QuickBooks Desktop 2018 Discontinued May 31st – Plan for your Upgrade

As May 31st, 2021 approaches, it is that time of the year for those users on QuickBooks Desktop 2018 Software to review their setup and plan to upgrade their systems to QuickBooks 2021. This blog will lay out how your business could be affected, what Intuit services will be discontinued, how to plan your upgrade, and purchase options.

How your business is affected & the services that will be discontinued

After May 31st, access to and use of add-on services like QuickBooks Payments, QuickBooks Payroll, Online Banking/Bank Feeds, ACH Processing, QuickBooks Accountant’s Copy File Transfer, Multi-currency, and QuickBooks Time will be discontinued for QuickBooks Desktop version 2018. The QuickBooks product list includes the following products:

• QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2018
• QuickBooks Desktop Premier 2018
• QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions v18
• QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2018

Now is the time to plan your upgrade so your day to day business will not be interrupted. If you do not use add-on services, you can still continue to use the QuickBooks Desktop product but you will not be able to call and subscribe to Intuit support.

How to plan your upgrade

If you are utilizing QuickBooks Desktop 2018 and need to upgrade, the Ability Team encourages you to complete a software “health check-up”. Here are some helpful tips to review about your current business solution:

• Review Intuit’s recommended requirements for QuickBooks Software
• Meet with the team
• Purchase QuickBooks 2021
• Plan & Upgrade

Review Intuit’s recommended requirements for QuickBooks Software

We suggest that you review Intuit’s minimum recommended system requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2021. Then, assess your current Windows servers, computers, operating systems, hardware, and other essential software like Microsoft Office, Adobe, and Internet Explorer so that you can get ahead of the curveball if needed.

Head over to this QuickBooks blog article, System requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2021, to read more.

Discuss with your team about new or ongoing pain points

When upgrading QuickBooks software, this is a great opportunity to meet with your staff and discuss how the solution is working for your business. Here a few general topics and questions to ask:

• Highlight what is working well.
• Where can we improve?
• What are the bottlenecks?
• What do you need to do your job better?
• Do we need to add users to QuickBooks?

Once you have this brainstorming session, prioritize the needs. Contact us to discuss what’s not working, although we do love to hear what is working!

There are many 3rd party apps that can help you streamline workflows and add functionality to your solution.

Are you interested in moving to the cloud? Check out your options for QuickBooks Online here.

Purchase QuickBooks Desktop 2021

Click on the links below to checkout the new product features for QuickBooks Desktop 2021 below:

QuickBooks Enterprise 2021
QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus 2021
QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2021

I would also like to note, that if you already have and maintained a QuickBooks Enterprise, QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, or a QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus subscription, then your subscription includes the latest version.

Ready to purchase QuickBooks Desktop 2021? Purchase online from our store, email us at sales@abilitybuisness.com, or give us a call at (866) 992-2454.

Plan & Upgrade

What’s next? Now that you have reviewed the recommended specs, assessed your systems, met with the team, and purchased QuickBooks Desktop 2021, you can schedule your upgrade.

• Make sure all parties are on the same page and have their calendars marked.
  • Managers, staff, IT, your QuickBooks Solution Provider, ProAdvisor, Accountant
• On the server, make a backup of your QuickBooks file and save it to a thumb drive/hard drive.
• Update servers & computers or install the new ones.
• Install QuickBooks 2021 on the server first and upgrade your QuickBooks database file.
• Install on the other stations.
• Open QuickBooks on each computer to ensure the correct path over the network.
• Review reports, check your other connected services and add-ons, implement new features, and then implement other 3rd party apps.
• Get back to business!

Check out this blog for more information on upgrading QuickBooks software.

Summary

As the discontinuation date of May 31st, 2021 gets closer for QuickBooks Desktop 2018, the Ability Team encourages you to review your current QuickBooks solution; assess your systems and needs; and purchase, plan, and implement your QuickBooks upgrade.

Ability Business understands that each business has its own story, reach out today for a free consult to see how we can assist you.