Fondo Common Errors
Overview
Quick reference for common Fondo platform issues and their resolutions.
Prerequisites
- A finance owner, opaque case ID, redacted telemetry, and an authorized support path.
- A safe synthetic or read-only reproduction; do not use live tax/payroll records for routine diagnostics.
Instructions
- Classify the issue as access, sync, categorization, reconciliation, filing workflow, or data-retention concern.
- Reproduce with the smallest permitted probe, then review configuration, integration scope, source mapping, and queue state.
- Apply a reversible correction, record the review decision, and verify a safe failure path.
- Escalate possible financial-data exposure or filing-impacting discrepancies to the finance owner.
Output
Return a redacted diagnostic receipt with case ID, category, safe reproduction, action, verification, owner, and follow-up. Never include transactions, payroll, tax documents, account details, or credentials.
Error Handling
- Do not make tax eligibility, filing, or payment decisions from an automated error flow.
- Quarantine mismatches for professional review and use bounded retries for transient integration failures.
- Stop sharing evidence if it contains sensitive financial data or secrets.
Examples
Use a fictional categorization discrepancy, record only an aggregate error category, correct the mapping in a test fixture, and route the result to the authorized finance reviewer before any live change.
Integration Sync Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Bank transactions not appearing | Plaid connection expired | Dashboard > Integrations > Re-connect bank |
| Gusto data stale | OAuth token expired (90-day limit) | Re-authorize in Integrations |
| Stripe revenue missing | Webhook not configured | Connect Stripe in Dashboard > Integrations |
| Duplicate transactions | Multiple connections to same bank | Remove duplicate in Integrations |
| Payroll amounts wrong | Mid-period payroll change | Notify Fondo CPA via Dashboard > Messages |
Categorization Errors
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| Software expense marked as Office | Recategorize in Transactions, Fondo learns |
| Contractor marked as Vendor | Ensure 1099 classification matches in payroll |
| Inter-company transfer as Revenue | Mark as Transfer in Transactions |
| R&D expense not flagged | Tag employee/activity as R&D in Dashboard |
R&D Credit Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Credit is $0 | No qualifying W-2 employees | Hire W-2 (not 1099) for R&D work |
| Credit lower than expected | Activities not properly documented | Schedule call with Fondo CPA team |
| Ineligible (>$5M revenue) | Exceeds startup threshold | Credit still available, just not payroll offset |
| Missing contractor hours | Time tracking not connected | Upload contractor time logs manually |
Escalation
- Dashboard > Messages > New Message (response within 1 business day)
- Schedule call with CPA team via Dashboard > Support
- For urgent tax deadlines: email support@fondo.com
Resources
Next Steps
For diagnostic data collection, see fondo-debug-bundle.