QuickBooks Desktop Q&A v2.0

Answering common questions about QuickBooks Desktop and the upcoming changes to the QuickBooks Desktop product line …

Is Intuit QuickBooks Desktop available without a subscription?

No.

In 2022, Intuit transitioned all remaining QuickBooks Desktop products (Pro/Premier/Mac) from a perpetual license model (buy once and use "forever") to a subscription-based model. QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (QuickBooks Enterprise) transitioned to a subscription-based model some years earlier.

Do you need to renew Intuit QuickBooks Desktop annually?

Yes.

QuickBooks Desktop subscriptions generally require an annual commitment and renewal to continue to use the software regardless of whether you are billed monthly or annually.

Is QuickBooks Desktop going away?

QuickBooks Desktop is not going away entirely; however, Intuit has announced plans to stop selling NEW subscriptions of some QuickBooks Desktop products in the US.

Originally slated for July 31, 2024, Intuit has extended the deadline to September 30, 2024.

The affected QuickBooks Desktop products include QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus, QuickBooks Desktop Mac Plus, and QuickBooks Desktop Enhanced Payroll.

Existing US customers with active subscriptions will not be affected by the change and will still be able to receive product support, updates, and upgrades after September 30, 2024.

QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (QuickBooks Enterprise) is also not affected by this change.

Can US customers still purchase a NEW subscription to QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, or Mac Plus?

Yes, US customers can still purchase NEW subscriptions to QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, and Mac Plus until September 30, 2024 through Intuit Sales or online through a special link.

Details can be found here - https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/whats-new/quickbooks-desktop-stop-sell/

What happens if I want to purchase QuickBooks in the US after September 30, 2024?

After September 30, 2024, US customers interested in purchasing QuickBooks will have the option of QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise (QuickBooks Enterprise) or QuickBooks Online.

QuickBooks Enterprise will be the only QuickBooks Desktop product available for US customers looking to purchase a new QuickBooks Desktop subscription.

Is QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online the same?

While QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online are both business accounting/finance solutions from Intuit, they are not identical products.

QuickBooks Desktop is Intuit’s longstanding business accounting/finance solution. It can be installed locally, on a server in a client/server environment, or accessed through an Intuit Authorized Hosting Provider.

QuickBooks Online is Intuit’s cloud-based business accounting/finance solution first released in 2001.

While there are similarities in how the two solutions work, the two products are not an apples-to-apples match.

Customers should carefully evaluate the products against their business needs before choosing one or the other.

Do you need to back up QuickBooks Desktop company files?

You should always run and have current backups of your QuickBooks Desktop company files regardless of whether QuickBooks Desktop is installed locally, on a server in a client/server environment, or accessed through an Intuit Authorized Hosting Provider.

If possible, set up / run a combination of automated + manual backups being sure to also perform frequent backups of the native company files + images folder.

Your business accounting/financial information is crucial so take the proper steps to proactively safeguard that information.

Should you upgrade QuickBooks Desktop annually to the latest major product release?

Intuit recommends upgrading QuickBooks Desktop to the latest major product release when available.

However, many businesses may not be immediately ready to upgrade their users to the latest major product release due to concerns over compatibility with third-party and custom integrations as well as custom reporting.

Those businesses should plan their upgrade strategy accordingly to ensure compatibility concerns are properly addressed, avoid unnecessary downtime, and impacts to productivity.

Keep in mind that Intuit may not provide product support for releases outside of the latest major product release.

Where can I learn more about the upcoming changes to QuickBooks Desktop?

You can learn more by visiting: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/whats-new/quickbooks-desktop-stop-sell/