Desktop accounts package needed

[Gill Courage]

I have just found out, today from a friend, that Quickbooks Desktop is finishing in 10 days time. I don't know if my software will actually combust on the last day of the month as I am using Quickbooks Desktop 2016 Pro and have never had a subscription version. But even so............
My requirement is for something that does multicurrrency since we have bank, petty cash and credit card accounts in 3 currencies as well as invoicing in those currencies. There is only one user, me, but I do need offline access to everything since I am not always working in my office. I also need stock recording. The conversions available to migrate to QB Online are, apparently, leaving much to be desired and I have over a decade of history in two companies that I must keep, for several reasons, and that I frequently refer to for research and reporting.
Tried VT accounts but it didn't do all the things I need. I don't need payroll (use HMRC software for that), mileage tracking, input by anyone else, nor do I need a link to HMRC for VAT reporting online (I do VAT but report the the Isle of Man Customs and Excise).
I cannot believe that Intuit are treating their UK customers so badly but, I suppose, they are an unimportant subset of global clients these days.

 

[The Byre]

GnuCash was made for you!

Upsides -

It'll import QB files (Output your data in a CSV format. From there, either import the CSV data directly or convert the CSV to QIF and use GnuCash's QIF importer.)
It does any number of currencies.
It can be used for stock control.
Double entry.
Nice charts and graphs for analysing your business.
Free!

Downsides -

Only one entry point.
You have to configure it to suit your needs (or go to the forum and get an off-the-shelf configuration).
Looks a bit dated.

See the rest here - https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

I have just found out, today from a friend, that Quickbooks Desktop is finishing in 10 days time. I don't know if my software will actually combust on the last day of the month as I am using Quickbooks Desktop 2016 Pro and have never had a subscription version. But even so............
My requirement is for something that does multicurrrency since we have bank, petty cash and credit card accounts in 3 currencies as well as invoicing in those currencies. There is only one user, me, but I do need offline access to everything since I am not always working in my office. I also need stock recording. The conversions available to migrate to QB Online are, apparently, leaving much to be desired and I have over a decade of history in two companies that I must keep, for several reasons, and that I frequently refer to for research and reporting.
Tried VT accounts but it didn't do all the things I need. I don't need payroll (use HMRC software for that), mileage tracking, input by anyone else, nor do I need a link to HMRC for VAT reporting online (I do VAT but report the the Isle of Man Customs and Excise).
I cannot believe that Intuit are treating their UK customers so badly but, I suppose, they are an unimportant subset of global clients these days.

It's been a long time since I used it as I generally use online systems but I believe Solar Accounts will provide what you want.

https://www.solaraccounts.co.uk/

 

[Gill Courage]

It's been a long time since I used it as I generally use online systems but I believe Solar Accounts will provide what you want.

https://www.solaraccounts.co.uk/

Thanks - but they tell me that currency accounts are not possible. Since I have bank and credit cards in USD and Euros, that won't work.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

Thanks - but they tell me that currency accounts are not possible. Since I have bank and credit cards in USD and Euros, that won't work.

That's a shame. I know they have the facility now to send foreign invoices and assumed they supported multi currency. That's good to know though thank you.

 

[Andγ]

I might be reading it wrong, but as far as I can see, if you own QB outright, it will continue to work, but will no longer be updated, and you won't be able to get support.
Quickbooks are ending the subscription version of the desktop product, but it sounds like you aren't using that.

I can't post links, but found this on their site:

If I have a perpetual licence, do I need to use the Data Export Tool?​

If you have a licence you purchased via one off payment, either directly from Intuit or through a retail outlet like Staples or Curry's, You can keep access to your account after June 30, 2023.​

Note: Older versions of QuickBooks Desktop, except QuickBooks Desktop 2021, have not had updates or security patches. After June 30, customer support will be limited for UK customers. This makes the risk of no updates even higher.​

If this applies to you, it might be worth contacting their support to verify, and it might at least give you time to make a more considered decision on where to move your accounts to!

 

[Gill Courage]

GnuCash was made for you!

Upsides -

It'll import QB files (Output your data in a CSV format. From there, either import the CSV data directly or convert the CSV to QIF and use GnuCash's QIF importer.)
It does any number of currencies.
It can be used for stock control.
Double entry.
Nice charts and graphs for analysing your business.
Free!

Downsides -

Only one entry point.
You have to configure it to suit your needs (or go to the forum and get an off-the-shelf configuration).
Looks a bit dated.

See the rest here - https://www.gnucash.org/features.phtml

Thanks for the steer but I cannot get any data to import. I am using projects for everything so that I can analyse with precision and Gnu doesn't seem to like projects - or anything else I have in my csv files.

