That's the confusion, the name.

Sage50 Accounts standard maybe being discontinued, but not Sage50 Accounts Cloud.

Don't be fooled by the cloud bit, that as I said above is just for backups and remote working.

The company file is kept locally and is the software is NOT due to be discontinued.

Its a relatively new product. I believe versions less than V26 may be now not supported so users need to upgrade.

They have many different versions so confusion is easy.

Hi,

In actual fact until we set up a couple of users to work remote, we didn't use the cloud part of it at all, the company file PC wasn't even connected to the internet unless it needed to update.

I think they added the 'cloud' part to make it more appealing to some customers but its only used for remote working. I also distrust fully cloud versions that rely in a data-center to stay online and a full time internet connection to operate our business. SEVERAL of our suppliers that use Amazon or Microsoft cloud solutions have had to cease all trading several times this year due to their cloud network getting hacked or going offline due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.

Also it actually works out cheaper then QB Desktop if you have more than 2 or 3 users

https://www.yourofficeanywhere.co.uk/info-hub/is-sage-50-cloud-based/

Dear Intuit,

Any news on a licence to access Quickbooks Desktop read only after 31st March ?

I have been using Quickbooks Desktop since 1996 (27 years) and I am currently using Quickbooks Desktop 2020.

I will be aged 70 in a weeks time and I have just retired.

Exactly what will happen on 31st March ? This is getting dangerously close.

This is also my year end I will need to produce reports for my accountants to prepare my last years accounts.

I am happy to stay up late on 31st March to do this but what if my accountants have a query, want a slightly different report, or worse still H.M.R.C. send a query ?

It is unacceptable to expect someone in my position to sign up to an online product that would most likely never be used unless there is a query to look something up.

Some information is urgently needed !

Having at the start of all this been informed by a Sage employee that 50 was not for us and pusshing us to Sage 200 - very expensive and not adequate for our needs - I have just signed a client up with Sage 50 Accounts Professional, while not thrilled they are delighted that it will deal properly with stock, i.e part/multiple deliveries and invoices against one purchase order while updating stock and keeping the PO active until completed. That is the one fundimental functionality missing in all cloud based accounting software. Also this version of Sage also accomodates projects linking to customers as well as purchases to project costing all without the need to use other systems and integrate them - and we all know how successful they can be (not!). Big relief all round now all they are panicking about is the lack of response from Intuit regarding the read only licence. Bearing in mind this was being promised before the deadline of 31.01.23 was extended to 30.6.23 the delay in releasing these details is unacceptable. Unless of course Intuit are going change their minds about desktop's demise. Come on Intuit at least get this confirmed!!   

Hi ell281,

It would be great if Intuit did extend things to June 2023 !

That would help me a lot.

Fingers crossed that this happens.

It wouldn't cost them anything other than 10 mins of someone's time to send an e-mail out to all QB registered users.

I see where you came from, @toothman and @ell281.

I'm here to share further insights about the discontinuation of the QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) UK version so you can manage your company data accordingly.

Yes, I can confirm that the discontinuation of the UK version of QBDT is extended to 30 June 2023. Please see this page to learn more about this and what you can do next: UK Desktop FAQ page.

Also, you may want to check out this article as your reference to answer the most commonly asked questions about the QBDT service discontinuation: QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation support hub.

Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have other concerns about managing your QBDT account. I'm always ready to help. Take care, @toothman, and @ell281.

Yet again just more info on migrating to QB Online.

What about the access to historical data if we don't wish to downgrade to online?

Is this no longer planned?

Hi,

We also moved to Sage50 cloud Accounting.

Does all we want but the user GUI feels a little antiquated.

Another benefit is no list limits, we ran out of the max QB customer name limit within 2 years so had to start a new QB company file every year.

Thanks for checking in with us, Yahal.

Stay tuned for more information as we work on a read-only version of QuickBooks Desktop. You can use QuickBooks 2015 or earlier versions if you have an outright license.

