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ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

I previously had QuickBooks's Desktop 2017. I was tricked into upgrading to, first, the online version, and then to QuickBooks Desktop Plus. Once I realized it was going to cost $649 per year for a desktop subscription, I quickly tried to go back to my 2017 desktop version, which was free. They told me my data could not be demoted back to 2017 version since it was already upgraded during the above fiasco. 

 

I am an independent contractor with a very small, one person operation. I do not use any of the online services offered by QuickBooks (like payroll, etc.), just the very basic off-line accounting features. They are about to charge me $649 for a one year subscription to use the basic software. Does any body have an option they can share with me on how to get around this? 

 

I really don't want to go to another software since it took a while to learn this one. I don't want to go to the online version either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

46 Comments 46
Irene R
QuickBooks Team

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Welcome to the Community, Ddenby. 

 

As this requires asking for your personal data recollection and the Community is a public forum, I recommend contacting our support regarding the charge you're about to have. Our live support team can help you discuss and guide you on finding an adequate solution. 

 

To reach our support team, you can follow the steps below:

 

  1. Open your QBDT account.
  2. At the top of your account, select Help
  3. Choose QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
  4. Click on Contact Us.
  5. Please give a brief explanation of your concern, then press Continue.
  6. Log into your Intuit account. Select Continue, then Continue with my account.
  7. An email with a single-use code will be sent to you. Type in your code and click Continue.
  8. Select whether you want to Chat with us or Have us call you.

 

Furthermore, I suggest scanning this article that entails further guidelines for matching your upgraded company files with different versions of QBDT: Company file compatibility with QuickBooks Desktop when upgrading.

 

Let me know if you have additional inquiries about your QBDT data. Just leave a comment below. I'll be sure to address them in no time. 

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Your support is what caused this issue in the first place, tricking me into thinking it was mandatory to upgrade my desktop version of QB. It wasn't until I met with my CPA that I found out it was unnecessary to upgrade the software. I reached out to your so-called-support and they always tell me the same thing, TOO BAD. Their only option is to move to QB online or to go with the expensive OB Desktop Plus subscription. 

 

I am looking for a loop hole or a solution that someone in the public forum might had hear about, outside of QB. You have a LARGE group of VERY unhappy customers, but you already know that. If there was an easy solution to getting away from QB, I would already have done it. 


I am not interested in hearing any of the QB gibberish, so please don't respond to this post if you are a QB employee.

4Gal
Level 11

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@ddenby 

Do you have QB Desktop 2023 Pro Plus or Premier Plus for single user?

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

I currently have Intuit QuickBooks Plus, this was the only option they gave me. It does not say if it is single user or not. 

 

I used to have QuickBooks Pro - 2017 which shows as still active but they told me I could not go back.

4Gal
Level 11

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@ddenby 

If you don't need any add-ons (e.g QB Payroll, QB Payment), you should contact @Fiat Lux - ASIA . They may share an option to explore.

mortoncosales
Level 1

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Did you find an alternative?  I am a small business.  One employee.  Close to retiring.  $649 is such a rip off.  i never use their support.  I don't use their payroll.  In the old days my quickbooks 2003 ran for FREE for like 10 years.

 

4Gal
Level 11

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@mortoncosales 

Which QB Desktop year version do you run now?

mortoncosales
Level 1

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

quickbooks desktop pro 2023

 

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Desktop Pro Plus

4Gal
Level 11

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@ddenby @mortoncosales 

You should contact @Fiat Lux - ASIA for advise. If you don't need to run any add-ons (e,g Payroll, Merchant Account), they may have an option to consider.

Colorado CPA
Level 2

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

If you still have access to the QuickBooks (QB) 2017 version and the company file, I would just start using the program again.  You will need to reenter the transactions from when you stopped using the program until today, but that would be the only extra work you will need to do.  Then you will be in 2017 version (which you own and is not a subscription) and you will not have to pay the subscription fees that QB is now charging, not have to deal with the upgrading your program each year, and not have to deal with QB trying to get you to switch to the online version.  In case you were not aware, QB is stopping the sale of new QuickBooks Desktop Pro version as of 09-30-24.  The only new desktop version that will be available for new purchases after 09-30-24 (unless they extend the deadline again) will be the Enterprise version with is very expensive.

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Thank you for that detailed explanation. I have a few more questions for you if you don't mind.

 

You: If you still have access to the QuickBooks (QB) 2017 version and the company file, I would just start using the program again.  

Me: I do not think I still have access to QB 2017 company files, perhaps my CPA does, not sure. 

 

You: You will need to reenter the transactions from when you stopped using the program until today, but that would be the only extra work you will need to do. 

Me: That would mean almost 2 years of data, does'nt sound doable. Again, I would need to check with CPA.

 

You: QB is stopping the sale of new QuickBooks Desktop Pro version as of 09-30-24. 

Me: I think they are only stopping the version that includes payroll, etc. I am only using the basic features of the software. If what you are saying is true, and I dont renew, can't I just use the standalone version of QB Desktop Pro, just like I could contiue to use QB 2017?

 

Its all very confusing and I am looking for a way out. I will pose this to my accountant to see if this can be done (restoring QB 2017 files), and using it offline.

Loriem09
Level 2

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

I have a very similar problem.  I noticed when you search Quickbooks Desktop companies are coming up that sell Lifetime subscriptions to Quickbooks Desktop 2024.  I want to know if this is a real thing.  I tried chat and they refuse to verify anything but also didn't say it wasn't an option.  Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer from Quickbooks or anyone on here.  

