Does quickbooks desktop post to retained earnings automatically at FY end like QB Online does?

Yes, it does, @ydenterprises.

You can go to the reports menu and open the Balance Sheet Standard report. From there you can view the retained earnings of your company. Let me show you how.

In your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT):

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. Select Company & Financial.
3. Choose Balance Sheet Standard.
4. The Retained Earnings will appear under the Equity section of the report.

    

Here's some great articles you can read to learn more about reports in QBDT and how to customize them:

• Customize company and financial reports
• Customize reports in QuickBooks Desktop

You can also check this great article for reference in case you want to export your reports to MS Excel: Export reports as Excel workbooks in QuickBooks Desktop.

You're always welcome to post in the Community whenever you have other concerns or questions. Our door is always open for you.

Thanks @JasroV .  I certainly know how to view the retained earnings balances in QB.  My question is actually whether or not QB posts to retained earnings automatically at the end of an accounting period.

i.e. if i have 100,000 in net income on 12/30/2020, will it move that 100,000 from net income to retained earnings automatically on 12/31/2020?

I'd like to add a few more details, Ydenterprises.

Our program will automatically add the income from the previous fiscal year to Retained Earnings. The movement will depend on the fiscal year that's set up in QuickBooks. 

For example, if you've set up January as the first month of your fiscal year, QuickBooks will add the income to Retained Earnings on January 1st.

I'll help you check the setup. This way, you'll know when our program will add the income to the Retained Earnings account. Here's how:

1. Click Company.
2. Go to My Company.
3. In the COMPANY INFORMATION row, click the Pencil icon.
4. Go to the Report Information tab, then check the Fiscal Year row. 

Let me know if there's anything else that I can do for you.