After June 30, 2023, you will be able to access the most recent version. QuickBooks Desktop 2016 and later editions are the only ones that support subscriptions. The billing will then cease on June 30, 2023. QuickBooks Desktop access and support will also cease on or shortly after this date.

If you wish to download your data to move out of QuickBooks Desktop completely, follow these steps:

1. Back up and save a copy of your desktop data file.
2. Export your lists and create a detailed chart of accounts report, plus open transaction reports to help you set up.
3. Download all your sales and purchase invoices. 
4. Go to Preferences and remove the period end date.
5. Check any spelling and notification of changes made before you start – this will let you print without having to confirm multiple times.
6. Select the invoices for the year you want to download. You can download the entire year. We recommend downloading invoices by month if you have more than 25 invoices per month. You can print or download the invoices as a PDF and save them in a folder.
7. Download and save copies of all your bank statements.
8. In your new accounting system, enter the opening balances into your chart of accounts and import your customer and supplier lists.
9. Finally, re-create or import your open transactions and adjust your open balances accordingly.

Here's an article you can refer to for more details about the QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation support hub. 

Please get back if you have other QuickBooks record-keeping concerns. I'm still here to help. Take care always, and more power to your institution. 

Hello RCV, You have really confused me. First Intuit confirm during a telephone conversation that a read only access licence will be available but you finish by stating that the subscription versions - if you have subscribed it will be 2020 as that is is latest version!! - will not have access and you again lead us to extracting data. This means that despite telephoned confirmation that there will be read only access Intuit have renaged. Desktop 2015 - the last non subscrition year - even if you are able to get a copy would not be any use. It will not do a restore to subsequent years as the software is different, probably due to MTD VAT as well as the control the monthly payments would require. Extracting DATA will NOT satisfy HMRC if there were to be an investigation. They would expect 7 years data and documentation to be available. This means that 7 years worth of sales invoices will need to be printed as pdf. In the case of one of my clients this will amount to over 30,000 invoices! Also reports can be manipulated, pdf can be converted to Excel/Word, changed and put back to pdf. HMRC will require reports with that day's date on them. I am dismayed that Intuit have kept us hanging on with this promise only to now let down long term users at the last minute. Clearly you are on the Cloud softare team as you appear to have no knowledge of desktop software.  

Hi Toothman, it is already extended to 30.06.23 the original date was 31.01.23

Will the Intuit Employees please stop using replies to push us towards Online. Those of us still posting have looked at this - and other cloud options - as an alternative and discounted it. Online is a basic accounting software, great for new startups or those requiring a simple cash in and out system. It is no use whatsoever for established businesses with complex needs who have been extremely happy with Desktop for 20 plus years. They will not be going to QuickBooks Online it does not meet their needs.  

Sage 50 Accounting Professional is still alive and very much expecting to continue. Sage are very aware of Intuit's decision regarding QuickBooks Desktop and appear to see it as an opportunity. When you consider that QuickBooks was always the favourite with users and Sage considered clunky and not very user friendly despite being the favourite with accountants, they must be very pleased with Intuit's decision to ditch us    

hi folks

The question uppermost in my mind at the moment re QB desktop UK is how will the software stop working?

Our QB2020 is installed in a virtual machine without internet access.

So as neither it nor intuit have access it would presume that a tiger trap was applied to the original software when it was created in November 2019, long before any question of disabling access was being publicly floated.

In our case we don't use Payroll or any add-on services and have no need of support so how will it actually be disabled other than no longer effectively being licenced.

thanks

Rod

@RodC1 

If you are using the one time license for QBD, you should be fine.

We have been wondering exactly that!  And considering placing our system on a stand alone PC without internet access.  That being said we do subscribe and therefore I suspect the cut off date has already been applied to our file.

This is such a ridiculous situation.  We have already test migrated our data to online and it's so littered with errors and wrong allocations that it is unusable.

