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On May 31, 2026, Intuit shut off its services for QuickBooks Desktop 2023 — including QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus Contractor 2023, the SKU a lot of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical shops still run on the office PC.
Your software didn’t disappear. Your company file isn’t locked. But payroll tax calculation, bank feeds, credit card processing inside QuickBooks, and Intuit-side technical support are now shut off.
If you’ve been ignoring the renewal emails, here’s the honest version of what happened, who it hits hardest, and the four paths you actually have — including one that the CPA blogs and Intuit’s sales team will not mention.
Reading this after the deadline? Triage in this order
If you’re reading this after June 1, 2026 and QuickBooks Desktop 2023 is still running on the office PC, here’s the situation: nothing else is going to break that hasn’t already broken. The services shut off all at once — payroll tax calculation, bank feeds, in-product card processing, Intuit-side support. The risk now isn’t another cliff. It’s the quiet stuff:
- Card payments that look processed but aren’t. QBD 2023 will still let you start a card transaction in the workflow; the Intuit processing behind it is dead. If you’ve taken card payments through QuickBooks since June 1, verify each one actually settled at merchantcenter.intuit.com before you treat those jobs as paid.
- Payroll tax math frozen in time. Basic and Enhanced Payroll stopped updating tax calculations, and per Intuit’s own language paychecks “may show inaccuracies.” If you’ve run payroll in QBD since the cutoff, have your accountant spot-check withholdings before your next quarterly filing.
- Assisted Payroll filings stopped. Intuit is no longer filing tax forms on your behalf. If you were on Assisted Payroll and haven’t replaced it, your next federal or state filing deadline is now yours to hit — put a replacement in place before it arrives.
Then pick a migration path below. All four are still open — if your Plus subscription is still active, the free Desktop 2024 upgrade (Path A) is still included in it. Missing the May 31 date didn’t cost you any of the options; it just means the gaps above are live while you decide.
What stopped working on June 1, 2026
Intuit’s official discontinuation policy lays out the specifics. Here are the parts that matter to trade contractors, with the high-stakes lines verbatim:
Payroll (the biggest one):
- Assisted Payroll: Your subscription is deactivated. QuickBooks Desktop won’t auto-calculate payroll taxes, provide payroll forms, or send payroll data. Per Intuit’s own language: “tax forms won’t be filed on your behalf.”
- Basic and Enhanced Payroll: Subscription deactivated. Per Intuit: “Paychecks may show inaccuracies” because tax calculations stop updating.
- QuickBooks Workforce (the employee paystub portal, formerly ViewMyPaycheck): You and your employees lose access.
Credit card and ACH processing:
- You can’t process credit cards or check transactions inside QuickBooks Desktop.
- Merchant Service Deposit downloads stop.
- eInvoice (the “click to pay” link on emailed invoices) stops working.
- Recurring payments are still processed by Intuit on the back end but you’ll only be able to manage them at merchantcenter.intuit.com — not inside QuickBooks.
Everything else that requires Intuit’s servers:
- Online banking (downloading bank feeds, online payments, online transfers)
- Multi-currency / exchange rate lookups
- Accountant Copy Transfer Service (the file you send to your CPA)
- Contributed Reports library
- Emailing forms and reports from inside QuickBooks Desktop 2023
- Shipping Manager
Critical reassurance: this is service discontinuation, not a kill switch. Your QuickBooks Desktop 2023 software still opens on June 1. Your company file isn’t locked. You can still create invoices, run reports, and view all your historical data. What’s gone is Intuit’s connected services — anything that requires the software to talk to Intuit’s servers.
Which SKUs are affected (verbatim from Intuit):
- QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus 2023
- QuickBooks Desktop Premier Plus 2023 (General Business, Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, and Retail)
- QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 23.0
- QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition Plus 2023
- QuickBooks Enterprise Accountant 23.0
- QuickBooks Desktop for Mac Plus 2023
Who this hits hardest
Walking through the trade-contractor profile this breaks:
- You’re running Premier Contractor Plus 2023 for job costing and the contractor-specific reports.
- You have W-2 techs on payroll (Assisted, Basic, or Enhanced) — somewhere between 3 and 25 employees, with bi-weekly or weekly check runs.
- You take card payments in the truck or at the kitchen table and post them into QuickBooks via Intuit Payments.
