How to fix QuickBooks payroll update error PS033 ?

One of the most utilized services of Intuits accounting software QuickBooks is the payroll feature, which can be either used alone by itself or in combination with QuickBooks as an extra subscription. Hundreds of thousands of small and mid-sized business owners that use QuickBooks Payroll value the easy-to-use customization that allows them to adjust payroll to the exact requirements of their needs.

To keep the tax tables and other important information needed for accurate payroll always up to date, it is required to download the latest updates for QuickBooks payroll. If you want to learn more about this, please click here (HYPERLINK TO PAYROLL UPDATE 2019 BLOG POST) to read our article regarding this topic.

While trying to perform the latest update or when opening the company file, it is possible that QuickBooks users encounter a Payroll Update Error with the message “[Error PS033] QuickBooks can’t read your payroll setup file.“. In the following article, we would like to provide you with the most important information about what exactly is causing error code PS033 and how you can fix the issue by yourself.

What causes QuickBooks Payroll Update Error PS033?

There are multiple different reasons for error PS033 to come up. Here is a list of the most common ones:

• The QuickBooks Payroll subscription is not yet activated.

• The download of the update was unsuccessful due to an unstable internet connection.
• Generally error PS033 can occur when the so called CPS folder contains a damaged file.
• The provided Service Key for the update download is incorrect.
• If you use the QuickBooks multi-user mode and one user has not successfully updated QuickBooks to the latest version.
• Inactive Direct Deposit Agreement is based on more than only one active payroll.
• QuickBooks Desktop file ‘ini’ might be corrupted or damaged.
• The PSID company file is not valid or incorrect.
• One of the Employer Identification Number (EIN) is invalid – also shown as ‘Invalid number or EIN’ on the QuickBooks Desktop screen.

4 easy steps to solve the error PS033 in QuickBooks

Fix No.1 – Try to download the latest payroll tax tables

1. Open your QuickBooks and select Get Payroll Updates from the Employees menu.
2. From there choose Download Entire Payroll Update and continue by selecting Update.
3. After the update is downloaded successfully, close QuickBooks and restart your computer.
4. Open your company file and check if Error PS033 is resolved.

Fix No.2 – Rename the CPS folder

1. Go to the hard drive of your device where you saved your QuickBooks files. Within the folder Components should be a folder named Payroll. Open this folder and find the CPS folder.
2. With a right-click of your cursor onto this folder, choose Rename and add ‘OLD’ so that the new name of the folder is CPSOLD.
3. Now go ahead and follow step 1. to 4. from Fix No.1 to update the QuickBooks payroll tax tables.

Fix No.3 – Disable User Account Control (UAC)

1. This Fix will only work on  Windows 10, 8.1, 8 and Windows 7.
2. Press the key with the Windows Symbol and R at the same time to open the Run window.
3. Now type Control Panel and click OK.
4. Click on User Accounts and select User Accounts (Classic View).
5. Choose Change user account control settings and select Yes in case you are prompted by the User Account Control.
6. Move the sliders to Never Notify to turn UAC Off and reverse to Always Notify to turn UAC On. In both cases confirm with OK and select Yes if prompted by UAC.
7. Now restart your computer and check if Payroll Error PS033 is resolved.

Fix No.4 – Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks

Fix No.4 – Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks

1. Open your QuickBooks and choose Window > Close All.

2. Select File > Utilities > Verify Data. Now three different messages could show up:

• “QuickBooks detected no problems with your data.” – There is no further action required.

• A more specific error message shows up. Check our website for an associated article to fix this error.
• “Your data has lost integrity.” – This indicates that there is damaged data in your company file. In this case, continue with the following steps.

Note: Before applying Rebuild Data customers with Assisted Payroll should consult an QuickBooks Assisted Payroll agent!

3. Select File > Utilities > Rebuild Data.

4. A warning message will remind you to backup your company file. This is highly recommended because there is the possibility that during this process you need to delete transactions or list entries to repair the file. The backup of your file ensures that no important information gets lost. Continue by clicking OK.
5. Choose a destination were you want to save your backup. Click OK in the QuickBooks Desktop Backup window. In case you get a message that asks if you want to replace your former backup file, click NO. Give your new backup file a unique name and click Save. If you are not able to backup your file, click Cancel on the Rebuild prompt and contact a QuickBooks ProAdvisor for further assistance.

6. As soon as the backup of your file is successfully finished the Rebuild Data utility will start.

7. Confirm with OK when you get the “Rebuild has completed” message.

8. Perform the Verify Data process again to ensure that there is no damage data remaining. Select File > Utilities > Verify Data.

9. If your issue cannot be identified, try to restore your file with the recent backup. Choose File > Restore. Important: Do not overwrite your existing company file! All the information that has been entered into the file since the backup was generated will have to be reentered manually after the restore.

10. Should there be additional damage in your data, it will have to be corrected manually. Try to locate the error and search for a solution on our website or contact our QuickBooks ProAdvisors.
11. After you successfully executed the all the above steps, you can update your QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release and restart in safe mode to update the QuickBooks payroll tax table.
12. Restart your computer after the completed download and check if Payroll Error PS033 is resolved.