QuickBooks 2018 Discontinued

Does QuickBooks Desktop 2018 Expire?

Intuit has officially announced that it will discontinue QuickBooks 2018, i.e. the software will no longer receive critical security updates and not work with Intuit-provided addons. AccountsPro explores more about what QuickBooks 2018 Discontinuation will mean for you. Also, it’s very easy to go for QuickBooks Desktop 2021 Upgrade including Pro, Premier, Enterprise, Contractor, Retail, Professional Services, Wholesale, and Business Edition.

Check out complete guide QuickBooks 2018 To QuickBooks 2021 Upgrade process, including data conversion, migration and company file.

When Will QuickBooks Desktop 2018 Be Discontinued?

QuickBooks 2018 will be discontinued from May 31, 2021. After this date, Intuit won’t provide services for the software, but however, you can continue using this software on your system. According to Intuit QB Discontinuation Policy, each QuickBooks desktop edition will retire after 3 years which means Intuit will stop product updates and technical support after three years.

Do you know when you switched to QuickBooks Cloud Hosting, you will get upgraded and update automatically, hence you no need to worry about QB desktop has been expired warning.

Will You Be Able To Use The Software QB 2021 After Discontinuation?

Yes. The software will stay active on your system. But you won’t have access to the latest updates after the discontinuation goes into effect. Moreover, add-on services provided by Intuit won’t work with QuickBooks 2018 after discontinuation.

If you don’t use any of the add-on services provided by Intuit, then you can stick with QuickBooks 2018, otherwise upgrading the software is a better option. Sometimes QuickBooks works for more than 3 years without any issues and QuickBooks Errors and users can manage accounting, effectively. Most of the time users don’t know about the expiry and they still use QB expired edition, but there are chances of wrong tax calculation and balance sheet mismatch issues.

Users also get issues when they try to send Payroll or generate reports. There is a sudden crash, stops responding, keeps freezing, it takes a long time to respond or nothing happens while clicking the QB desktop start button are symptoms that QuickBooks Desktop has expired. It’s advisable to upgrade QB after expiration otherwise if you are too late then it is very difficult to convert very old QB data to the latest QB edition.

Some users, disabled QB notifications blocked pop-ups, or ignored warning messages, later they will not be able to use QB or to move data to the new system while upgrading. Another situation arises when the QB is hosted on the server and the Workstation won’t receive any notification.

What Services Will Be Affected by QuickBooks 2018 Discontinuation?

Below, we’ve provided all of the major services that will no longer work with QuickBooks 2018 after discontinuation.

• Online Banking: In QuickBooks, users have the option to integrate their bank accounts and credit cards to perform a host of functions. Many of these features will not work after discontinuation of the accounting software.
• e-Invoice: Users who sell products and services love the eInvoice feature, which can be used to send a payment link along with the invoice. The customer can then go to the payment link to complete the transaction. This feature will be deactivated after the discontinuation of QuickBooks 2018.
• Payment Processing: Do you process a lot of payments using credit cards and checks in QuickBooks? You will no longer be able to do this after the discontinuation goes into effect. However, Intuit will provide you with the instructions to process check and credit card transactions outside of QuickBooks 2018.
• Recurring Payments: Setting up recurring payments can simplify your workflow. Payment for transactions that occur at certain intervals can be automated. This will no longer be the case, but you can still manage your recurring payments through MerchantCenter.Intuit.Com.
• Online Backup: The online backup features can be easily replicated without upgrading the software. You can set up automatic updates and select a remote server as the location to which the backup files should be saved.

However, if you want to continue using the online backup service provided by Intuit, then you need to upgrade to QuickBooks 2018.

QuickBooks Payroll 2018 Discontinuation Notice

• QuickBooks Payroll: The payroll service can be an important one and cannot be replicated. You must upgrade QuickBooks if you want to continue using the payroll features. Here are the payroll services that will no longer work with QuickBooks Desktop 2018.
• Basic, Standard, or Enhanced Payroll: These subscription plans which you can purchase and use to activate payroll in QuickBooks Desktop will no longer work after the discontinuation. That means that QuickBooks will no longer calculate payroll taxes automatically, nor will it provide tax forms through the software. We also recommend that you don’t rely on QuickBooks to calculate paychecks after the software is discontinued.
• Assisted Payroll: Cherished by many as their go-to payroll feature, the assisted payroll calculates paychecks and handles payroll taxes for you. Further, the paychecks can be deposited into employees’ bank accounts with just a single click. This service won’t work with QuickBooks Desktop 2018 after May 31, 2021.
• QuickBooks Workforce: You won’t be able to view paychecks or W-2s after this service is no longer available for QuickBooks 2018. Upgrade if you want to continue using this feature.
• Workers’ Comp Payment Service: Using QuickBooks 2018, you won’t be able to process the payment for Workers’ Comp after the discontinuation. Upgrade to continue using this service.
• Live Technical Support: Users who rely a lot on live technical support through QuickBooks Desktop won’t be able to access the feature any longer. If you bought a subscription, then it will be canceled on the next renewal date. However, users will still be able to get live technical support from third parties. AccountsPro will help you in case you aren’t able to access QB 2018 edition connect to QuickBooks Support Phone Number now.
• Other Add-ons: Many other add-ons will stop working with QuickBooks 2018 after its discontinuation. Below, we’ve mentioned the addons which will no longer work with the software:
  • TSheets
  • Online Banking
  • Contributed Reports
  • Multi-currency/Exchange Rate
  • Accountant Copy Transfer Service

QB 2018 No Longer Supported By Intuit What You Can Do?

Which Version Should You Upgrade to?
The best version would be QuickBooks Desktop 2021. The services will work for the next three years, so it would be worth your investment. Further, many new features geared towards increasing productivity and collaboration are provided within the new software. If you’re planning to upgrade, then you can do so from within the software or download and install the latest version. Get all about QuickBooks Desktop 2021 New Advance Features so you must have to go for it!

Switch To QuickBooks 2021 Due To 2018 QB Expiration

To upgrade QuickBooks 2018, follow the steps provided below:

1. From the main menu, click on Help.
2. Select Upgrade QuickBooks.
3. Select the version of QuickBooks to which you want to upgrade.
4. Click on Upgrade Now.
5. Wait for the upgrade files to finish downloading. When the software is completely installed, launch QuickBooks 2021.

Note: It is always better to back up QuickBooks company files before you upgrade the software. The steps to back the company file are provided below:

1. Go to the File menu and click on Switch to Single User Mode.
2. Go to the File menu and select Back Up Company.
3. Click on Create Local Backup.
4. Select Local Back and hit Next.
5. Click on Browse and select the location to which the backup file should be saved.
6. Click on OK.
7. Click on Save it Now and then Next.

Wait for the backup process to complete. It can take longer if you have a huge company file. If you want to back up your payroll forms, then you can simply export them from QuickBooks. If you only want the essential accounting data in QuickBooks 2021, then create a portable company file using QuickBooks 2018.

FAQs – QuickBooks 2018 Discontinued. To Continue Using QuickBooks Desktop, You Must Buy QuickBooks Desktop Now