QB Desktop 2021 will not send tax forms to excel

Thanks for reaching out to the Community about your concern, John_TN. 

It’s my priority that you can export the tax form worksheets seamlessly. We’ll be performing some troubleshooting steps to fix this, which includes the following:

• Checking the system requirements
• Repairing the Excel file.

Let's make sure your computer meets the program’s system requirements.

This will ensure the application is compatible with your setup and will help avoid unexpected behavior when using it. This link provide detailed information about the system requirements for QuickBooks version: System requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2021. 

However, if your version is compatible, repair Excel to fix the issue. The Repair an Office application link contains detailed instructions about the process. If none of these suggestions work, perform Steps 4-5 in the Repair an Office application article.

Here's a helpful resource about exporting reports to Excel: Export reports as Excel workbooks in QBDT 

Please don't hesitate to respond in this thread if you have any other questions. The Community will be here to help. Have a great weekend. Stay safe!

Before I posted this on the community, I had called Quickbooks and talked with what I assume was a first level tech support b/c all they could do is have me do the same steps you posted here.  Those steps did not work nor did your suggestions.

What seems to be an indicator that the problem is with the distributed 2021 QB template file is that when I have QB 2021 loaded and use Excel to load the QB2012 template of the same name the report runs fine AND it is running on the 2021 data file since edited the last paycheck in the 2021 datafile to adjust the last paycheck by $10,000.   

There is a problem and that is the hint.  I don't know how to fix or edit b/c the QB template file are password protected.

I recognize the importance of being able to export worksheets to Excel, @John_TN.

Thank you for going through the steps provided by @AileneA. 

Since you're still experiencing the same issue, I suggest contacting our Customer Support team. This way, they can look into this further and follow up on the cases associated with your account. They'll also be able to provide a timely solution.

Here's to get a call or chat from us:

1. Open your QuickBooks company.
2. Open the Help menu, then choose QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Click on Contact Us.
4. Enter a brief description of your concern, then hit Let's talk, and then select a way to connect.

Please note their support hours to make sure they're available to assist.

Keep us updated by leaving re ply on the comment box. The Community is always willing to help. Stay safe!

UPDATE

I have Quickbooks Pro Desktop 2012 and was trying to upgrade to Quickbooks Pro Desktop 2021 (nonsubscription).  The problem was that QB2021 would not generate the Tax Forms to Excel function but instead gave an error message.

I called Intuit support but all I got was scripted "uninstall this" and "reinstall that" recommendations.

I started testing.  I noted that the specific file that QB2021 was trying to load appeared to be QB_Taxform_Link.XLT (file size 854KB and date 10/11/2021) which was in the QB's template directory.   When it executed, it would start and allow me to select which tax form I wanted to generate but then it would generate the same error message (see attachment) no matter which report I selected.  

I then looked back to see whether that template was also in the QB2012 template directory.  A file of the same name was there but it had a different size and date.  So, I renamed the template file in the QB2021 directory and copied the file of the same name from the QB2012 template directory into the QB2021 directory.  I reloaded QB2021 and ran the Tax Forms to Excel function from within QB2021 using the QB2012 XLT file and it worked.  I confirmed it was hitting the QB2021 datafile(s) by editing the last payroll check and adding $10,000 to the amount and regenerating the report.

I called Intuit support with this new information, but all I got was the script readers again.

Finally, I logged out of QB2021, I shut down all the QB services that I could identify, I closed all Microsoft office files and I loaded QB2012 and reran the Tax Forms to Excel function with the original QB2012 XLT file.  It processed as it has the last decade.  I then edited the last paycheck in the QB2012 database and ran it again and confirmed that the function was  hitting the QB2012 datafile.  I edit the paycheck back to its correct disbursement.

When I went back into QB2021 and confirmed that the QB2021 XLT file was in place, I tried the Tax Forms to Excel function again but this time it worked.  I have no idea what changed or why it worked but it did.

I would like some insight from Intuit as to this situation because I want to confirm operations before migrating fully from QB2012 to QB2021. 