What one time licence? The email talks about extracting reports not giving data access 

sadly no, as we're on QB2020 Intuit would not supply other than by subscriptions, so at that point we went from our fully paid up QB2006 accountant to QB2020 subscription at £312 per annum plus with basically no functional gain at all. 

when Intuit arbitrarily said that QB2006 would no longer work after a certain date we re-installed it in a VM which always starts with a system date before that so that QB never gets to that date. We only moved forward because of MTD.  

@ell281Just a little heads up regarding how purchase orders and partial deliveries are handled. It's actually one thing that QBO does actually do, just. It was something that Xero can't do which is half the reason I ended up back in QBO is it can handle partial deliveries and leave the partially completed PO live and generates a bill against the delivered stock.

The one thing it does have missing over how Desktop handled PO deliveries against stock is it goes straight to a bill instead of havng the stock delivered awaiting bill element which isn't perfect but it's workable.

Thanks Mark, that is very useful info as when I tried it some time ago QBO wouldn't do that. 

Hi Fiat Lux, I'm afraid you don't realise that the software for the UK is not the same as your Asian product. I believe you and the USA are keeping your desktop systems as neither have gone a bundle on having your data stored in a server where outside sources can get at them.  

@ell281 

Until last December, we assisted our clients to obtain the new one-time license for QBD 2020 UK version. Support claims that the license is still valid and we can still run QB after June 2023. Hope that's true.

This is amazing if it is!  How can we find this out for certain?  This is the email I received yesterday here in the UK. It is terrifying that we will not be able to see our accounts using our desktop software post 30 June 2023.

The 30 June 2023 deadline for the discontinuation of QuickBooks Desktop is approaching, and we encourage customers to migrate to QuickBooks Online or alternative Accounting software. This is to prevent potential disruption when the Desktop product is no longer accessible from July 2023 onwards. A key topic you’ve flagged to us is around the difference between the Data Export Only tool and migration. We’re sharing all the details we can at this time.

Let’s talk about migration

•            Migration is the process of transferring your existing data to QuickBooks Online or elsewhere. This will mean your data is ready to go on your new Financial Management Software (FMS). As mentioned previously, we’ve teamed up with data migration experts Movemybooks to manage this process for you.
•            Once initial setup is completed, migration takes approximately ten hours. Movemybooks look after the process and will let you know when you're ready to begin using your new software.
•            You can migrate up to two years’ worth of data for free, QuickBooks is covering the cost of your migration with Movemybooks even if you decide to move elsewhere. Any additional data you wish to transfer will be subject to a fee. However, our Data Export Only Tool will become a resource that enables you to view your historical records for audit purposes.
•            If you migrate to QuickBooks Online, you’ll be able to take advantage of our assisted onboarding process, meaning a QuickBooks expert will guide you through the features of QuickBooks Online.

Learn more about migration here.

Let’s talk about the Data Export Only tool

•            The Data Export Only tool is a solution created to display your historical accounting data, meaning you can review your old notes and files for compliance purposes.
•            It’s important that we continue to remind all customers that the Data Export Only tool is not a direct replacement for QuickBooks Desktop. It allows you to access and download your historical accounting data such as sales, purchase invoices and reports.
•            The tool will be available to use for seven years. However, due to privacy law, we don't permanently store your data on the cloud. You have to re-upload the company file to access the data each time.
•            The Data Export Only tool will be accessible via web browser when you need it.
•            You cannot run your business with this tool, it requires an upload of your company data file each time, and features a 8 hour time limit for usage. Once this time limit expires, you'll have to re-upload your data file again. This is why it's important to migrate to new accounting software, the Data Export Only tool will simply complement your new platform, providing you with peace of mind that all historical data is safe and sound.

A further communication later this month will provide detailed FAQs on how to use the Data Export Only tool, and provide you with full access to the platform.

We’ll be in touch soon.

Thanks,

The QuickBooks Team