From what my accountant said, I will lose some existing functionality - like some automated payroll features.  Regardless, the forced cloud move and exorbitant subscription fees - without any justification or benefit - is enough to walk.  

@prbrown09 

QB Desktop 2021 will be outdated in June 2024. You may have 3 options

1. Purchase QB Desktop 2024 to upgrade your version and integrate with QB Desktop Payroll. Another option, upgrade to QB Desktop 2024 Enterprise Gold if you meet certain number of employees (i.e 4 employees or more). You can purchase the license through selected partners to get perpetual discounts for renewals.

2. Keep using QB Desktop 2021 + a 3d party payroll app. You will register payroll expense as JE manually in QB.

3. Start from scratch in a new program to lower your conversion costs. You will access your historical data in QB Desktop for good.

Sadly it is allways this way with quickbooks. Getting any straight answer to a question has never happened in my 15 years using it. Our company has downsized dramatically since covid and this year the renewal price far exceeds what we can justify. I am currently looking at alternatives. Probably will have to go with  a cloud based program because of budgeting but I am going to try hard to find a better alternative to quickbooks desktop or online! 

@mlit0012 

Which QB Desktop year version do you have?

Do you need the payroll module?

Absolute insanity for prices. I only use (was using) Qb Desktop for personal use, not business. This should be a one-time SOFTWARE cost not a BS subscription. I cancelled immediately when I had to pay that rapacious amount. I use an older Desktop version completely offline so QB can't f**k with me. Everyone should bail on QB and find different software.

No it will not work unless you pay QB their hostage fees. If you use bank feeds, Merchant services, etc. your software will be disabled until you pay up. Find a different software/company

@CMeGo 

it will not work unless you pay QB their hostage fees

What do you mean with "hostage fees"? Which QB Desktop year version do you have? 2023?

You should realize that QB Chat support or any QB support is likely just a call center in some other country with "Support Techs" reading off a screen with canned responses.

Meaning if you do not pay an exorbitant annual subscription fee you will not have access to any basic services like Bank Feeds or Merchant Services. I had Desktop Pro 2022. If I did not renew the subscription after one year, QB disabled EVERYTHING including even being able to open the company file. Opening the file runs the automatic update service which does not work if you haven't paid the subscription (hostage fee). I use an older version offline, but am disposed to only manual entry of everything (no bank feeds). I use a .csv converter to be able to import bank and credit card transactions. I do not use payroll or Merchant services.

@CMeGo 

Contact me in private and we can share a workaround to use the bank feed feature with your QB Desktop 2022 file.

    I am leaning toward keeping my Desktop Pro '21 on my laptop for my one person one computer business, and stop taking credit card payments.  I do not run payroll. I am not hooked into my bank accounts with Quickbooks.    I am tempted to schedule 4 or 5 different chat sessions with QB Support and see if anyone goes off script and tells me this new model only makes sense for QB because it increases profits.

  I notice no QB employees have tried to justify the price increase and subscription/ransomware model in this thread.  

@TPG Desktop 

I notice no QB employees have tried to justify the price increase and subscription/ransomware model in this thread.

They won't bother to give you any justification. Their primary goal is to force you to switch to QB Online.

It is 3/31/24. I am scheduled to speak with a QB rep tomorrow at 9am. From reading all this, all I am getting is that I will be "sold" the QB online, which I cannot do as I am in a remote area with limited internet. So, my choices are pay the HUGE increase in fee, find a new software, or go paper? How do we boycott QB? This is "highway" robbery. Any tips on speaking with the representatives? Hopefully they are located in offices in the USA, otherwise, I will hang up!

@heavensenthorse 

Which QB Desktop year version do you have?

Do you need to run any add-ons? e.g QB Payroll, QB Payment

    the sales reps are only there to sell you on the subscription.  see if you can speak to someone else a step or two above....   I finally spoke to someone in fhe US who admitted they had gotten feedback from many customers against the subscription requirement.   when I asked her what they planned to do about it, she didn't have much to say.

    I am keeping my QB Pro Desktop 2021 for my one-person, one-computer operation, and will give up sending email invoices out to the 8-10 former clients who have changed their mailing address on me.  I am switching from using their Merchant Services for credit card payments to my bank's Clover application-  the fees are less!  Plus, Intuit says their service puts the client payment into their proper trust account on my QB, but they do not get it right 1/3 of the time. 

    When they offer another perpetual license QB Desktop I will buy it, but will not sign up for the subscription service and quadruple my yearly cost for QB.

I do use the payroll option, but it's only my husband and I. For the price, I may have to go back to doing all things by hand. It's a small farrier business. I really just need to track income and expenses. I can hand write invoices if I need to. I do email invoices, but I can very easily create one in excel and email that on the side. I don't use half the other features (billing, bank connections, etc.).

Thanks for the tip. I will see what the rep says, who tellls me he is in the USA born and bred, so that is important to me. I am American, I want to speak to an American. 

I also have a call into my accountant to get his perspective as he does like for me to send the file to him. 

Thanks for your input! Have a blessed day.

I've been running Xero parallel with QBO for about a month now.  Obviously it's not apples-to-apples, but I am probably going to make the switch.  All the functionality I need is there (with using an external payroll service), and just for principle I'd rather not give another dollar to QB after the crap they've pulled.  Best of luck to the rest of you.

My old non subscription desktop version is 2020. I had to buy the 2023 subscription version, so I did not renew with the exorbitant increase, and reverted to using 2920 offline.  It's for person use only and I do not need any add-ons.

Yup, I don't get the enormous price increase for software that is slow, bugs never get fixed, and well we all know its rent seeking.  

The old price was $189 good for 3 years if you wanted payment networks or $63 a year.   Plus they were making money off your use of the payment network.   Earning interest on your money by delaying transfers several days (earning interest on float), and constantly increasing fee's on a ACH transfer.   So why is this stuff now worth $360 a year instead of only $63?  Well this is the same company found guilty of illegally charging to send in tax returns that were free to submit.  

I suggest everyone look at nijarmm or another similar tool.    I'm expecting this post to be banned by intuit.  

Not sure if you got your answer yet or not but assume no. Once the year's version isn't supported all add-on services will stop. You can continue to use the software but it will be traditional bookkeeping, no internet connection basically.

Our company is very disappointed with Quickbooks!  We have been using the Desktop version since 2008 and have and been very happy with it - until last year when they decided to add a yearly subscription!!!  It is NOT cost effective as they claim and is an added strain to our finances!!!!!!!  We went round and round with a few reps last year and of course got nowhere.  Since we are forced to go this route, why doesn't QB make the yearly fee $100 a user and when a company decides to upgrade to the current version, then charge the fee for upgrade??  This would be more affordable to us smaller businesses who cannot absorb these outrages fees like the bigger ones.  It's all about the money, and not satisfying the customer!!    

@cecltd 

Which QB Desktop year version do you have? QB Desktop 2021 with a non subscription license or QB Desktop Plus version?

QB Desktop Pro Plus 2021

@heavensenthorse 

You have to renew your QB Desktop 2021 Pro Plus license. You should be able to find your license code for QB Desktop 2022-2024 in your CAMPS to upgrade your version before June 2024 and integrate it with Enhanced Payroll.

https://camps.intuit.com

Otherwise, you may consider using QB Desktop with a non subscription license + a stand alone payroll app. You will register payroll expenses as JE in QB Desktop manually.