require no action. This is explained in the error log that displays in the next step.
- Select OK or Yes, which will create a text file, VALIDATE.LOG and display any error information.
- The error information is displayed in a Notepad or WordPad window. This file is named VALIDATE.LOG and is in the QuickFile program directory. You can print this as a reference if you wish.
- Each time you validate a file, VALIDATE.LOG is replaced. If you wish to save the previous information you must choose File, Save As from the menu and change its name and/or location.
- If you close this log file but wish to view it again, select View and select Show Error Log.
Validation Errors
There are four types of errors: format, data, user and program.
- Format errors are warnings that indicate some non-critical information is missing from or incorrect in your payroll file. Agency personnel may contact you later for more information if these errors are not corrected. Corrections to format errors should be made within your payroll program. A corrected payroll file should be created and QuickFile should then be restarted.
- Format errors in your payroll file will not prevent your payroll file from being processed and tax reports from being posted to your TWC employer account.
- Data errors indicate there is a critical error in the payroll file. To correct data errors, print the error log, return to your payroll program, correct the errors and reconstruct your payroll file. Next, start or resume QuickFile, choose Find and Select File, then validate again. If you have questions about how to correct the errors in your payroll data, contact your payroll software company. File formats details may be found in the Choosing the File Type section of this guide.
- Data errors will prevent your payroll file from being processed and tax reports from being posted to your TWC employer account. Data errors must be corrected before you can proceed.
- User errors occur when the user keys the wrong information into a certain field or left it blank.
- Program errors occur when the payroll program itself does not report the data correctly for QuickFile. The payroll software company must fix this type of error. If selecting the "Other Text Format" to file a report, program errors must be corrected by the user within the Excel spread sheet before validation can occur.
Note: User errors can be corrected by the filer, while Program errors may require correction by the payroll software company. You will need to contact your payroll company for your software if you have specific questions concerning the operation of your payroll program. TWC personnel are not familiar with payroll programs and will not be able to answer your questions.
Troubleshooting Errors
The following information will help you identify troubleshoot specific error messages you may encounter during validation.
Runtime Error 13 – Type Mismatch
- Problem: Non-numeric data found in a numeric field or total wages entered on the employer information screen does not match employee total wages.
- Solution: If this occurs while using the Other File Type converters, this may be due to blank fields in the comma-delimited (.csv) data file. Verify that all the boxes are filled in before saving. Do not leave them blank. Enter a zero if appropriate. If total wages entered on the employee information screen are correct, check the wages file and remove the header/footer lines and any total lines. The only data accepted within this file is the employee name, Social Security number and employee total wages.
Runtime Error 52 – Bad File Name or Number
- Problem: Cannot locate the file.
- The file name is no longer valid. If it is on a network or remote drive, the system may not be able to interpret the name. You may need to copy it to your C: drive.
If you previously loaded an ICESA, MMREF or Other Text Format diskette (e.g., drive A:) you will get this error if there is no diskette in the A: drive. To remedy this, place a diskette in the drive and restart QuickFile. QuickFile remembers the location of the last ICESA, MMREF or Other Text Format file used.
Runtime Error 62 - Input Past End of File
- Problem: Unnecessary data located in file.
- Solution: Check payroll file by scrolling to the right of and below the payroll data for any unrequired data or characters in the payroll file. These must be removed before validation can occur.
Runtime Error 76 – Path Not Found
- Problem: The program is trying to save the error log to an invalid location.
- Solution: From the menu bar in the QuickFile program, select Option, Log Directory. Select a valid location to store the files generated by the QuickFile program. These are usually stored in the same directory as the QuickFile program, but may be altered. If an invalid location is listed, the program will fail after the file verification process completes. This error can also occur when the program is installed in a network directory. If the program fails during the Continue process and the directions above fail to fix the problem, you should reinstall QuickFile in a local directory on your PC.