- You use bank feeds to reconcile job deposits and equipment purchases.
- You’re on the Mac version (a lot of small remodelers and one-truck operators are, and it gets forgotten in generalist coverage).
If three or more of those describe you and you haven’t picked a path yet, those gaps are live right now — start with the triage list above, then work the punch list below.
The four paths Intuit’s discontinuation page actually leaves you
Most CPA-firm coverage of this leads with “move to QuickBooks Online.” That’s not what Intuit’s own discontinuation policy says, and it’s not the right answer for everyone. Here are all four options, ranked roughly by friction.
Path A: Upgrade to QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2024 (free if you’re already on Plus)
The setup: If you have an active QuickBooks Desktop Plus 2023 subscription (Pro, Premier, or Mac), you’re entitled to QuickBooks Desktop 2024 at no incremental cost as part of the annual plan you’re already paying for. You just have to actually download and install it.
The trade-off:
- Same workflow, same user interface, same data file structure
- Free if you’re a Plus subscriber
- Lifespan: per multiple industry sources, QBD 2024 is supported through approximately September 30, 2027 — so you’re buying yourself roughly 16 months before you face this same decision again. (Note: this end-of-support date is widely repeated by accounting bloggers but we have not been able to verify it against an Intuit-published source. Treat as directional.)
- Friction: it’s not automatic. You have to go to your CAMPS account at camps.intuit.com, download the 2024 installer, install it, and convert your company file.
Who this fits: Shops that are happy with their current desktop workflow and just need the lights to stay on. Easiest path. Buys time.
Path B: Move to QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
The setup: Intuit’s preferred upsell. Enterprise has a Contractor industry edition that bundles advanced job costing, change order tracking, and percentage-of-completion reporting. It’s still desktop architecture (or hosted desktop), so the workflow is familiar.
The trade-off:
- More features than Pro or Premier (custom user permissions, advanced inventory, deeper reports)
- Still desktop, so no real mobile or cloud access without paying additional fees for hosted desktop
- Pricing has gone up: as of February 1, 2026, Silver tier starts at $1,873/year for a single user (up from $1,703), with higher tiers (Gold, Platinum, Diamond) running progressively more. (Source: Brady Martz CPA’s reporting on Intuit’s announced 2026 Enterprise pricing changes, corroborated by NerdWallet; Intuit’s public Enterprise pricing page gates the real price behind a sales call.)
- You’ll need to call Intuit sales at 800-450-8469 to get real pricing for your user count
Who this fits: Shops with 5+ office users, heavy job costing requirements, or shops doing $5M+ that want desktop architecture without paying a per-user cloud subscription. If you’re already on Premier Contractor and find yourself bumping up against feature ceilings, this is the natural step.
Path C: Migrate to QuickBooks Online
The setup: Intuit’s cloud product. You’d typically land on QuickBooks Online Plus or Advanced if you’re coming from Premier Contractor.
The trade-off:
- Cloud access from any device, full mobile app, real-time visibility for your office manager and CPA
- Integrates more deeply with field service software you may already use — ServiceTitan, Jobber, and Housecall Pro all have QBO sync built in
- Not everything carries over: advanced QBD job costing features, certain custom reports, and some inventory workflows don’t translate perfectly to QBO. Intuit’s migration tool handles most of the heavy lifting, but expect to clean up.
- Pricing isn’t cheap: QuickBooks Online Plus runs $115/month (up to 5 users), and Advanced runs $275/month (up to 25 users). Intuit raised QBO prices roughly 15-20% across all tiers in July 2025; expect another increase in 2026 or 2027 based on historical patterns. New subscribers typically get 50% off the first 3 months. (Pricing confirmed by NerdWallet, CostBench, Certum Solutions, and EZQ Group as of mid-2026; verify on Intuit’s pricing page before signing up.)
Construction accountants have been making the case for moving off pure-desktop workflows for a while. Randal DeHart of Fast Easy Accounting, a construction-focused Intuit ProAdvisor, framed the case bluntly: a contractor “needs solutions that QuickBooks Desktop is never going to provide,” citing mobility, app integrations, and the realities of running a contracting business from a truck rather than a desk. That’s a directional read, not a prescription — plenty of contractors get value from desktop architecture — but it tracks with where Intuit itself is steering the product.
