QuickBooks is a widely used application among small and medium-sized businesses for accounting and related business processes. The Desktop variant of the application comes with a one-time payment plan and a sunset policy which means that the support and access to add-on business services for the application will be valid for the next three years. QuickBooks Desktop discontinued issue starts to occur after this period. Through this article, we will discuss in detail how QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation can affect you. We will also discuss your further options if you are facing this issue.
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For any Queries Related to QuickBooks Desktop, Reach QuickBooks Desktop Support at 1-(855)-856-0042
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QuickBooks Desktop Sunset Policy
QuickBooks brings a new version of QuickBooks desktop every year and retires a previous version. QuickBooks Desktop Sunset policy is the same across its variants, such as Pro, Premier, or Mac of Desktop, The Enterprise solution, and the Accountant Edition. The notification of discontinuation is provided beforehand through mails and in-product notifications. The discontinuation takes place in a phased manner. After the sunset term, access to add-on services, live technical support, and any other integrated Intuit service will be discontinued. QuickBooks Desktop 2017 version has been discontinued after 31st May 2020. The application ceased to receive critical security updates from 1st June 2020.
A list of services that get affected after QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation have been provided below.
- You won’t be able to use QuickBooks Payroll Services.
- Live technical support will not work.
- Online Backup of your data and files stops.
- Online Banking and related services stop working
- You will not receive any security updates.
- Accountant’s Copy File Transfer services also stop.
You should note that the application keeps running, and you can keep working on the application. As the application ceases to receive security updates, and the online backup option also discontinues so your data becomes vulnerable. You can continue to perform basic bookkeeping on the application.
What to do on QuickBooks Desktop Service Discontinuation?
Expert would advise you to upgrade your application with time as the older versions of software may eventually become incompatible with your Operating system. Moreover, QuickBooks keeps bringing new tools and features through its newer versions. If you keep using the older version after its discontinuation, then you will need to pay further to convert your data from the older version. You should consider upgrading your software at least after five years even if you don’t use add-on services and other features which gets discontinued after the three-year term to avoid any data loss. It would save you from data loss and further expenses in the long run.
Should you Switch to QuickBooks Online after Discontinuation?
When your QuickBooks Desktop is discontinued, you have two options. You can either purchase a new QuickBooks Desktop product or move to QuickBooks Online. In case, your QuickBooks 2017 gets discontinued, you can buy later versions of QuickBooks Desktop such as 2020 or 2021. You can also move to the web-based application, which won’t be installed on your computer and can be accessed through a web browser.
Lets us analyze the benefits of QuickBooks Online over Desktop to see if you should switch to QuickBooks Online after discontinuation:
- QuickBooks Online provides web-based access and thus can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.
- You can install the application on your phone if you use the Online version and use it to upload receipts from the phone.
- QuickBooks Online provides Credit card processing feature eliminating manual data entry, providing you faster reconciliation process.
- You can direct deposit the paychecks through Online Payroll services.
- The bank transaction can be downloaded automatically, and data encrypted backup come along with the QuickBooks Online package.
- QuickBooks Online has flexible payment options such as monthly, quarterly, and yearly plans
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These benefits make QuickBooks Online an attractive option to shift in case of QuickBooks Desktop discontinuation. You can also buy the latest QuickBooks Desktop version if you find it better. Through this article, we explained to you the reasons why QuickBooks Desktop discontinued and the way you can deal with it. This article should help you resolve the issue, but if you are still struggling and need an expert to assist you, then contact QuickBooks Support at 1-(855)-856-0042.
Erica Watson is writing about accounting and bookkeeping for over 7+ years, making even the difficult technical topics easy to understand. She is skilled at creating content about popular accounting and tax softwares such as QuickBooks, Sage, Xero, Quicken, etc. Erica’s knowledge of such softwares allows her to create articles and guides that are both informative and easy to follow. Her writing builds trust with readers, thanks to her ability to explain things clearly while showing a real understanding of the industry.