Thanks for your prompt reply, John_TN.

We're glad to know that you can now generate the Tax Form to Excel. The error you encountered might be caused by a program or installation problem. Restarting or removing the programs from the Control Panel helps resolve these issues. 

As for the migration process, you will need to gradually upgrade your file using the trial links from 2015 to make the final update in 2021. This is to avoid any data issues due to some feature or version differences. 

Before you upgrade your company file, it's always best to create a back up in the 2012 version. The steps are included in this article: Back up your QuickBooks Desktop company file.

After you backup the company file, you can now install QuickBooks 2021. Here's a link to download the program: Downloads & Updates.

Once done, you can check out this guide for further details about installing QuickBooks and restoring the backup: 

• Install QuickBooks Desktop
• Restore a backup of your company file

For additional help, I'm adding these articles that you may find helpful:

• What's new in QuickBooks Desktop 2021
• Upgrade QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, or Enterprise
• Upgrade your company files after switching to a new version of QuickBooks Desktop

Please let me know in your reply if you have any additional questions or need help with other concerns. We're always available to help you out some more. Take care and stay safe.

Thank you.  I have been using QB Pro Desktop 2012 ( I also have some company files however in QB 2008). I am in the process of upgrading to QB Pro Desktop 2021. In reading on the QB community as well as your comment above there seems to be some posts which say that QB Desktop Pro 2021 needs to have the 2008 and 2012 company data files converted to perhaps the 2015, 2016 and/or 2018 editions before conversion to the 2021 data file?  I assume these conversions can be done with trial versions since those editions are no longer retail available. 

How do I download or get access to the prior trial versions?

Yes, you got it right, John_TN. Let me explain how it works.

You'll have to upgrade first to QuickBooks 2015 since you have the 2012 file. Next, convert it to the 2018 version, then to your QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2021. The reason for this process is to ensure your old file will not be corrupted and will work in the new version.

However, we don't have any trials for the older ones. We only have for the new one so our customers can experience the new features. You'll want to find someone who has older versions that can help you or, you can find it on the web.
 

I'll add this reference to help you upgrade your file: Upgrade your company files after you switch to a new version of QuickBooks Desktop.

Once your file is updated, you'll want to check the reports, like Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet, to ensure everything is converted.

Feel free to get back to this thread if you have more questions. We'll get back to you as soon as we can. Take care!

---

@John_TN wrote:

How do I download or get access to the prior trial versions?

---

@John_TN 

Contact us in private. We may share the trial code for QBD 2015 and 2019.

First, I want to say thank you.

Second, I want to say that I am getting conflicting information from Quickbooks sources.  I have data files in 2008 and 2012 formats.  After some of the answers on this thread, I went looking for sources to download the "trial" versions of 2015, 2016, 2018, etc. but did not find them on the Intuit site.  Then I went with Google and searched but did not find them either.   Yet, repeatedly I was fold I had to migrate through perhaps 2 prior versions before going to 2021. 

Third, I got frustrated and again called Intuit.  I had someone on the phone and they said the same thing - need to migrate through prior editions.  But, when he went to give me the links they were no longer good.  Even he said he did not know where to find them.  

Fourth, I requested a callback through QB2021 for installation help.  I finally got a call back after a few attempts and this person said you do not have to migrate through prior editions that QB2021 should handle it.  I made a backup of the QB2012 file, moved it to a new directory, and tried to do a restore.  It finally ran but I have no way to know if its complete or accurate. In fact, I am assuming that the SOFTWARE DEVELOPER's recommendation of migrations is because the data structure changes with each edition and there is a need for those intermediate modifications to be made or important tables or fields will be missing. 

Fifth, if there is a need for a migration path and QB built its system to require it then either a utility or some version of software necessary for that process should exist and everyone should be on the same page about what it is.

@John_TN 

As long as you are able to restore and upgrade your old file on QBD 2021, you should be fine. You may compare the trial balance if required to make sure.

@Fiat Lux - ASIA 

Yes. I can backup and restore in QB2021.  I can also run verify and rebuild. 

