I went from quickbooks online back to QuickBooks for desktop. My problem is that I can not export my online payroll to .iif file anymore. I have no way to change it back.

Thank you for choosing QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) for managing your payroll transactions. 

I acknowledge the relevance of accurately tracking your transactions within the program. Please know that the option to export and import payroll transactions is unavailable in QBDT. You need to enter your payroll transactions manually into the new company file. Alternatively, you can explore the QuickBooks App Market to find a third-party application you can integrate with QuickBooks to help you export your payroll data.

To learn more about the different types of transactions you can transfer to and from QuickBooks Desktop, I recommend reading this article: Import and export data in QuickBooks Desktop.

Additionally, you can also back up your accounting data moving forward: Back up your QuickBooks Desktop company file.

Leave a comment below if you have other payroll-related concerns. I'll be right here to provide assistance. Take care.

The option to import payroll .iif files is part of desktop. We went from desktop to online and back to desktop. When our company went quickbooks online it switched how it exported my payroll. Now that we are back to quickbooks desktop I would like to switch my export option in payroll online back to the option to export as .iif but I can’t see how to do that. 

Thanks for getting back into this thread, trcf1230. Being able to export payroll data using IIF files from online to desktop accounts is crucial for your business to help you keep going in managing your financials. I've got additional insights to provide regarding this matter.

If you're using QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, or Elite without accounting (standalone payroll), you may have another QuickBooks company file. You can use this file for your accounting without payroll being turned on. To keep your company file updated, export payroll transactions to QuickBooks Online directly or QuickBooks Desktop using Intuit Interchange Format (IIF).

In addition to that, this option can only be available for customers who have finished payroll setup. Also, the export connection on the standalone payroll will expire if you have payroll attached to your QBO account. Thus, I'm sharing this handy resource for more detailed information: Export your payroll into QuickBooks.

Once everything's ready, you can start importing your online payroll data to your desktop file. Then, run specific payroll reports to get a closer review of your business finances.

I'll be looking forward to your reply if there's anything else you need further assistance with when exporting online payroll data to your account. Just leave them in the comments below and I'll be around to provide further help. Stay safe and have a great day ahead!

Thank you for your reply. I did find the article you linked before I asked my question.  My online payroll has been set up completely before when we used desktop for the accounting portion of QB.  Then we decided to try QB online. When we did that it auto exported the payroll information. Now that we have moved back to QB desktop, payroll no longer offers me the .iif export only excel and pdf. 

when I found the arrival you linked before the steps were:

settings, payroll settings, export settings. I don’t have an export settings under payroll settings in my online payroll. This is where my problem lies. 

I understand the importance of getting your payroll data exported from QuickBooks Online (QBO) to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), trcf1230. Allow me to provide information about this feature.

Currently, the option to export payroll data from a QBOP bundle subscription that comprises the accounting software and the payroll service is unavailable. As a workaround, we can look for a third-party app that allows you to export data from QBO as an IIF file. This way, you can import the data to QBDT Payroll. You can find one by visiting this website: QuickBooks App Store. 

I've added this article in case you need to access payroll statements in the future. This includes the description of each report and the information you can get: Run payroll reports.

Keep your posts coming if you have any other concerns about exporting data in QBO. Have a good one, and stay safe.

This is completely unacceptable. I too had QB online payroll along with Desktop which I've been using for 20+ years. I decided to give QBO and found it unusable for my business especially since the import of my desktop file failed miserably and somehow I ended up with multiple Intuit / QBO accounts.  Intuit has been no help whatsoever despite hours on the phone with them. Now, my payroll account won't allow me export to Desktop as it has done for 20+ years and my books are all messed up. I can't do taxes until I figure this out since my payroll and tax payments don't add up. I'm not an accountant, but I've managed my books for a long time, small company. This is another example of Intuit being a completely out of touch company run by engineers who have no clue about how small/medium businesses operate. I've have wasted hours upon hours dealing with this issue (and others).  I've had it. EXPLAIN THIS: Why in the hell would you deactivate a function that people have been using for years?  Export to Desktop?  Just because I did a trial of QBO, now I am unable to go back to the old way?  

