forced to upgrade

There is probably a lot to be said for running a standalone payroll app and just posting a summary journal to quickbooks.

At least then you can use a good "legacy" version of QB (i'm still very happy with v6) and not be held to ransom by intuit.

Thanks for the reply Adrian. But don't these stand alone payroll programmes make you upgrade?

ken

A few years ago I remember using a very reasonably priced payroll software programme (don't ask me to remember its name as it was in the days of DOS!), and the cost of the annual subscription was peanuts.

Quickbooks is a superb *accounting* software, which should not need upgrading each year, but intuit hold customers to ransom by getting them to use the payroll module, which changes *each year* due to tax legislation. By separating the accounting and payroll functions you break that "ransom link".

A quick search on google shows up sites like

which promise "free" payroll utilities, and if I had the time i'm sure I could find more. What I'm getting at is that it's probably possible to get a good payroll either free or at a good cheap price, which probably works just as well as intuit's payroll, enabling you to keep using the version of QB that you are happy with without an annual upgrade cost.

Yes, but you only have to upgrade the payroll module each year, not both the program and the payroll subscription. Medlin Accounting has a payroll module that costs about $45 a year I think. (I have only one employee, me, so I use Excel - the "no cost" option.)

-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.

Ken:

Unless it is different in your country or version, QB is still supporting

2003 Premire fully for payroll in USA. Now as one of our licenses is an upgrade of 2002, I get that letter and it says we are terminating support for 2002. I don't have the letter handy but IIRC it said support for 2003 would continue at least through the end of 06.

Gary

I am in the UK and the letter states ' If you wish to continue using payroll, you'll need to upgrade to the 2005 version'. I have actually just found a stand alone payroll from Moneysoft and downloaded their demo version. It looks quite good and it does do the subcontractors CIS, which Quickbooks doesn't. It costs £49.00 per year.

ken

I am in the UK and the letter states ' If you wish to continue using payroll, you'll need to upgrade to the 2005 version'. I have actually just found a stand alone payroll from Moneysoft and downloaded their demo version. It looks quite good and it does do the subcontractors CIS, which Quickbooks doesn't. It costs £49.00 per year.

ken

Careful Ken, Beware the misleading Intuit sunset notice. Here in the US, they started sending those notices awhile back. Small print says payroll stops in Feb 2006, however, for the sunsetted version.

This gives the software owner time to get the 2006 version -- and not have to switch to 2005. Thus, saving you an extra years use of the program.

Folks who switch too early end up 'upgrading' (hah!) every two years instead of every three.

Thanks for that tip L.

ken

payroll, I