 

[Gill Courage]

I might be reading it wrong, but as far as I can see, if you own QB outright, it will continue to work, but will no longer be updated, and you won't be able to get support.
Quickbooks are ending the subscription version of the desktop product, but it sounds like you aren't using that.

I can't post links, but found this on their site:

If I have a perpetual licence, do I need to use the Data Export Tool?​

If you have a licence you purchased via one off payment, either directly from Intuit or through a retail outlet like Staples or Curry's, You can keep access to your account after June 30, 2023.​

Note: Older versions of QuickBooks Desktop, except QuickBooks Desktop 2021, have not had updates or security patches. After June 30, customer support will be limited for UK customers. This makes the risk of no updates even higher.​

If this applies to you, it might be worth contacting their support to verify, and it might at least give you time to make a more considered decision on where to move your accounts to!

Support have told me that only 2015 and earlier will work like that. I have never paid a subscription to them for anything and have not updated since I went to 2016 because they didn't offer any fixes or enhancements that would have been any use to me. So it is possible that it will continue to work but I won't know until July 1st - when it may all explode! Of course, I can turn back the date on my PC and (probably) still use the software. It will all just be a PITA.

 

[StevensOnln1]

I'm still using QuickBooks Pro 2014 bought years ago on DVD with a perpetual licence. It won't run on Windows 10/11 so I run it in Windows 7 on a virtual machine. It hasn't had any updates for a few years now but still works absolutely fine.

 

[Gill Courage]

I still run windows 7 for everything - haven’t had an opportunity to upgrade or buy a new laptop. I may have to wait till July 1st and see what happens……..

 

[Daybooks]

I think SAGE went a similar way as a ruse to get people to switch to their online offering when essentially all they were doing was no longer supporting the desktop version. The reality was also that the desktop version would remain useable as they had no way of preventing its use; which of course was not in their interest to explain.

I don’t know if this applies to QuickBooks too but worth checking the finer details. If true they may have some legality issues as they may be preventing you from your statutory duties to retain records for a period of time.

 

[UK Contractor Accountant]

Sage 50 Accounts Professional Desktop version (V29) perpetual licence.

You can still get it if you look hard enough.

Won't be any Sage Support though as they don't like customers who don't take their monthly subscription Cloud packages.

 

[johndon68]

I think SAGE went a similar way as a ruse to get people to switch to their online offering when essentially all they were doing was no longer supporting the desktop version. The reality was also that the desktop version would remain useable as they had no way of preventing its use; which of course was not in their interest to explain.

That's not quite correct.

Sage weren't trying to force people on to the cloud software, they were trying to get people who already had a perpetual licence to upgrade to newer versions of the desktop software and move to a monthly licence. They said that they were going to disable access to versions from v26.2 and earlier but, if you upgraded to v26.3 or later you would be fine.

In reality, any one on v21 or below was not affected as those versions didn't 'phone home' to check that there was a valid licence and, as often the case with these things, a workaround to the issue for anyone on v22 - v26.2 was found albeit that did involve registry changes and firewall changes so wasn't exactly straight forward.

As it stands:

For users of v21 and below with a perpetual licence their software still works as it always has.

For users or v22 - v26.2 with a perpetual licence, the software still works if you are prepared to implement a hanky workaround albeit one that leaves the software disconnected from the internet.

Users of v26.3 and above have no problems.

John

 

[Nico Albrecht]

have just found out, today from a friend, that Quickbooks Desktop is finishing in 10

It appears that there may be some misunderstandings regarding the licensing agreement for QB 2016. When you initially purchased QB 2016, you entered into a license agreement that provided updates and technical support for a period of 3 years. This information should have been clearly outlined in your contract with QB. As a result, your version of QB expired in 2019, with an option to upgrade to the latest version that would include another 3 years of support.

After your QB version expired in 2019, access to payroll and online banking connections would have ceased or been limited. This is because these functionalities are typically tied to the active support period provided by the software.

I cannot believe that Intuit are treating their UK customers so badly but, I suppose, they are an unimportant subset of global clients these days.

Please refrain from making derogatory remarks and instead take the time to review your contract with QB. It is important to acknowledge that QB has fulfilled its obligations as stated in the contract. QB 2016 and newer versions will continue to function, albeit with limitations on payroll and online banking integration. However, it is worth noting that as Windows 10 or Windows 11 receive security upgrades, there may come a point where the software becomes incompatible and ceases to work.

 

[Daybooks]

That's not quite correct.

Sage weren't trying to force people on to the cloud software, they were trying to get people who already had a perpetual licence to upgrade to newer versions of the desktop software and move to a monthly licence. They said that they were going to disable access to versions from v26.2 and earlier but, if you upgraded to v26.3 or later you would be fine.

