Intuit Moves Toward Discontinuing QuickBooks Desktop
In a move I’ve been predicting for over a year, Intuit announced on November 30th that it will stop selling QuickBooks Desktop to new subscribers, effective July 31, 2024. This action does not affect existing QuickBooks Desktop subscribers, nor does it impact QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise products. However, if you are not presently a QuickBooks Desktop subscriber and you were planning to subscribe to the software, you must act before July 31, 2024, to ensure the availability of the subscription.
Details Are Important
In an article posted at Intuit’s Firm of the Future site, the Company indicated that this action only applies to United States sales. Thus, customers in Canada and other countries are unaffected for now by this action. Further, customers with QuickBooks Desktop subscriptions can renew their subscriptions for now.
For customers using QuickBooks Desktop Accountant, Intuit maintains the company has no plans to discontinue selling that product. Likewise, Intuit indicates that sales of ProAdvisor Bundles will also continue. And, as stated previously, this decision does not affect sales of QuickBooks Enterprise subscriptions.
Accountants Supporting QuickBooks Should Prepare Now
Although Intuit’s decision of discontinuing QuickBooks Desktop is now a matter of public record via the Firm of the Future post referenced above, the Company will not notify end-user clients until February 2024. At that time, accountants supporting QuickBooks Desktop users should expect an avalanche of questions from their clients regarding Intuit’s decision and the impact it will have on them. Accordingly, we encourage CPAs supporting QuickBooks Desktop to familiarize themselves with options that may suit their clients.
Is QuickBooks Online The Answer?
Of course, one question that will likely arise from Desktop users is, “Should I migrate to QuickBooks Online.” Moving to QuickBooks Online (QBO) may present the optimal solution for many Desktop users. Depending upon the plan selected – Self-Employed, Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, or Advanced – they may find that the capabilities of QBO meet or even exceed those in their existing Desktop product. Further, the migration process of moving an existing QuickBooks Desktop company to QuickBooks Online is likely simpler and easier than moving that same Desktop company to a solution provided by another provider.
The Big Picture
Regardless of your feelings regarding Intuit’s announcement, the handwriting on the all is clear, and has been for some time: the era of locally-installed software is ending, and subscription licensing increasingly rules the day. This trend has been unfolding for over a decade, with companies like Microsoft, Zoho, Google, Adobe, and many others turning to Cloud-based and Cloud-complimented licensing models. Intuit’s recent announcement certainly confirms and reinforces that movement.
Summary
For now, existing subscribers of QuickBooks Desktop users can continue to purchase subscriptions to the desktop accounting software applications. However, if you do not have an active existing subscription and you want to use the Desktop product, you must purchase a subscription before July 31, 2024. Otherwise, according to Intuit, after that date, you can license QuickBooks Enterprise, but a new subscription to other QuickBooks Desktop products will not be available.
To learn more about QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Enterprise, and other accounting solutions, consider a K2 Enterprises training session.