The problem/question relates to advice I keep getting from the QB "call back" techs who are telling me that the problem referenced in the above link (regarding QB2021 not exporting accurately to Excel 2013) requires that I incrementally upgrade the data file through the intermediate releases of QB.

I have had some techs tell me that is required by QBs and others tell me it is not.  And, as indicated, the "trial versions" for these (including a trial version of QB2021 Desktop) are not available?

John Harris

@Fiat Lux - ASIA 

Do you know if the TRIAL VERSION of QB2021 Desktop is available?

My data export issue is on a workstation with Office 2013. 

My paralegal has a machine with Office 365 local install of office.  I can't legally install my version of QB2021 desktop (1 machine license) on her machine to test whether Excel 202x from Office 365 will handle the exports but perhaps I could test it with a Trial Version of QB2021.

---

@John_TN wrote:

Do you know if the TRIAL VERSION of QB2021 Desktop is available?

 

---

@John_TN 

We may share the trial code for QBD 2021 Pro. Contact us in private for assistance. 

@Fiat Lux - ASIA @Kristine Mae @Mich_S @AileneA @Kristine Mae 

I tagged each of you in hopes you would see this update.

To refresh, I have been running QB2012 on a Windows 10 PC with Office 2013 (64 bit).   After end of FY2021, I started to migrate my company file from QB2012 to QB2021 Desktop (nonsubscription) which I believe is a 32bit product.

The import, per instruction from QB tech, was to open a copy of the QB2012 company file directly into QB2021 (note that the "call back" techs advise otherwise but I have confirmed this direct conversion several times).  The company data file updated and various reviews of accounts, category reports, 1099 reports and employee reports (those internal to QB2021) indicate no data conversion issues.  Also, I was able to run a verify and rebuild processes inside QB2021 without errors indicated. 

The problems surfaced when I started to generate reports that QB sends to Excel using various templates - specifically QB_Taxform_Link.xlt;   QB_Taxforms.xlt;  QB_Payroll_Link.xlt     The symptom is that Excel loads, it may generate the prompts for which report (e.g., 940, 941, W2, etc) to generate but then the report displays with no data other than the templated "form" itself. 

Some suggested it might be a company data file issue due to the conversion.  To test that, I downloaded the QB "Sample company files" and ran the reports with the same error results.  This indicates its not a datafile issue.

I have tried running the reports with templates of the same name from the QB2012 files - that did not solve the problem.

Finally, I uninstalled Office 365 (64bit) and installed Office 365 (32bit).  That appears to have resolved the problem - at least on the laptop for the export to generate the 940, 941, and W2s.  It also appears to allow the payroll summary to print.   I tested this both on my migrated QB2012 data as well as the QB sample company file. 

This indicates that there is a significant coding problem between QB2021 and the templates.  From the number of comments I have read in researching this issue, it appears also clear that this problem or variants of it has existed for perhaps 3 years and that QB's has not competently addressed what appears to be a design or coding defect on its part.

@John_TN RE: Finally, I uninstalled Office 365 (64bit) and installed Office 365 (32bit). That appears to have resolved the problem - at least on the laptop for the export to generate the 940, 941, and W2s.

This makes perfect sense. The templates use a different connection interface when run with 32-bit and 64-bit Excel.  On your system, the 64-bit connection method isn't registered properly and so won't function. Somehow the 32-bit method is registered properly.

@BigRedConsulting 

Thank you.  I am curious, what would be the means of registering the 64bit connections from QB2021 (which is only 32bit) and any 64bit version of Excel?   I have tried doing "repairs" and reinstalls on both QB2021 and Excel - none of that resolved the issue.   Oh at this point I don't trust any of the QB techs on this since it should have been something they already knew or trained on but instead they sent me off wasting days and weeks on rabbit trails that had nothing to do with the actual problems.

FWIW - I did most of my testing as described above using a trial version of QB2021 (hard to find) and data files on a standalone laptop since I did not want to experiment on the workstation I use 8-10 hours a day in my law practice.  

