purging OBO account and re-migrating old desktop files

Hi there, @speaklife.

It seems like a duplicate post. My colleague has already provided an answer to the other one. You may refer to this link: Starting Over. 

Please let us know if you need further help. We're always happy to assist.

ThanksLieraMarie_A, but this question is different. I initially wrote one long post with all my questions together but it didn’t receive any hits so I deleted it and broke it down into separate posts (some of which I no longer see.) Each question is different although they all pertain to different facets of deleting and resetting the account.

This question is about using old QB desktop files to restore the account. The instructions state to bring the account up to date, including reconciliation, before migrating but I’m unable at this point. I tried to update ourQB Desktop (its active for another year) but it won't let me enter payroll data because that account is now associated with our online version. Apparently they can not be used simultaneously.

I have QB desktop backup files (.qbw and .qbb) from before we converted to QBO in May of 2022. Can I use one of them to restart the account and manually enter the transactions that have processed since?

Thanks for getting back to us and clearing up the confusion, @speaklife.

Yes, you can use your old QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) file to start a new QuickBooks Online (QBO) company. Since you can't use your payroll service simultaneously, you may update your transactions after the migration. Before doing the process, you have to do the following:

1. Cancel your existing QuickBooks Online and payroll subscriptions. Make sure to export your data for future use.
2. Create a new QBO company. You can have as many companies as you'd like under the same QBO account. However, each company requires an additional subscription. You can access them with the same sign-in info. This lets you quickly switch between companies so you can manage everything more efficiently. 
3. Migrate your QBDT file to your new QBO company. Know that there are limitations when you convert your file, including payroll info. You'll need to enter past year-to date payroll info for each employee.
4. Once done, I'd recommend running the Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet reports to ensure that you transferred your data correctly. To verify your reports in both products, filter the date period to All Dates and the accounting method to Accrual. 
5. Renew your payroll subscription. To assist you with this process, contact our Customer Care Support team. They can review your account and determine if you can pick up where you left off or if you should start over fresh.
6. Enter other missing information.

With your company all set up, check out this article to help you get started: What to do after you move from QBDT to QBO.

Keep in touch with me here should you have any additional questions or concerns. I'm always available to help.

@speaklife 

Your QBO account must be older than 60 days and you cannot purge it again. I would recommend these steps:

1. Signup for a new QBO account and migrate your data from your old QBO account (including payroll data). You should get help from a reliable QB Payroll team or ProAdvisor to do this.

2. Once you believe your new QBO account meets your needs, you can migrate data from QB Desktop manually or purchase a 3rd party conversion service.

Again, my question was specifically about using an OLD desktop file without updating it because the instructions specifically state to update everything including reconciling the account and I can not do that. The reason I need to wipe and reinstall the account was due to bad advice from the support team so I’m very nervous about jumping into anything without being absolutely certain my exact situation is clearly understood an addressed directly.

The video says “if you need to run payroll or pay payroll taxes, be sure to perform those tasks BEFORE copying your data to quickbooks online”

Since this backup file is 9 months old, we have written many payroll checks and tax payments since. Will they automatically sync from the bank to QB Payroll? Please advise.