Thanks for visiting the Community today, @SteveK73.
I understand the need to upgrade QuickBooks without paying the annual subscription.
As additional insights about having to pay for an annual subscription and a license, it depends on the care plans you have. If you have the Annual Support plan, you'll need to purchase the license or software for QBDT 2022.
However, if you have the Pro or Premier Plus Annual, the plan includes upgrading to the latest QBDT version upon release, and you'll get the new license information.
For more pointers about the care plan options, check out this article: Care Plans for QuickBooks Desktop.
Here's another article that you can use to choose your QuickBooks Desktop product.
Should you only need the standalone software (QBDT 2022 without any care plans), I'd suggest reaching out to our Support Team to check the available options for you.
You're always welcome to post if you have any other questions. I'm here to help.
