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.
1---2name: fondo-common-errors3description: Diagnose and fix common Fondo issues including integration sync failures, categorization errors, and R&D credit qualification problems. Trigger: "fondo error", "fondo sync issue", "fondo not syncing", "fondo problem".4license: MIT5---6# Fondo Common Errors
7
8## Overview
9
10Quick reference for common Fondo platform issues and their resolutions.
11
12## Prerequisites
13
14- A finance owner, opaque case ID, redacted telemetry, and an authorized support path.
15- A safe synthetic or read-only reproduction; do not use live tax/payroll records for routine diagnostics.
16
17## Instructions
18
191. Classify the issue as access, sync, categorization, reconciliation, filing workflow, or data-retention concern.
202. Reproduce with the smallest permitted probe, then review configuration, integration scope, source mapping, and queue state.
213. Apply a reversible correction, record the review decision, and verify a safe failure path.
224. Escalate possible financial-data exposure or filing-impacting discrepancies to the finance owner.
23
24## Output
25
26Return 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.
27
28## Error Handling
29
30- Do not make tax eligibility, filing, or payment decisions from an automated error flow.
31- Quarantine mismatches for professional review and use bounded retries for transient integration failures.
32- Stop sharing evidence if it contains sensitive financial data or secrets.
33
34## Examples
35
36Use 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.
37
38## Integration Sync Issues
39
40| Issue | Cause | Solution |
41|-------|-------|----------|
42| Bank transactions not appearing | Plaid connection expired | Dashboard > Integrations > Re-connect bank |
43| Gusto data stale | OAuth token expired (90-day limit) | Re-authorize in Integrations |
44| Stripe revenue missing | Webhook not configured | Connect Stripe in Dashboard > Integrations |
45| Duplicate transactions | Multiple connections to same bank | Remove duplicate in Integrations |
46| Payroll amounts wrong | Mid-period payroll change | Notify Fondo CPA via Dashboard > Messages |
47
48## Categorization Errors
49
50| Error | Fix |
51|-------|-----|
52| Software expense marked as Office | Recategorize in Transactions, Fondo learns |
53| Contractor marked as Vendor | Ensure 1099 classification matches in payroll |
54| Inter-company transfer as Revenue | Mark as Transfer in Transactions |
55| R&D expense not flagged | Tag employee/activity as R&D in Dashboard |
56
57## R&D Credit Issues
58
59| Issue | Cause | Solution |
60|-------|-------|----------|
61| Credit is $0 | No qualifying W-2 employees | Hire W-2 (not 1099) for R&D work |
62| Credit lower than expected | Activities not properly documented | Schedule call with Fondo CPA team |
63| Ineligible (>$5M revenue) | Exceeds startup threshold | Credit still available, just not payroll offset |
64| Missing contractor hours | Time tracking not connected | Upload contractor time logs manually |
65
66## Escalation
67
681. Dashboard > Messages > New Message (response within 1 business day)
692. Schedule call with CPA team via Dashboard > Support
703. For urgent tax deadlines: email support@fondo.com
71
72## Resources
73
74- [Fondo Help Center](https://fondo.com/blog)
75- [R&D Credits FAQ](https://fondo.com/blog/fondo-rd-credits-faq)
76
77## Next Steps
78
79For diagnostic data collection, see `fondo-debug-bundle`.
gabrielmoreira