Who this fits: Shops already running cloud-based field service software, smaller offices wanting their bookkeeper and CPA to share one file in real time, or anyone tired of the file maintenance and IT overhead of running QuickBooks Desktop locally. If you want to evaluate this path more carefully before committing, our QuickBooks Online for trade contractors guide walks through the migration considerations in detail.
Sign up: QuickBooks Online via Augmented Trades
Path D: Stay on QuickBooks Desktop 2023 without Intuit services
This is the path Intuit’s discontinuation page does not mention. It’s also the path some contractors will choose, so it’s worth being honest about.
The setup: Keep running QBD 2023. Use it for invoicing, AR, AP, reporting, and historical data. Run payroll through a separate platform (Gusto, ADP, OnPay, Patriot). Process card payments through a separate processor (Stax, Square, Helcim). Skip bank feeds and reconcile manually or via CSV imports.
The trade-off:
- Zero ongoing Intuit subscription cost
- No security updates → growing data risk over time. The further you get from May 2026, the more uncomfortable this gets.
- No live Intuit support if something breaks
- You have to actually wire up the third-party tools and keep the data flowing manually between them and QBD
Who this fits, honestly: Shops that already run payroll outside QuickBooks, don’t rely on bank feeds, and process card payments through a separate processor — basically the operators who were already using QuickBooks Desktop as just a ledger rather than as the hub of their financial stack. For those operators, the May 31 cutoff genuinely doesn’t change much.
For everyone else, Path D is a way to delay the decision, not solve it. The longer you stay there, the bigger the eventual migration becomes.
What it costs (apples-to-apples)
The table below shows the four paths at monthly cost (calculated on annual billing where applicable) so the comparison is honest. User counts are noted in the footnote.
| Path | Monthly equivalent | What’s included | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|
| A — QBD Plus 2024 upgrade | $0 incremental | Same as current Plus subscription | Nothing additional; you’d already be paying the renewal |
| B — QBD Enterprise Silver | ~$156/mo ($1,873/yr) | 1 user, desktop architecture, Contractor edition reports | Annual billing only; pricing gated behind sales call |
| C — QBO Plus | $115/mo | Up to 5 users, cloud access, full mobile app | Some advanced QBD job costing features; per-user pricing scales fast |
| C — QBO Advanced | $275/mo | Up to 25 users, custom user permissions, advanced reporting | Significantly higher monthly cost than QBD |
| D — QBD 2023 + third-party stack | Variable | Whatever you already have, plus replacement payroll/payments tools | Intuit security updates, live support, integrated services |
Chart notes: All figures shown at monthly equivalent for apples-to-apples comparison. QBD Enterprise is billed annually only; monthly figure is the annual divided by 12. QBO figures reflect current pricing as of May 2026 per NerdWallet, CostBench, and Certum Solutions; verify at Intuit’s pricing page. Enterprise Silver figure ($1,873/yr) reflects post-February 2026 pricing per Brady Martz CPA reporting on Intuit’s announced increases; verify with Intuit Enterprise sales at 800-450-8469. New QBO subscribers typically get 50% off the first 3 months.
Your migration punch list
Whatever path you pick, do these things first. In order. They hold whether you’re reading this the week of the cutoff or a month after it.
1. First: back up your company file locally. Open QuickBooks Desktop 2023 → File → Back Up Company → Create Local Backup. Save it to an external drive or your office NAS, not just the local C: drive. Even better, save a second copy to a USB stick or cloud storage. This is your insurance no matter which path you pick. It takes 5-10 minutes.
2. Second: download your last filed payroll tax forms. If you’re on Assisted Payroll, log in to your Intuit Online Payroll portal and download PDFs of every 941, 940, state UI return, and W-2 you’ve filed in the last three years. Intuit’s customer portal access for legacy products tends to get less reliable over time — pull these now if you haven’t already. Store them in the same place as your tax records.
3. Third: note your Intuit account login, subscription numbers, and payroll account numbers. Write down (or screenshot to a password manager) your Intuit account email, your QBD license number, your Payroll service key, your Merchant Services account ID, and your EIN. You’ll need at least some of these whichever path you pick. They’re harder to dig out of the system once services are deactivated.