FishingForAnswers
Level 9

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@Loriem09  If you're not buying directly from QuickBooks, it is almost certainly a scam.

On Beta
Level 6

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@Loriem09 

Since QB Desktop 2022, Intuit only offers the subscription licenses. Only scammers offer QB Desktop 2022-2024 with non subscription licenses like this one.

 

Scam QB Desktop.jpeg

 

Anyway, if you don't need to run any add-ons, you can use the trial version of any QB Desktop Enterprise for good as a workaround.

On Beta
Level 6

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

If you're not buying directly from QuickBooks, it is almost certainly a scam.

 

You can purchase the legit license thru Fiat Lux, pay it after you run QB without any issue and get $100 cashback.

Colorado CPA
Level 2

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

A1: I do not what your CPA does be in my firm we always keep the company file from the most previous tax return that was filed.

A2: Yes, that is a personal decision.  Depends if you want to continue to pay QB fees every year or not.

A3: That is not how I understand it.  The Pro version of the desktop is going away and the only desktop version they will offer is the Enterprise.  See this link to a QuickBooks article: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/new-subscriptions/us-quickbooks-deskt...

Starting with the Desktop 2022 version, you no longer "own" the program and it is "subscription".  Therefore, if you do not renew the subscription, as I understand it, you will not be able to enter any new transactions but will still have access to the information previously entered.  The 2017 version you would "own" so you have full access to the program to enter new transactions but do not have access to calculate payroll or download transactions.

 

FateCandylaneT
QuickBooks Team

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Lifetime subscriptions to any QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) versions aren't currently offered by Intuit, Loriem09. Let me provide clarification about this matter.

 

On the recent updates from QuickBooks, QBDT Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus, and Desktop Enhanced Payroll will be discontinued after September 30, 2024. Existing customers of these products can continue to renew their subscriptions and receive security updates and support even after the said date.

 

If you wish to subscribe to any of these products prior to the discontinuation date, you may contact our Customer Sales Team to efficiently renew your subscription anytime after September 30, 2024.

 

On another note, QuickBooks Enterprise will only be available for new purchases in the market after the discontinued schedule and will be a subscription-based program for all desktop versions (2022-2024).

 

You can check this guide for more detailed information: Can't buy QuickBooks Desktop as a new US subscriber.

 

Additionally, here are some references you can utilize whenever you need help moving your data from desktop to online:

 

 

You're always welcome to reply in the comment below if there's anything else you need further assistance with managing QuickBooks subscriptions and company files. Keep safe.

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

I have QB 2017. What if I tried to update the QB 2017 company files with my up to date QB Desktop Pro filethat I am currently using. Has anyone tried that?

 

When they tricked me into upgrading, they said my data was upgraded/updated (whatever) and I could not go back, I wonder if this is true. 

 

 

On Beta
Level 6

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@ddenby 

You should be able to upgrade your company file on QB Desktop 2024. Did you encounter any issue?

CharleneMaeF
QuickBooks Team

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

Yes, it's true, ddenby.

 

Once your QuickBooks Desktop 2017 company file is updated to the latest version, the option to access the data to the previous version (2017) is unavailable. For more details about how updating your file works, please see this article: Update your company files to a new version of QuickBooks Desktop.

 

If you still want to access the data in the old version, you can restore a backup copy of your books. Make sure it's created in the QuickBooks Desktop 2017 to avoid issues. Follow these steps to recover your accounting data:

 

  1. Go to the File menu and select Open or Restore Company.
  2. Select Restore a backup copy and then Next.
  3. Choose Local Backup and then Next.
  4. Browse your computer for your backup company file. It should look like this: [Your company name].qbb.
  5. Select a folder to decide where to save your restored company file. Then select Open.
  6. To avoid overwriting anything, you can rename your existing company file or the backup so the names are unique. Or you can save the backup in a completely separate folder.
  7. After that, hit Save.

 

I suggest browsing this article to learn more about the process: Restore a backup of your QuickBooks company file.

 

If you haven't secured a backup copy of your 2017 file, I recommend contacting our QuickBooks Support Team. They're equipped with tools to help you access your data without messing with your books.

 

Additionally, I've added these resources to help you monitor your books and ensure everything is accurate after the update:

 

 

Please know that you're always welcome to post in this thread if you have additional questions about updating your books to the latest version, navigating the program, and learning more about its offered features. I'm always here to help you out.

ddenby
Level 3

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

I am trying to go back to my PAID for 2017 version of QB. I was tricked into upgrading to the QB Desktop Pro (annual subscription of $699). They are telling me I can't go back since the company file was updated to the latest version about 1 year ago. 

FishingForAnswers
Level 9

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

@ddenby  Well, you can't. Not with the file that has already been upgraded to the newer version, anyway.

 

Backwards compatibility is not profitable for QuickBooks, you see. Quite the opposite.

Carneil_C
QuickBooks Team

The costs of a Quickbook Desktop Subscription

We see where you're coming from, @ddenby.

 

I'll share information about managing your company file and subscription.

 

Since you've already upgraded your file from the QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) 2017 version to a newer one, downgrading it back is unavailable.

 

Thus, you can contact our Customer Support Team so our representatives can give you an overview of its features that you can seamlessly utilize. Here's how:

 

  1. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
  2. Click Contact Us.
  3. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
  4. Choose a way to connect.

 

You can visit this link for further details about their available hours so they can promptly address your concerns: Contact QuickBooks Desktop support.

 

Moreover, these handy articles can help you install, set up, and activate your product:

 

 

Drop by this thread again if you have future concerns with your QuickBooks Desktop account and subscriptions. I'm here to help.

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