If your QuickBooks Online account has been canceled, suspended, or your subscription has expired, you may need to reactivate it before you can fully use your company data again. The good news is that QuickBooks usually allows you to resubscribe and regain access to your existing data.
The steps can vary depending on whether your subscription was canceled or suspended because of a payment problem.
A QuickBooks Online account can become inactive for several reasons. Your subscription may have been canceled, expired, or suspended after a payment could not be processed.
For example, an expired or declined payment method can cause an account to become suspended. Intuit says that after a payment issue, you may have a limited period to update your billing information before the account becomes suspended.
If your QuickBooks Online subscription has lapsed, you can usually reactivate it from the QuickBooks website.
Sign in to your QuickBooks Online company using a computer browser. You may see a prompt asking you to resubscribe.
If you do not see the prompt:
Open Settings.
Select Subscriptions and billing.
Select Resubscribe.
Enter or update your billing information.
Select Subscribe.
Intuit currently recommends using the web version of QuickBooks for the resubscription process because the Subscriptions and billing section is not available in the mobile app.
If your account was suspended because of a failed payment, first check your billing information.
Sign in to QuickBooks Online and go to your account and billing settings. Update the payment method with valid information and save the changes.
Make sure the billing address matches the information associated with your payment method. Once the payment is successfully processed, the suspension may take some time to clear. Intuit says this can take up to 24 hours in some cases.
If you previously canceled your QuickBooks Online subscription, you can resubscribe if your data is still available.
Intuit says paid QuickBooks Online data is generally preserved for up to one year after cancellation, with read-only access during that period. Resubscribing during this period allows you to regain access to your company data.
If you canceled recently, sign in to QuickBooks and look for the option to Resubscribe.
After reactivating your account, check your billing information again.
Go to Settings > Subscriptions and billing and look for the Next charge date. This helps confirm that your subscription is active and the billing information is correct.
Intuit recommends checking this date after resubscribing.
If QuickBooks does not reactivate after you update your billing information, check whether the payment method was declined or whether there is another subscription issue.
You can also try signing out and signing back in using a computer browser. If the problem continues, QuickBooks recommends contacting its help team for assistance with reactivation errors.
QuickBooks Payroll has a separate reactivation process.
For QuickBooks Online Payroll, you can sign in to your account and choose the option to resubscribe. For some QuickBooks Desktop Payroll subscriptions, you can open your company file, go to Employees > My Payroll Service > Account/Billing Info, and select Resubscribe.
Intuit notes that payroll reactivation can take up to 24 hours. After reactivation, you should also review employee and payroll information before processing payroll.
Can I reactivate a canceled QuickBooks account?
Yes. If your QuickBooks Online data is still within the applicable retention period, you can resubscribe and regain access to the company data.
How long does QuickBooks take to reactivate?
A successful reactivation can happen quickly, but Intuit says some payment-related reactivations may take up to 24 hours.
Can I reactivate QuickBooks from the mobile app?
The QuickBooks Online Subscriptions and billing area is currently available through the web version, so use a computer browser for the resubscription process.
Will I lose my QuickBooks data after canceling?
Your paid QuickBooks Online data is generally retained for up to one year after cancellation. During that period, canceled accounts can have read-only access.
What should I do if my payment keeps failing?
Check that your payment information is current and accurate. If the payment continues to fail, you may need to use another valid payment method or contact QuickBooks for further assistance.
Reactivating a QuickBooks account usually involves signing in, opening Subscriptions and billing, and selecting Resubscribe. If the account was suspended because of a payment problem, update your billing information first. After reactivation, check your subscription and next charge date to make sure everything is active.