I've had QB Desktop for 20 years along with Intuit Online Payroll, and have been able to export to Desktop this whole time. On a whim, I decided to do a trial of QBO, just to see if it would work for me (it didn't), and now Intuit has deactivated the Export to Desktop function. I have no idea how to get these tax and payroll payments back into Desktop and my company file is now a mess. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.  I'm switching to another platform as soon as practical.  Both payroll and accounting. PLEASE EXPLAIN: why in the hell would you disable this functionality altogether? Just terrible terrible decision. The worst part is that all the online support documents insists there is an Export to Desktop function.   

p.s. I spent 20 minutes typing up a reply to this to find out that I wasn't logged in. When I clicked post, it logged me in (automatically), but deleted my message. Just another example of how Intuit has ZERO concept of usability and concern over user frustration.  

I understand the importance of being able to export all of your data from QuickBooks Online (QBO) to QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT), cultura ledge. I'm here to share some information regarding this. 

Yes, being able to export your QBO data to QBDT is indeed available. However, exporting your payroll data from a QuickBooks Online Payroll (QBOP) subscription that consists of accounting software and payroll services is currently unavailable. You may want to visit or look for a third-party app that will let you export it to QBDT. You can access this website to see the available app: QuickBooks App Store.

I'll leave this article for you to utilize in case you want to run, print, and customize payroll reports: Run payroll reports.

Feel free to enter your concerns or additional information in the comment section. We're always around to offer further assistance. 

If you find something acceptable please let me know what it is! Continuing to tell people this is not a feature and never has been when it was how we were exporting information is frustrating beyond belief!  Like do you read the whole message before you post as a QB moderator?

Hi, trcf1230.

I acknowledge the importance of being able to export your payroll data from QuickBooks Online to QuickBooks Desktop.

Currently, the feature is only limited to users with old QuickBooks Desktop accounts. For QuickBooks Desktop 2021 and later, this functionality will no longer be available.

You can manually add your payroll transactions into the system or consider looking for a third-party application that lets you do the tasks as an alternative option.

In addition, I'm sharing an article that offers businesses the benefits of accuracy, compliance, financial analysis, and record-keeping about your business and employees: Run payroll reports.

You can count on me whenever you need assistance keeping track of your payroll and other concerns you may have.

So you're suggesting that I turn to a third party app to do something that I've been doing for almost 20 years without incident? Ridiculous. And the link you provided offers nothing related to converting files.  And the support document that suggests "converting to IIF" also is useless.

How about Intuit actually consider the consequences of their decisions? What exactly is the purpose of disabling this crucial piece of functionality?  The only thing I can think of is that you don't want people going back to Desktop (QBD) and this is a really inconsiderate way to inconvenience your loyal customers. The foray into QBO was a disaster as well. I attempted to import my QBD company file into QBO and for some reason, it imported it into another Intuit account (one I had set up for Desktop licensing over the years because QBD asked for my email address to migrate the account).  Since this, inexplicably, migrated QBD into another Intuit account, I couldn't link it to QBOP account where I had been doing payroll for over a decade. Then, I tried to migrate the QBD file into the QBOP account (which despite sharing the same email address, is, inexplicably, a separate Intuit user account) and that wouldn't work either. I spent hours on the phone with your people who kept transferring me back and forth between QBO and QBD teams. No solution. So, I wisely decided to revert back to my original Desktop + online payroll method. But now, I can't simply export my transactions from online payroll as I have always done due to an intentional crippling of functionality by your wise engineers and/or marketing team. I think I'm done with Intuit. It will take as much effort to start from scratch elsewhere than try to figure things out with you guys.  My experience with Quickbooks has been a string of failures, overly complex and poor UX programming with lack of support and incomplete online support instructions and hours on the phone with helpless associates. And this is for something that presumably Intuit would like customers to do: move to the online platform.  You would think they would make it easier and foolproof. It will be easier to move to another platform and start from scratch.

I'm behind on my taxes because I can't figure this crap out. If were to send Intuit a bill for my time, it would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Yes, some small business owners handle their own bookkeeping and it used to be easy when QB didn't start f****g around with everything. I'm done with this company. Done.

