You open QuickBooks Online expecting to see all the hours your team logged in QuickBooks Time. But nothing shows up. The data is sitting in one app, completely stuck, refusing to move over to the other. It feels like two coworkers who stopped talking to each other.
This sync issue is frustrating because it messes with payroll, billing, and your peace of mind. In this post, you will learn why this happens, what causes it, and how to get everything working smoothly again on your own.
What This Sync Problem Actually Means
When QuickBooks Time and QuickBooks Online stop syncing, the time tracking data your employees enter does not flow into your accounting software. Normally, these two apps are supposed to share information automatically. Hours logged in QuickBooks Time should appear in QuickBooks Online within minutes. But when the connection breaks, that automatic sharing stops cold.
This problem shows up in a few different ways. Sometimes the sync simply stops without any error message. Other times, you might see a notification saying the sync failed. And in certain cases, only some of the data makes it across while the rest stays behind.
Leaving this issue unfixed creates real problems for your business. Your payroll becomes a guessing game because you cannot trust the numbers. Client billing gets delayed or becomes inaccurate. And you end up spending hours manually entering data that should have transferred on its own. The longer you wait, the bigger the gap between what QuickBooks Time shows and what QuickBooks Online contains.
One thing worth knowing is that sync issues can affect everyone using your QuickBooks account, not just one person. If you are the admin, your whole team could be impacted by this broken connection.
QuickBooks Time Not Syncing With QuickBooks Online: Common Causes
Before you can fix this problem, it helps to know what might be causing it. The issue usually comes down to one of these five things.
1. Unstable or Weak Internet Connection
Both QuickBooks Time and QuickBooks Online need a steady internet connection to talk to each other. If your connection keeps dropping or runs too slowly, the sync cannot complete. Think of it like trying to have a phone conversation with someone when the call keeps cutting out.
Even if your internet seems fine for browsing websites, it might not be stable enough for the constant back and forth that syncing requires. A quick speed test can tell you if your connection is part of the problem.
2. Outdated App or Browser Version
QuickBooks Time gets regular updates that include bug fixes and improvements to how it syncs. If you are using an old version of the app or an outdated browser, the sync feature might not work correctly. The same goes for QuickBooks Online, which also receives frequent updates.
Running outdated software is like trying to fit a new key into an old lock. The pieces do not line up the way they should. This mismatch can stop the sync process entirely or cause it to fail partway through.
3. Incorrect Account Permissions
Your QuickBooks accounts have different permission levels for different users. If the account trying to sync does not have the right permissions, the sync will fail. This happens most often when a new employee is set up without full access or when permission settings get changed accidentally.
The tricky part is that everything might look normal on your end. You can log in, you can see the data, but behind the scenes, your account lacks the authority to push that data from one app to the other.
Sometimes this permission issue comes from how the original connection between QuickBooks Time and QuickBooks Online was set up. If the person who made that connection is no longer with your company or their role changed, the permissions might have become invalid.
4. Corrupted Cache or Stored Data
Your browser and the QuickBooks apps store temporary files called cache to help things load faster. Over time, this stored data can become corrupted or outdated. When that happens, it interferes with normal operations like syncing.
Corrupted cache is sneaky because it causes problems that seem random. The sync might work one day and fail the next, with no obvious reason why.
5. Server Issues on QuickBooks End
Sometimes the problem is not on your side at all. QuickBooks servers occasionally experience outages or maintenance periods that affect syncing. During these times, no matter what you do on your end, the sync will not complete until their servers are back up and running properly.
These server issues are usually temporary and get resolved within a few hours. Intuit, the company behind QuickBooks, typically posts updates about known outages on their status page.
QuickBooks Time Not Syncing With QuickBooks Online: DIY Fixes
Now that you know what might be causing the problem, here are practical steps you can try to fix it yourself.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
Start with the basics. Open a few different websites to make sure your internet is working. Then run a speed test using a free service like Speedtest.net.
If your connection is slow or unstable, try these steps:
- Restart your router by unplugging it for 30 seconds, then plugging it back in
- Move closer to your router if you are on WiFi
- Switch to a wired ethernet connection if possible
- Contact your internet provider if the problem continues
After improving your connection, try the sync again and see if the data moves over.
2. Update Your Apps and Browser
Make sure you are running the latest versions of everything. For QuickBooks Time on your phone or tablet, go to your app store and check for updates. For QuickBooks Online, make sure your browser is current.
Here is how to update common browsers:
- Chrome: Click the three dots in the top right corner, then go to Help, then About Google Chrome
- Firefox: Click the menu button, then Help, then About Firefox
- Safari: Update through your Mac’s System Settings under Software Update
Once everything is updated, log out of both QuickBooks Time and QuickBooks Online completely. Then log back in and attempt the sync again.
3. Clear Your Browser Cache
Clearing out old stored data often fixes stubborn sync problems. The steps vary slightly depending on your browser, but the process is similar across all of them.
In Chrome, click the three dots in the top right corner. Select “Delete browsing data” from the menu. Choose “All time” as the time range, make sure “Cached images and files” is checked, and click the delete button.
After clearing the cache, close your browser completely and reopen it. Log back into QuickBooks Online and try syncing again. This fresh start often clears up issues that seemed impossible to fix before.
4. Verify and Update Account Permissions
Log into QuickBooks Online as the primary admin. Go to Settings, then Manage Users. Find the account that is having sync problems and check its permissions.
The user needs to have the right access level for syncing to work. If you are unsure what level is needed, try setting the user to Admin temporarily to see if that fixes the sync. If it does, you know permissions were the issue and can adjust accordingly.
5. Manually Trigger a Sync
Sometimes the automatic sync gets stuck and needs a little push. You can force a manual sync from within QuickBooks Time.
- Open QuickBooks Time
- Go to the settings or gear icon
- Look for the sync or connection option
- Select the option to sync now or reconnect
This manual trigger often gets things moving when the automatic process has stalled. Watch for any error messages during this process, as they can tell you exactly what is going wrong.
6. Disconnect and Reconnect the Integration
If nothing else works, breaking the connection between the two apps and setting it up fresh can clear out whatever is causing the problem. This is like turning it off and on again, but for the entire integration.
Before you do this, make sure any critical time entries are saved or exported. Then go into QuickBooks Time settings, find the QuickBooks Online integration, and disconnect it. Wait a few minutes, then set up the connection again from scratch.
This process resets all the sync settings and often fixes deep issues that other solutions cannot touch.
7. Contact QuickBooks Support
If you have tried everything above and the sync still fails, it is time to call in the experts. QuickBooks has a support team that can look at your specific account and find problems that are not visible from your end.
Before contacting them, write down exactly what you have tried and any error messages you have seen. This information helps them solve your problem faster. You can reach QuickBooks support through their website, by phone, or through the help option inside the app.
Wrapping Up
Getting QuickBooks Time and QuickBooks Online to sync again usually comes down to checking a few key things: your internet, your software versions, your permissions, and your cache. Most of the time, one of these fixes will get everything flowing smoothly again.
When your time data syncs properly, you get accurate payroll, correct client billing, and hours back in your day. Take it step by step, and you will likely have this sorted out faster than you expected.