So far, I have not seen anyone comment on if it actually even possible to get QB2021 to work with 64bit Excel 2013 particularly when QB2012 (also 32 bit) was working for the last decade!

@John_TN 

RE: I am curious, what would be the means of registering the 64bit connections from QB2021 (which is only 32bit) and any 64bit version of Excel? I have tried doing "repairs" and reinstalls on both QB2021 and Excel - none of that resolved the issue.

I'm not sure. The QuickBooks installer is supposed to do it. This would be a question for Technical Support, except intuit Intuit doesn't really offer technical support anymore, but instead just people who relay answers from an FAQ database - often not for the question actually asked - as is evident here on the community.

RE: So far, I have not seen anyone comment on if it actually even possible to get QB2021 to work with 64bit Excel 2013 particularly when QB2012 (also 32 bit) was working for the last decade!

It is possible & probably normal that it works. I just tried it on one of my computers and it worked without issue. I used Excel 2016 as I don't have 2013, but the Excel version-year doesn't play into the issue. The connection is established the same way with every 64-bit version-year of Excel. And also (while different - which is why it works for you) the same way for every 32-bit version-year of Excel.

I think a small percentage of users are seeing an issue that causes the connection to not work. I have no way of knowing if it's one issue or several issues.

I offer tools that connect to QuickBooks and pull data. Getting QuickBooks to work when it doesn't want to can be an infuriating process.

You wrote that you tried reinstalling QuickBooks. If you didn't uninstall and then reinstall, I'd try that. If you install again without uninstalling, the installer runs a Repair process. I've seen cases where that doesn't work as well as reinstalling from scratch.

If that doesn't work, then perhaps if you post again and include screenshots of all the error messages you get trying the different templates, that may help get to the bottom of the issue.

@BigRedConsulting 

On the workstation (Windows 10 Dell tower) I have both QB2012 and QB2021 running.  I have uninstalled QB2021 twice, rebooted, reinstalled, and rebooted.  I then attempted the Excel reports before and after doing complete updates on QB2021.   I will in a subsequent post go through the steps and post screenshots.

But, to your point, I have a separate laptop that I mainly use for courtroom and conferences. It had at the time only Office 365 on it with all the products including 64 bit Excel.  I obtained to trial version of QB2021 and a "trial" code set that activated it for 30 days.  I am on day 28.  I installed QB2021 fresh on that machine - it had never had any version of QBs.  I put the QB2012 company files on a thumb drive and opened it in QB2021 on the laptop.  The problems are identical on the two machines.    I then uninstalled Office 365 rebooted and installed Office 365 32bit.  That got some of the XLT reports (941, 940, W2, W3) to run. 

I have searched for instructions on how to register the QB's DLLs but could not locate them.  

John Harris

@BigRedConsulting 

@Fiat Lux - ASIA @Kristine Mae @RenjolynC @Mich_S

These are the screenshots taken on the Windows 10 tower that I have used QB2012 on (and still do) and on which I am trying to migrate to QB2021 (unsuccessfully due to problems with Excel reports)

Inside QB2021:

QB2021 loads QB_taxform_link.xlt and prompts for user selected report:

QB Error Message (sometimes I just get a spinning circle):

If I close Excel, leave QB2021 running, reopen Excel and then manually load the QB_Taxform_link.XLT from QB2012 - note 2012!!! - directory:

The QB2012 XLT loads with this error:

If I hit <enter> in response to error message, the 2012 XLT menu comes up

I can select a report and it runs accurately:

Perhaps these screenshots help.   Clearly, it is a problem with QB2021, its XLT files, perhaps some unknown DLL or a combination of all.

John Harris

Hello @John_TN,

I have reviewed the solution you’ve shared and it's correct and accurate. Thank you for sharing your inputs to help address the issue.

We love to see members supporting one another! Have a great day.

@AlcaeusF 

Thank you.  These reports of what might help others (when QB has failed or refused to) took a lot of time, efforts and experimentation.   Is there not an answer as to ...

Why has this problem existed for at least 2-3 years and QB's programmers/designers have not been able to either fix the problem or write new code?

