Thank you.  I thought that was the case.  What is a backup if it doesn't have that information in it!  I asked him THREE times.  He didn't want me saving money!

This has been grating on me for years.

I'm going to wait a couple of months before I cancel to get out of this 'right after tax season time frame.

Can I cancel my yearly subsciption at any time and get a prorated refund?

Do you all delete your old Quickbooks or install on top of the old?

Thank you.  VERY helpful. 

I have been using QB for 18 years now.  I think it's a terrible way to treat your existing customers by charging them $200 more than the retail price for a simple payroll renewal.  You should consider that there are a number of competitors in the category - some free - that will chip away at your market share.  Next year I will be moving to another service.

Thank you for being our valued customer, @kencurrier.

I appreciate your opinion regarding QuickBooks payroll renewal cost. On my colleague’s first response to the original post, she mentioned that the reason why the retail price is much cheaper is that they purchase bulk from us.

That being said, they have the option to offer our products at a lesser price. I recommend giving our Payroll Support Team a call for help in choosing which subscription best suits your needs.

Here’s how to contact phone support: 

1. Go to the Help menu and select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. On the pop-up, scroll down and click the blue Contact us link.
3. Fill out the Tell us more about your question field and click Search.
4. Click the Get Phone Number button.

We have a lot to offer, from our accounting software to our different payroll products. Changes and enhancements are made so we stay compliant with the government and provide convenience while managing your business.

Please know that I’m taking note of this feedback and passing it along here on my end. To know more about our Payroll services, check out this article: Payroll Services and Features for QuickBooks Desktop.

Post in the Community again if you have any other concern. I’m always here to help. Take care!

We have 3 employees. I do NOT want the more expensive payroll We have want same basic payroll as I have now. Call me at [removed] please 

Hi there, @jackie.

I'm here to guide you to the right support who can further assist you about downgrading payroll subscription. 

At Intuit, we value our relationship with you as a QuickBooks user. Your account's security is one of our top priorities here in the QuickBooks Community, which is the reason we're not able to do an outbound call for security purposes.

To provide you the other options that will suit your needs about changing payroll subscription, I recommend contacting our QuickBooks Desktop Support Team. 

Here's how to contact our customer support:

1. Select QuickBooks Desktop Help from the Help menu.
2. You can also press F1 on your keyboard to bring up the same Help Panel. 
3. In order to route you to the correct support expert, we need to know what type of question you have.
4. Click Continue.
5. We’ll provide you a few options. You choose which one is best for you.

You may want to check this article to know more about the QuickBooks Payroll Services and Features for QuickBooks Desktop. 

Please know that you're always welcome to post if you have any other questions about the payroll subscription. Have a good one. 

I have a question about payroll versions if buying retail.  If I buy only the retail payroll subscription, do I buy 2019 for Quickbooks Pro 2019 or do I buy Payroll 2020, even though I have the 2019 desktop version?   I'm assuming I buy a subscription for the same year as the software I'm using, but I don't want to buy a digital copy that I can't return if I happen to grab the wrong one.

Hi there, ChrisK7,

Let me clear this situation for you. You can purchase any payroll version and activate it as long as it'll be installed to a supported version of QuickBooks Desktop (2017 to 2020).

Here's how to turn on payroll service purchased from a retail store:

1. Go to the Employees menu.
2. Select Payroll, then Install Payroll from Box.
3. Complete the fields in the Payroll License and Product Information page, then click Continue.
4. Complete the fields in the Payroll Company Legal Information section

The Federal employer ID number (EIN) appears on the tax filings.

1. Read the disclaimer in the Billing Information section. Enter the payment and contact information needed, then hit Continue.
2. Log in to your Intuit Account.
3. Click the Start Payroll button in the Confirmation area.

You can also find these steps through this article, Activate a payroll service purchased from a retail store for more details.

Let me know if there's anything else you need with QuickBooks. I'm always around to help ensure your success.

I understand that I can purchase from a retail store.  My question is about the version of payroll to buy.  Does it matter?  I have seen Quickbooks Enhanced Payroll 2019 and Quickbooks Enhanced Payroll 2020.  I am running QB Pro 2019, does is matter on the Payroll side or will a key from either year work?  I know there isn't any software to download for Payroll and it just takes the license key to activate it.

Thank you for the quick reply, ChrisK7.

For the payroll subscriptions, we don't have versions of it, unlike the QuickBooks Desktop software. Usually, you can use any payroll you want as long as it's supported by the software you've used. Also, you can avail to any of our payroll services that best for your business needs.

To ensure payroll taxes are calculated accordingly, you have to update the payroll tax table version for your subscription to the latest release.

For their comparison, check out this article: QuickBooks Payroll Services and Features for QuickBooks Desktop.

You can also read this article to learn more about QuickBooks Payroll Updates: Frequently Asked Questions FAQs about QuickBooks Payroll Updates.

Click the Reply button if you have any other questions. I'm always here to help however I can. Have a good day!

