Hello creek to peak,
Payroll is a great add-on service that can help you calculate your employees' pay cheques and the payroll taxes you need to pay to the government. I'm excited to hear that you're interested in using it with QuickBooks Desktop and am happy to go over the options. Community automatically removed your phone number to keep your information private, but I'll let you know how to get in touch to speak with an agent directly.
QuickBooks Desktop payroll add-on is available for the 2019 and 2020 editions of the program. Come July, it'll only be available on the 2020 version of QuickBooks Desktop. This is because the program pulls the payroll tax tables, which are used to calculate and generate payroll, directly from the Canada Revenue Agency. In order to have the most accurate and up-to-date numbers, the newest versions of the program are needed as the tax table updates are coded for them.
That being said, upgrading will allow you to work with payroll in QuickBooks Desktop. An agent can help you upgrade to the 2020 edition with payroll so you can get started right away. I recommend considering a monthly or annual subscription as this'll allow you to upgrade the program as needed to keep up with payroll without having to pay an extra amount each time.
I'll leave you with links you can review, including the online page for purchasing a monthly subscription for QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier 2020 with payroll, how to upgrade your company file, and how to get in touch with an agent to discuss your options.
Don't be afraid to give us a shout! We're here to help. :)