In reality, any one on v21 or below was not affected as those versions didn't 'phone home' to check that there was a valid licence and, as often the case with these things, a workaround to the issue for anyone on v22 - v26.2 was found albeit that did involve registry changes and firewall changes so wasn't exactly straight forward.

As it stands:

For users of v21 and below with a perpetual licence their software still works as it always has.

For users or v22 - v26.2 with a perpetual licence, the software still works if you are prepared to implement a hanky workaround albeit one that leaves the software disconnected from the internet.

Users of v26.3 and above have no problems.

John

I take your point about it not being to Cloud based – although when I last investigated I could only find desktop offerings coming with a web view interface – and of course the annual / monthly licence fee; the object of the game.

Am sure I’ve seen v26+ used without any workarounds but fortunately I no longer have any interest in any SAGE products. Obviously more time on my hands as a result. .

 

[johndon68]

I take your point about it not being to Cloud based – although when I last investigated I could only find desktop offerings coming with a web view interface – and of course the annual / monthly licence fee; the object of the game.

Am sure I’ve seen v26+ used without any workarounds but fortunately I no longer have any interest in any SAGE products. Obviously more time on my hands as a result. .

Whilst Sage don't make it particularly easy to find on their website, Sage 50 is still very much desktop software both for the client application and database storage. The 'cloud' part of it's name refers to integration with Office 365 but that is all.

v26.3 was the earliest version of Sage 50 to stop using TLS1 to communicate with Sage's servers which is why that was the version you need to be on (at least from Sage's point of view) going forwards albeit at least 3 workarounds that I know of came to light for earlier versions.

John

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Agree with all the above mentioning Sage they do multi currency accounting and the way forward is cloud based

I just phone them if I want to know something I think they do so much that you cant find everything on their site

 

[Daybooks]

Whilst Sage don't make it particularly easy to find on their website, Sage 50 is still very much desktop software both for the client application and database storage. The 'cloud' part of it's name refers to integration with Office 365 but that is all.

v26.3 was the earliest version of Sage 50 to stop using TLS1 to communicate with Sage's servers which is why that was the version you need to be on (at least from Sage's point of view) going forwards albeit at least 3 workarounds that I know of came to light for earlier versions.

John

Out of interest when referring to “upgrade” was this somewhat of a loose term?

 

[johndon68]

Out of interest when referring to “upgrade” was this somewhat of a loose term?

It was a genuine upgrade to a newer version so, if you had been on v22, you would have ended up on v28 which was the latest version at the time, now it is v29.

John

 

[The Byre]

Thanks for the steer but I cannot get any data to import. I am using projects for everything so that I can analyse with precision and Gnu doesn't seem to like projects - or anything else I have in my csv files.

According to the manual -

1. In QuickBooks, export your project data as a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file. You can usually find this option in the "Reports" or "Export" section of QuickBooks.
2. Open GnuCash and create a new file or open an existing one where you want to import the data.
3. In GnuCash, go to "File" and select "Import" or "Import CSV" to open the Import Assistant.
4. In the Import Assistant, choose the CSV file you exported from QuickBooks.
5. Map the columns of your CSV file to the corresponding fields in GnuCash. This step ensures that the data is imported correctly into GnuCash. You may need to match fields like accounts, amounts, dates, etc.
6. Review the mapping and click "Import" or "Finish" to complete the process.
7. GnuCash will import the data from the CSV file and create corresponding accounts, transactions, or projects based on the mapping you defined.

Your use of projects suggests that your revenues are 'lumpy' (as are ours) and if the lumps are fairly large, i.e. big projects, big costs, big paycheque, big risks, a tailor-made or industry-specific solution may be the answer.

For example, the movie industry has some very unusual practices such as one and two-man companies running multi-million projects with hundreds of freelancers on day rates and 500lb gorillas on percentage points on gross revenue (all known respectively as below the line and above the line) and all sorts of weird creatures and structures in between! Other 'odd' businesses with various legal requirements include aviation and medical industries.

As a result, these industries attract bookkeeping software companies to offer industry-specific packages.

 

[Gill Courage]

Thanks TB. I will try that.

We buy and sell aircraft - so yes, very lumpy. But I've never seen anything industry specific that was any better than my use of QB. Basically second hand car dealing with wings. Plus a lot of travel. My background, before I learned to fly, was in systems design, writing and testing so I'm quite creative in use of databases.
QB does most of the stuff I need and want; apart from a lack of digits in the currency exchanges and an irritating use of Name as multiple things which limits reporting capabilities.

I wait with baited breath to see if it actually falls over on July 1st. I hope not or my VAT return will be slightly crimped.

 

[The Byre]

I sussed already that you were selling seven-figure caravans! My guess is that QB will be just fine after support runs out. Our software was written for us and is 20 years old and is going just fine.