4. Fourth: decide your path. Use the table above. The honest decision tree:
- If you have an active Plus subscription and you’re happy with your current setup → Path A, free upgrade
- If you have 5+ office users, heavy job costing, or want more horsepower → Path B, call Intuit Enterprise sales (800-450-8469)
- If you want cloud access, your CPA wants to share the file, or your field service software already syncs to QBO → Path C, sign up for QuickBooks Online
- If you already run payroll and payments outside QuickBooks and use QBD primarily as a ledger → Path D, build out your replacement stack now
5. Fifth: execute.
- Path A: Go to camps.intuit.com, log in, download the QBD 2024 installer for your product. Install it, open your company file, let it convert. Verify your data, accounts, and recent transactions look correct. Re-link your payroll subscription if prompted.
- Path B: Call Intuit Enterprise sales at 800-450-8469. Get real pricing, ask about the Contractor industry edition, schedule installation help if you need it.
- Path C: Sign up for QuickBooks Online. Use Intuit’s built-in “Move your QuickBooks Desktop file to QuickBooks Online” wizard from inside QBD 2023 (File → Utilities → Move Company File to QuickBooks Online). Plan for cleanup time on the QBO side — chart of accounts mapping, custom field translation, opening balances.
- Path D: Sign up for your replacement payroll provider before your next scheduled run. Stop processing card payments through QBD’s payment flow immediately, and have a replacement processor in place first.
6. From here on: don’t run new card payments through QuickBooks Desktop 2023. This is the biggest “gotcha.” The software will still let you initiate a card transaction in the workflow, but the Intuit-side processing is dead. The card won’t actually charge. You’ll think the job is paid for; it isn’t. Use a separate terminal or a separate processor’s mobile app.
What this signals about Intuit’s roadmap
Reading between the lines of the discontinuation page and Intuit’s recent product moves: the mid-tier Pro and Premier Plus desktop line is in slow sunset. Intuit hasn’t released a 2025 SKU and there’s no announced 2026 Pro/Premier release. The 2024 versions are the last of that line; they’ll get supported through approximately late 2027 and that will likely be that.
What Intuit is investing in is QuickBooks Online (which keeps getting price hikes and feature additions) and QuickBooks Enterprise (the desktop product that still gets a real roadmap). Intuit’s own pricing page now positions QBO Advanced and a new ERP-level product called “Intuit Enterprise Suite” as the mid-size business track — QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise isn’t even shown there anymore. The middle has been quietly hollowed out.
For a contractor making a 2-3 year planning decision, that matters. Picking Path A (QBD Plus 2024 upgrade) is the lowest-friction move, but you’re buying ~16 months (through approximately September 2027), not a permanent solution. Picking Path B or Path C is a multi-year decision that probably needs more than a weekend’s thought — which is why we’re not pushing anyone toward either one in this article.
Worth saying explicitly: this isn’t the moment to overhaul your entire software stack. It’s the moment to keep the lights on through Monday morning and buy yourself the planning time to make the bigger decision deliberately.
Bottom line
The May 31 cutoff was real, and it’s behind us. The software still opens, but the connected services are gone. The four paths above are all legitimate, depending on your shop. The most common mistakes are doing nothing (and getting blindsided by a bounced card payment or a payroll tax filing miss) or panic-switching to QBO without thinking through what doesn’t translate.
If you do one thing this week, back up your company file tonight and download your last filed tax forms. Then pick a path — every week you wait, the eventual migration gets bigger.
Full disclosure: …We participate in affiliate programs with the following tools mentioned in this article: QuickBooks (Intuit), Jobber, Housecall Pro, and ServiceTitan. See our full affiliate disclosure for details.
Sources cited in this article:
- Intuit’s official discontinuation policy: quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/…/service-discontinuation-policy
- Intuit Customer Account Management Portal: camps.intuit.com
- Intuit Enterprise pricing page: quickbooks.intuit.com/desktop/enterprise/pricing
- QBO pricing reporting: NerdWallet, CostBench, Certum Solutions, EZQ Group
- QBD Enterprise pricing reporting: Brady Martz CPA
- Construction accounting context: Fast Easy Accounting / Randal DeHart and the Contractor Success Map podcast episode 0278
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Michael is the founder of Augmented Trades, an independent site that tests and reviews AI tools for trade contractors. Tools are recommended on fit for your shop — affiliate partnerships never decide coverage.