Quickbooks - "Please sign in with your User ID instead of your email address"

Last updated: October 5, 2026

When connecting QuickBooks Online Payroll through Finch Connect, you may see this message:

Please sign in with your QuickBooks User ID instead of your email address. Your User ID is different from your regular email login.

This means the credential entered in Finch Connect was an email address. Finch cannot connect with an email address, so the connection will not complete until you sign in with your QuickBooks User ID instead.

Why this happens

An email address is not a unique identifier in Intuit's systems. The same email can be tied to more than one Intuit account, which sends sign-in down an unreliable email verification path. Finch requires a User ID, which maps to exactly one account, so the connection is secure and reliable.

Option 1: Sign in with your existing User ID

  1. In Finch Connect, enter your QuickBooks User ID (not your email address) and your password, then click Connect.
  2. If you are not sure of your User ID, go to the Intuit sign-in page and select the option to recover your User ID, or check your Intuit account settings.

Option 2: Update your User ID if it is an email address

If your User ID is itself an email address, change it to something that is not in email format:

  1. Sign in to your Intuit account at accounts.intuit.com.
  2. Go to Sign in & security and select User ID.
  3. Replace the email-format User ID with a new one (for example, a name or company handle with no "@"), then select Save. Intuit may ask you to enter a verification code sent to your email or phone.
  4. Return to Finch Connect and sign in with the new User ID and your existing password.

Note: Updating your User ID changes how you sign in to QuickBooks and other Intuit products on this account. Your password, data and permissions are not affected. Anyone else who signs in with this credential should be told about the change.

Still stuck?

Make sure you are signing in as a QuickBooks Administrator (see Quickbooks - Connect your account). If the problem continues, contact the application that sent you the Finch Connect link, or reach out to Finch support.