Overview

When submitting Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR) data to Revenue, you may occasionally encounter errors or warnings. This guide explains common issues, what causes them, and how to fix them so you can submit successfully.

Most ERR errors fall into a few categories: certificate issues, data quality problems, or connectivity issues. This article helps you identify and resolve them quickly.

Common ERR errors and solutions

Error: “Certificate lacks ERR permissions”

What it means: Your ROS DigiCert certificate doesn’t have the necessary permissions to submit ERR data to Revenue.

Why it happens: Your Revenue account may not have been granted ERR submission rights, or your certificate may have been issued before ERR was added to your account.

How to fix it:

1. Log in to your Revenue Online Service (ROS) account
2. Navigate to Certificate Management
3. Select your current PAYE certificate
4. Request an amendment to add ERR permissions
5. Wait for Revenue to confirm (usually 2–3 working days)
6. Download the updated certificate
7. In DEFT, go to Settings > Certificates and upload the new certificate
8. Try submitting your ERR data again

Need help? Contact your accountant, or call Revenue’s business helpline for guidance on certificate amendments.

Error: “Certificate connectivity failure” or “Unable to connect to ROS”

What it means: DEFT cannot communicate securely with Revenue’s systems to submit your data.

Why it happens: - Your internet connection is unstable - ROS is temporarily offline for maintenance - Your certificate has expired or is corrupted - Your firewall is blocking the connection

How to fix it:

1. Check your internet connection – Ensure you have a stable connection. Try accessing another website to confirm.
2. Verify ROS status – Visit the Revenue website to check if ROS is down for maintenance.
3. Test your certificate – In DEFT, navigate to Tools > Test ROS Connection (or similar). This verifies your certificate is valid.
4. Check your firewall – Ensure your firewall allows DEFT to communicate with Revenue’s servers. Contact your IT support if needed.
5. Try again in a few minutes – If ROS is temporarily offline, wait and retry.
6. Restart DEFT – Close and reopen the application.

If the error persists after these steps, contact Bright Support with: - The exact error message - The date and time of the error - Your company name and database code

Error: “Invalid IBAN” or “Invalid account details”

What it means: The bank account details (IBAN) you’ve entered for payment are incorrectly formatted or don’t exist.

Why it happens: - The IBAN was typed incorrectly - The account has been closed or changed - The account is held at a bank that doesn’t accept SEPA payments - The account holder name doesn’t match the payment records

How to fix it:

1. Verify the IBAN – Check the IBAN against your bank statement or your bank’s records
2. Confirm the format – Irish IBANs start with IE followed by 24 characters. Check that it matches this format exactly
3. Verify the account exists – Contact your bank to confirm the account is open and active
4. Check the account holder name – Ensure the name on the account matches your payment records in DEFT
5. Update in DEFT – Navigate to Payment Details and correct the IBAN
6. Resubmit – Once corrected, resubmit your ERR data

Common IBAN format error: - Incorrect: IE94 BOFI 9000 0112 3456 78 - Correct: IE94BOFI90000112345678 (no spaces)

Error: “Insufficient funds” or payment code “AM04”

What it means: Revenue or the bank has rejected the payment because there’s not enough money in the account to cover the ERR submission amount.

Why it happens: - Your account balance is too low for the payment amount - Another payment is pending and will reduce your balance below the required amount - You’ve miscalculated the total amount due

How to fix it:

1. Check your account balance – Log in to your bank account and verify you have sufficient funds
2. Review the payment amount – In DEFT, check the total amount to be submitted. Is it correct?
3. Delay the submission – If funds are insufficient, deposit money into your account and retry
4. Check for pending payments – Ensure no other large payments are pending that would reduce your balance
5. Contact your bank – If you believe you have sufficient funds, your bank may have a hold on the account. Ask them to lift it.

Error: “Missing or incorrect mandate data”

What it means: The bank payment mandate information is incomplete or incorrect. A mandate authorises Revenue to collect payment from your account.

