What actually happens after 31st January 2023 to my QuickBooks Desktop product?

Which QB Desktop year version do you have? What will happen on January 31, 2023? Did we miss any announcements recently for the QB Desktop UK version?

We had an email this morning stating this from Intuit:

Thanks for being a QuickBooks Desktop user. We are writing to let you know that sadly - we have taken the decision to discontinue QuickBooks Desktop and Desktop Support for our UK customers.

We won’t be launching a 2022 edition of QuickBooks Desktop in the UK, but you will continue to receive full support until 31 January 2023.

Really disappointed in how they have dealt with this!

Wow! We just noticed this update.

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/uk/desktop/

You may have 2 options:
1. To comply with MTD requirements, migrate to QB Online UK version or another accounting app.

https://quickbooks.grsm.io/UK

2. Migrate to QB Desktop US version. You can still purchase a one time license of QB Desktop 2021 and a 3rd party conversion service to bring your data if required.

If you are using QB Desktop 2019 UK or older versions and doesn't need to comply with MTD requirements, you can purchase a one time license of QB Desktop 2019 UK version.

Thanks Fiat. Knowing the extent of the change on 31/01/2023 will determine the route we have to take. If we can use bridging software to file VAT returns and the software lets up limp on for say a year beyond 2013 then QBO may then be a viable option, right now it is not. There is not enough time provided by Intuit to suitably support all clients to migrate to a new system. Thank you for your comment re using the US version. I'd be nervous of recommend that to my clients though as can imagine compatibility issues etc. 

Look forward to getting a reply from Inuit.

I've read your original post, @buzz21.

I would advise you to visit our UK Desktop FAQ page that can hopefully answer any outstanding questions and what to do next. 

I hope your questions are answered, @buzz21. Please touch base with me here for all of your QuickBooks needs, I'm always happy to help. 

Thanks for your reply Mark. I note that users have been receiving various different messages from Intuit on this question via webchat and over the phone etc so there is quite a lot of anxiety about what will actually happen. I assume your response is the official Intuit line on what will happen and that it can be 100% relied upon an publicised as such.

QBO is not a viable alternative for many of my clients due to the significant lack of functionality, slow method of operating, lack of reporting options, inability to properly work multi-window and tendency to fall out of sync. When QBO can mirror QBD function-by-function I will happily join the argument that it is just as good, until that day it cant be. I dont get why Intuit didnt take what is a great product in QBD and simply mirror in on QBO.

Thanks for getting back to us jasonrobertsadler, we're sorry to see there's been confusion caused through this.

The advice provided by Mark is correct and, in addition to the points above, we are not advising customers to move to the US Desktop (or any other region) as this is not a compliant option and does not have a direct migration path. We understand a move from your current desktop solution is not ideal but providing compliant solutions is a top priority and the discontinuation of Desktop will allow us to further focus our efforts on enhancing our Online product. If you have any feedback on specific reports or features you feel are missing from QB Online, please share them below, we're all ears. :)

I'm the sole owner/shareholder of three small companies, and two of them have minimal transactions and sometimes none at all for extended periods.  For this reason Quickbooks Desktop has been the most economic for me to use as I only need one subscription, whereas I would need three for QB online.

According to a posting earlier in this thread, one can continue unsupported with QB Desktop from 1st February 2023, which I may opt to do because of the above.

Would those in possession of QB Desktop 2021 still have to pay a subscription fee?  In the past one could just buy QB Desktop which cam on a CD Rom for a one-off purchase price and use it for as long as one wanted.  There probably still are people happily working away with very old versions of QB who don't have complex accounting needs and haven't bothered with upgrades.  

Will 31st January 2023 be an end date on converting from QB Desktop to QB online, or will this continue for a time after.

Welcome to the Community, @JohnFlahive.

Allow me to share additional information about the discontinuation of the QuickBooks Desktop(QBDT) UK version.

With the discontinuation in 2023, you can still use the app if you have purchased a not subscription-based.

However, there will be no more updates, and you will have to troubleshoot all the issues manually.

You can refer to this link for more information about the discontinuation of the QBDT UK version: QuickBooks Desktop is being discontinued.

If you consider going with QuickBooks Online, you can check this article to help you decide: Is QuickBooks Online right for me and my business?.

Let me know how this goes by replying to this thread or don't hesitate to post again. We're always here in the Intuit Community to help.

I need you to clarify this sentence.

"With the discontinuation in 2023, you can still use the app if you have purchased a not subscription-based".

I have Quickbooks Desktop 2021 which as far as I could establish is only available on a subscription basis, without a subscription one cannot log on.  Does this mean that on 1st February 2023 I can no longer use QB desktop?

It's important that Intuit clarify this to avoid mis-leading many of its Desktop users who think they can continue using QB Desktop unsupported.

If QB Desktop 2021 is available for purchase for a flat fee, then I would appreciate being told where I can get it.  I tried to locate a for purchase version last year but couldn't find one available anywhere.

When it comes to QB Online, Intuit has consistently failed to address the reality that there are many companies in existence that exist for specific limited purposes with small volumes of transactions.  It continues to only offer a one size fits all subscription for every company regardless of size or volume of activity.

Hello JohnFlahive, thanks for coming back to us, so just to give all our customers clarification on what is exactly going on in regards to desktop being discontinued so you all know.

So all QuickBooks Desktop UK versions will be expiring and will not work after 31st January 2023.

You will not be able to buy 2021 version outright. QuickBooks Desktop will cease to work from 1st February 2023 and you will need to migrate to QuickBooks Online or another software and export the data of your desktop version.  

There will be an update in the coming months to help customers download their data. 

We're sorry for any confusion but I hope this clarifies the situation. 

Thank you for this clarification.  I know where I stand.