Why does QB, knowing the problem exists, continue to give "run around" cut-and-paste replies to uninstall and reinstall?

Why is QB's not supporting this 2021 product, which apparently impacted the 2020 product, the 2019 product, perhaps earlier editions and even its enterprise editions?

John Harris

@John_TN 

I checked the QB_Taxform_Link.xlt file on my computers and got confusing results. For both QB 2012 and QB 2021 (and in 21 even after getting payroll updates) the files indicate that they were digitally signed by a certificate that has been revoked by VeriSign, one that expired in July of 2012. That should mean that they were both initially published before that date, and so they're both very old.

Also confusing is the message you are getting saying that the content of the XLT file doesn't match the extension. I've never seen that message using any of the templates. Normally this should only happen is the XLT file is actually an XLTX file, saved using a newer version of Excel. This is  similar to an XLS file compared to the newer XLSX file format. If you rename an XLSX file and gave it an XLS extension, you'll get a similar warning message.

How that happened - your file appearing to be an XLTX file - is somewhat unclear because none of the templates shipped by Intuit are in the XLXT format internally. The implication is that the template was opened directly by a newer version of Excel and then saved - I suspect by you on your computer.

With both of these things in mind, I don't think I have the same versions of the QB_Taxform_Link.xlt that you're working with, as you're not seeing any of the things I am.

In order to tell for sure why you're seeing different results with the templates from 2012 and 2021, I will need to examine the actual files you're using.  If there's some way you can post them online then I might be able to to that.

@John_TN

I reviewed the two QB_Taxform_Link.xlt files you sent, one from QB 2012 and one from QB 2021.

Findings:

- The QB_Taxform_Link.xlt from QB 2021 is ancient. It is Release 1.08.

- The QB_Taxform_Link.xlt from QB 2012 is not as ancient. It is Release 1.19.

Regarding the 2012 version:

- Somehow, someone saved it in the new XML based Excel file format. If the properties of the file are to be believed, that happened way back on 1/18/2012, the last saved date.

- This template is coded to work when using 64-bit Excel.

Regarding the 2021 version:

- This is a very old version of the template. It's last saved date is 7/21/2010.

- I would have thought that you mistakenly sent the 2012 version instead of the correct 2021 version, except that when I look at my computers, every single version of the template that I can find from QuickBooks 2016, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and even 22 is this old, ancient Release 1.08.

- This template is not coded to work when using 64-bit Excel.

- It is also not coded to work with QuickBooks 2022, which requires an update in order to work.

- All of the other payroll report templates in the QuickBooks installations where I have updated payroll appear to have been updated except this one, where its "Last modified" date is either the initial installation date for that version of QuickBooks, or an even older date.

Conclusions:

- QB_Taxform_Link.xlt release 1.08 appears to be installed when any recent version of QuickBooks is installed, at least as far back as QuickBooks 2016 & Enterprise 16.0.

- Payroll updates, which should include the latest releases of all of the installed templates (which are often old by default) do not include the current version of the QB_Taxform_Link.xlt, which is at least 1.19.

- When using 64-bit Excel release 1.08 will not work. Ever.

- When using it to connect to 64-bit versions of QuickBooks, currently QuickBooks 2022 and Enterprise 22.0, release 1.08 will not work. Ever. Nor will release 1.19.

- I appears that Intuit has forgotten to include the QB_Taxform_Link.xlt in payroll updates for years. They may also have forgotten to make the template work with 64-bit QuickBooks.

When attempting to use release 1.08 of the template with 64-bit Excel, or with 32-bit Excel and QuickBooks 2022, I get this error:

@BigRedConsulting 

Thank you for reviewing and commenting on this needlessly persisting (QB is not helping) problem.    It is perplexing that Intuit is distributing in its installation for QB2021 (and apparently has for several years) a XLT template that is not even its most recent release. 


cc: @AlcaeusF @Fiat Lux - ASIA @Kristine Mae @RenjolynC  I am hoping one of you have access to the "right people" or the "right department" at Intuit/Quickbooks to get the XLT files operational.

John Harris