I buy a new version of Quickbooks every year for this exact reason.  Before you install the new year, make sure you know where the payroll tax form history is stored.  It won't delete them, but  the new software may not be able to find them as easily.  The data to create those forms and all previous other info should be retained when you update.  It's a pain to call in and cancel the the payroll subscription, and you will pay a little each month if you have more than one employee, but it's still cheaper than paying the payroll subscription renewal charge.  Back in the day, Quickbooks liked current customers updating and would offer a reduced "Update" charge.  The payroll subscription charge is ridiculous - especially if you have just a few employees.  It's a weird stumble for a company with a pretty good product.

So if you purchased the Desktop Pro like at Sams Club that is actually good for 3 years.  Or at least that is what I'm told by intuit.  So all you need is the payroll and that can be also purchased lower that the renewal usually.  

Tha'ts what I've been doing in the past but now I cannot get through a live person. Do you mind sharing the number you dialed? Thank you!

I currently have the Desktop Pro 2019 w Payroll Enhanced which I purchased for less than $200. Last May, the payroll renewal happened without me even thinking about it, $480 :(.
This year, 2021, I called in March and told them not to automatically renew my account. So now I'm shopping...

Desktop Pro 2019 w Payroll Enhanced is still around $200. Desktop Pro 2020 w Payroll Enhanced and Desktop Pro 2021 w Payroll Enhanced are closer to $400 at Sam's. Can I buy another Desktop Pro 2019 w Payroll Enhanced, to renew my enhanced payroll another year or do I have to purchase the 2020 or 2021? 

Hi kellyt66!

Thank you for choosing QuickBooks Desktop. I'm here to assist you with your renewal.

Yes, you can purchase another subscription to continue using the payroll service. For Assisted Payroll, you'll want to reach out to our Support Team so they can assist with it.

1. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Select Contact Us and enter "Renewal".
3. Choose a way to connect with them.

For QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced, here's how to renew it:

• From the Employees menu, select My Payroll Service.
• Select Account/Billing Info and sign in using your Intuit Account login
• Follow the on-screen steps to renew your payroll service.

Additionally, you can also upgrade to QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2020 or 2021. You can follow the detailed steps here: Upgrade to newer versions of QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, or Enterprise.

To see the current pricing, visit https://quickbooks.intuit.com/desktop/. You may also contact our Support Team for upgrade options and discounts.

Need more help? Please comment here and we'll respond as soon as we can.

So I can purchase the Desktop Pro 2019 w Payroll Enhanced for around $200 and then call QuickBooks Desktop Help to get the enhanced payroll working for another year?

Thank you for posting your response, kellyt66

Yes, you can still purchase QuickBooks Desktop bundled with Payroll, but I suggest that you get the latest version like 2020, or 2021 which also comes with Payroll.

I'll agree with AlexV. Although, QuickBooks has a service discontinuation policy each year. You can check this article to learn more about it: QuickBooks Desktop Discontinuation FAQ for Payroll.

You also visit these links for more information about QuickBooks Desktop Payroll:
 

• Activate a payroll service purchased from a retail store

• QuickBooks Desktop Payroll services from retailers FAQ

Let me know if you have follow-up questions about QuickBooks products. I'll be in touch. Have a nice weekend!

Alex, you're really from the Quickbooks team? Your answer is incorrect. see my reply to Kelly. You cannot use payroll from 2019 bundle. It expired on May 31st 2020.

Alex, Please see my posts above. Your reply to Kelly is wrong. Sorry.

Hi. Kelly (sorry if this is a duplicate. I don't think my first post appeared).  AlexV and Archie_B's replies to you were incorrect. You cannot use payroll from a 2019 desktop / payroll bundle.  If you look on the box, you'll see that the payroll has an expiration date.  For all bundles, the payroll must be activated by May 31st of the following year. So, payroll from a 2019 bundle must be activated before May 31st 2020.  You can buy last year's 2020 bundle, but you must activate the payroll by May 31st 2021, in a few weeks.

Hi again, AlexV.  Maybe you misunderstood Kelly's question, but if you buy a bundle, you CANNOT strip the payroll off and use JUST the payroll. You have to install the software and payroll together.  You can't use payroll from one bundle and install it with a different copy of the Desktop software. And, Archie_B, if you see this, it applies to your advice as well.

I always purchase my own and upload. So much cheaper.

I have been paying the high cost of the Enhanced Payroll for years for our ONE (1) very small family business. I have called QuickBooks in the past and was told this is the best payroll service they have for our company.

Let me tell you, our small family owned, veteran owned, women owned and minority owned (Hawaiian) business consists of 6 people with the same pay every week.  Never changed for many many years.  So....why is the price so high?

Hi there, @GeneratorsHawaii. Thank you for taking your time to post in the Community.

We recognize that price is an important factor in your business. However, we balance adding new enhancements and features to price increases. Intuit aims to provide our customers with the best customer experience by investing in technologies and resources to help make work easier. 

I'll be sending feedback as well via our internal product enhancement list.

For a comparison of different products and services we offer, I'd recommend checking this link: QuickBooks Desktop Plans and Pricing. That way, you can ensure you're subscribing to the right kind of service for your business size and needs.

If there's anything else you need help with concerning QuickBooks Online, please feel free to visit the Community again. Take care and have a good one.

Yes, I do it every year. It is ridiculous that they do this.