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Failed to Look Up Reference Number

This troubleshooting guide addresses the issue of a "Failed to look up reference number" error that occurs when applying changes to Add/Edit W-2 Totals in any version of the Payroll product.

When applying changes to Add/Edit W-2 Totals, this error displays:

Failed to look up reference number.

  • Products affected: Payroll

  • Versions affected: Any

The error "Failed to look up reference number" typically occurs when there is a discrepancy in the W-2 Totals data. This could be due to incorrect or incomplete data entries, or a system glitch that prevents the successful lookup of the reference number.

To resolve this issue, perform a financial backup, then contact Support to run the PRCOMP and PRFIXW2 utilities.

  1. Log in using your ACS user name and password.
  2. Under Data Options, select Financial Data Backup.
  3. Optional: Under Additional Options, select Verify Backup.
  4. Under Configuration, note the Backup Destination Directory. To change the location, click Lookup.
  5. Click Backup.
  6. In the Select Datasets window, clear any datasets you do not want to back up, then click OK.