@FateCandylaneT, QuickBooks Online should reconsider its decision to disable the export feature when a QuickBooks Online Payroll (QBOP) is connected to an Online account, and then the QBO accounting side is terminated. This leaves users with a standalone payroll product and no way to export our data in the format we need.

As an accountant, I have clients who have transitioned from QuickBooks Online back to QuickBooks Desktop and are now unable to export their online payroll to an .iif file. Despite numerous tutorials suggesting that this option should be available under ‘settings’, ‘payroll settings’, and then ‘export settings’, my clients find no such option in their payroll settings. Their current options are limited to PDF and Excel, neither of which are compatible with QuickBooks Desktop.

The decision to permanently disable this feature, even if a user decides not to continue with the QBO accounting product after connecting it to the payroll, has caused significant inconvenience and disruption to my clients’ business operations. This functionality needs to be restored.

Hello there, KM. I understand the importance of having this functionality in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

Currently, exporting online payroll using the .iif file format is unavailable in QBDT. If you'd like to have this feature added to QBDT, I recommend providing feedback to our product engineers. This will help them understand how to improve existing features and develop new ones to better serve our customers.

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu at the top.
2. Select Send Feedback Online.
3. Click Product Suggestion.
4. Click on the drop-down for Type of Feedback and select Product Suggestion.
5. Select the Product Area.
6. Enter your thoughts and suggestions.
7. Click Send Feedback.

If you encounter any difficulties exporting your data, please don't hesitate to let me know by leaving a comment below. I'm available and prepared to help you whenever you need it.

I would suggest you recommend your clients switch to another platform altogether. I run multiple businesses and am on the board of several others.  We have ALL left Quickbooks (payroll, Desktop and online). Why? Because of shady business decisions like this. I get they want to transition all services to an online service, but the lack of flexibility and the one-way trial ratchet borders on fraud.  Freshbooks, Sage, Netsuites, Zoho, Xero... Aplos for non-profits,  there's one out there that meets the needs of every small businesses. I recommend to start fresh with 2024 and leave your historical QB file right where it is. Quickbooks is like a lot of these legacy software companies. They have a built in (I'd say trapped) audience and they think they can ratchet up the monthly cost, create complexity when there is no need, create limitations and force people into whatever business model they want without listening to customers. Adobe, Microsoft is another one. I've found alternatives to all Adobe software that are cost effective, powerful and don't require exorbitant monthly subscriptions. I still use Office out of necessity (included with my email business suite), but use alternatives whenever I can. Good luck folks.

I think the only way that Intuit is going to understand our frustration is for all of us to jump ship. It might be easier to start completely fresh on another platform then to deal with this idiotic, so-called support. As a former helpdesk manager, all of these answers are completely unacceptable, they had the nerve to tell me today not to use the app because it’s unreliable. What the heck are we paying for? There is zero support from Intuit. It’s a complete waste of time, money and a joke. 

As evidenced by this canned and unhelpful thread on the QuickBooks moderator’s part, getting any type of support from Intuit is a complete and utter waste of time. They had the nerve to tell me today, after over 30 minutes on the phone, not to use the app because my invoice template is completely different than my invoice template online. The person on the phone was embarrassed to tell me that her superior told me that the app is unreliable and we should not use it. What the heck kind of support is that? Why am I paying so much for an inferior product that doesn’t work, and you’re telling me not to use. They are basically saying they don’t care that it didn’t work.  Anyway, I’m sorry for all of your frustration migrating all your data. I feel like the only way Intuit will get it will be If more of us jump Ship. We are done with them as soon as I can find the time and an acceptable platform to switch to. I completely expect to lose a lot of data, but it would still be worth it not to have to deal with this completely ridiculous incompetent company

@SueSteff 

You can convert your data to QB Desktop file format and use the trial version for good to access your historical data. Then you can start from scratch in the new program later.

I just ran int the same problem , online cannot import the payroll data and I was advised to add QuickBooks Online to the payroll core by quickbooks support. This is a terrible support service and furthermore quickbooks is becoming a terrible product. They are leaving me no choice but to move to another basic online accounting software and use gusto for payroll. 

@fvcruz 

Gusto is a good alternative. They also offer a $100 cashback for a company up to 9 employees or $200 for a company with 10 employees or more.