Why it happens: - The mandate hasn’t been created or activated yet - The mandate details (account, name, address) don’t match what Revenue has on file - The mandate has expired or been cancelled

How to fix it:

1. Verify the mandate exists – Log in to ROS and confirm your SEPA mandate is active
2. Check mandate details – Ensure the bank account, business name, and address match your ROS registration
3. Create a new mandate – If no mandate exists, you’ll need to set one up in ROS before ERR submission
4. Confirm the mandate date – The mandate must be dated before the payment date
5. Update in DEFT – Once the mandate is confirmed in ROS, sync DEFT’s data with ROS

Error: “Duplicate submission detected”

What it means: DEFT has detected that you’re trying to submit identical ERR data twice, which would create a duplicate record at Revenue.

Why it happens: - You accidentally clicked Submit twice - You’re resubmitting without updating any data - A previous submission is still being processed

How to fix it:

1. Check if the previous submission succeeded – In DEFT, look at your submission history. Does it show a successful submission?
2. If it succeeded: Do not resubmit the same data. If you need to make corrections, update the data and resubmit the entire file.
3. If it failed: Make sure you’ve corrected the underlying issue (e.g., certificate, account details) before resubmitting.
4. Wait before retrying – If you’re not sure whether the first submission went through, wait a few minutes and check ROS directly.

Error: “PPSN mismatch” or “Employee details do not match”

What it means: An employee’s Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) or other details in DEFT don’t match the records Revenue has.

Why it happens: - The PPSN was typed incorrectly - The employee’s name or address has changed since the last submission - The employee was imported with old data

How to fix it:

1. Verify the PPSN – Check the employee’s payslip or your HR records. Is the PPSN correct?
2. Update the employee record – In DEFT, navigate to the employee’s details and correct any mismatches
3. Re-import from ROS – If the issue persists, delete the employee record and re-import from ROS to get the latest details
4. Contact Revenue – If PPSN details are still wrong, contact Revenue directly to verify the employee’s record
5. Resubmit – Once corrected, resubmit your ERR data

Error: “Data protection restrictions apply”

What it means: Revenue has flagged that certain data (such as reason codes for declined payments) cannot be disclosed due to data protection regulations.

Why it happens: - EU data protection laws restrict disclosure of sensitive employee information - You’ve entered a reason code that reveals confidential information

How to fix it:

1. Review the specific error message – It will indicate which field triggered the restriction
2. Remove unnecessary detail – If you’ve entered sensitive information, replace it with a generic reason code or description
3. Consult your accountant – Data protection rules can be complex. Your accountant may advise on compliant alternatives
4. Contact Revenue – If you’re unsure how to proceed, call Revenue’s business helpline for guidance

Before you contact support

Before reaching out to Bright Support, try these checks:

• Verify your internet connection – Can you access other websites?
• Check ROS status – Is Revenue Online Service currently available?
• Review error messages carefully – The error message often hints at the solution
• Verify your data – Are PPSN numbers, IBANs, and employee names correct?
• Test your certificate – Use DEFT’s certificate test tool
• Try again later – Temporary connectivity issues often resolve themselves

When to contact Bright Support

Contact Bright Support if: - You’ve tried the solutions above and the error persists - You’re getting an error message not covered in this guide - Your certificate test keeps failing - You’re unable to connect to ROS despite a working internet connection - You need to make a late ERR submission past the deadline

When you contact support, please provide: - Your company name and database code - The exact error message (screenshot if possible) - When the error first occurred - What steps you’ve already taken to fix it

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can I resubmit ERR data after the deadline? A: Yes, but late submission may result in penalties from Revenue. Submit as soon as possible if you’ve missed the deadline. Contact Bright Support if you need assistance with a late submission.

Q: Do I need to fix all errors before submitting? A: Yes. Revenue will not accept submissions with validation errors. Fix all errors before clicking Submit.

Q: What if Revenue rejects my submission after I’ve submitted? A: Revenue will send you a detailed rejection notice. Correct the issues and resubmit. Each new submission overwrites the previous one.

Q: Can I cancel an ERR submission? A: Once submitted to Revenue, you cannot cancel it. If you discover errors, you must resubmit corrected data, which will overwrite the incorrect submission.

Q: Why is my submission taking a long time to process? A: Revenue typically processes submissions within a few days. High-volume periods (around payment deadlines) may cause delays. Check ROS to see the submission status.