I would ask that Intuit communicates this formally by email to its Desktop customers, same as when it announced that Desktop was to be discontinued.  So as to avoid mixed messaging which going by the comment threads has gone out to some users.

Thanks

John 

Hi Ashley1, your advice is the exact opposite of that of 2 of your colleagues above. PLEASE CAN INTUIT STATE WITH ABSOLUTE CLARITY what is happening at 1st February 2021 for those on subscription and those who paid outright for the 2021 product and also those on 2020 and 2019 which are also still currently fully supported products. The standard of customer care here is appalling!

The concept of having to export the data out of the product as the only future way to access the info is totally out of the question. Exported data will not be sufficient to enable businesses to provide suitable information to HMRC in the event of an enquiry. Intuit need to make it possible for the software to at least be read only. No transfer to another product will enable all the data to come across in a fully usable way - QBO doesn't even have all the boxes for the data!

You're more than welcome John, we have taken on board what you have said and have passed it on as feedback to the relevant team. 

Hello Jason, As mentioned as of 1st Feb 2023 the desktop product will cease to work. 2021 was a monthly subscription-based product in the UK. You will not be able to use it. We apologise for the lack of clarity on this and have feedback to our senior team both your and John's comments.

Hi Emma, so the 2 initial Intuit posts above are incorrect then. This is a much worse scenario then. As I said earlier to outright prevent access from 1st Feb 2023 is totally unacceptable and a total disregard to customers who have loyally been paying Intuit for this product. At the very least you need to let us access the product and run reports. Surely making the product read only is not beyond your IT guys?!

Dear Emma

I am not sure why this decision has been taken by Intuit but I am absolutely mortified by what I have read this morning. I understand that you want to migrate everyone to QBO (I presume this is a purely financial decision and respect that). However, I have been using QBD for 20 years. I have a small handful of clients who operate on QBO but the vast majority of the 250 companies that we act for are on QBD due to the lack of functionality, flexibility and speed when operating on QBO. The QBO product is significantly inferior to QBD which is the number one product in the market.

I for one would be delighted to pay a (increased) monthly subscription if you either kept QBD running or even put QBD product online. But I will not be advising any of my clients who are currently paying monthly subscriptions for QBD to transfer to QBO. I really hope that Intuit reverses this decision. Happy to speak with someone at Intuit to go through all of the specific problems with QBO when compared to QBD.

Hi @Yosef Cowan , I'm really sorry to see that this decision will cause such distress especially after being with QBD for 20 years.

As it stands, the UK QuickBooks Desktop will be discontinued but I have forwarded your feedback and concerns to our relevant teams so that they're aware of what you're saying.

Thanks, Jack 

Hello Ashleigh1. I use QB Desktop Pro 2016, which came as a CD that was loaded onto my computer.  I paid for the licence as a one off charge.  I am quite happy with this version, do not need updates, nor have I ever needed support. The software and the data files are all located on my computer. There is no cloud involved. A couple of questions please:-

1 Since there is no cloud involved, can I continue to access and use my QB Pro 2016 after 31.01.23?

2 If the above answer is no -  please will you explain in layman's terms exactly how you are going to restrict my ability to use the software on my computer, since you do not have access to my computer.

Thank you 

Hello TheBookkeeper2!

Thanks for joining this post. I'm here to assist you with your QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2016.

The QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2016 is one of our unsupported versions of QuickBooks Desktop. This means that you will no longer receive updates and some other services will be discontinued, too. However, you can still access your data and use the software.

Please check this article: QuickBooks Desktop service discontinuation policy and upgrade information. This will explain more what happens to the discontinued versions of QuickBooks Desktop.

Also, if you're planning to move to a cloud version of QuickBooks, the details are in this article: QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation support hub.

Comment again here if you have other concerns. I'll help you!

Hi Alex

Thank you for that update re 2016. Very useful. Can you please confirm the status of later versions of QBD - ie. 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

1. Will any / all of these versions continue to work in the same way that you say 2016 will continue?

2. If yes, will it still be possible to file VAT returns under MTD on any or all of those versions of the software?

Thanks so much.

Yosef

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@Yosef Cowan wrote:

1. Will any / all of these versions continue to work in the same way that you say 2016 will continue?

2. If yes, will it still be possible to file VAT returns under MTD on any or all of those versions of the software?

@Yosef Cowan 

1. Afaik, if you use the one-time license version, you can still use it forever (unless you are reinstalling it and the system asks for a validation code) . We found the same policy for the QBD US and CA versions. You can still purchase a one time license of QBD 2019.

2. MTD system needs a supported version of QBD. They will support QBD UK version until January 2023. 

Dear Fiat Lux

Thank you for your reply. Really appreciate you taking the time. I wonder if you could clarify a bit further (if you have time / knowledge).

(a) You say that the one time license can be used forever and that 2019 version can still be bought on a license. My versions of 2019, 2020 and 2021 all have "N/A" in the "product expiry" heading of "product information" (f2). Does that mean that all of these versions will carry on working even after 31 Jan 2023? Did you refer to 2019 as (1) that is available for purchase now or (2) that is the latest version that will keep working?

(b) You say that MTD requires a supported system of QBD. I would have expected that to be the case but could not find out for sure. Are you confident of that? And presumably we would still be able to use bridging software (if still allowed by then).

Any feelings / light to shine?!

Rgds

Yosef

Hello Yosef Cowan,  Fiat Lux, does not work for INTUIT and it is not correct what he has said so please dont listen to them thanks. Even if the product has been outright (pre2016) all versions of Quickbooks Desktop for the UK will be expiring due to the discontinuation of the service and also just to make you aware you cannot migrate to Quickbooks Desktop in the US. You would need to move to Quickbooks Online or another Software.