If you’re looking to cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription, I remember my first time trying to figure it out – it felt like a maze! But don’t worry, it’s actually pretty straightforward once you know where to look. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step by step, making sure you understand what happens to your precious financial data and how to prepare before you say goodbye to QuickBooks Online. Whether you’re switching to another service, scaling down, or just taking a break, we’ll cover everything you need to know to cancel your QuickBooks Online account smoothly and avoid any surprises.

Alright, let’s get right into it. Canceling your QuickBooks Online subscription is usually pretty easy, especially if you signed up directly through Intuit, which is the most common way. You’ll generally do this through your account settings in a web browser, not the mobile app. Make sure you’re logged in as the primary or company administrator, as other users might not have the permissions to make this big change.

Here’s the general walkthrough:

Log in to your QuickBooks Online account. Head over to the QuickBooks Online website and sign in. Make sure you’re using the correct credentials for the account you want to cancel, especially if you manage multiple companies.
Find the Gear Icon Settings. Once you’re logged in, look for the gear icon in the top-right corner of your dashboard. This is your gateway to all the settings and account management options.
Go to Account and Settings. From the dropdown menu after clicking the gear icon, choose “Account and Settings”.
Navigate to Billing & Subscription. On the left-hand panel or sometimes a tab at the top, you’ll see “Billing & Subscription” or “Billing Info.” Click on that. This is where all your subscription details live, including the option to cancel.
Select “Cancel subscription.” In the QuickBooks section, you should see your current subscription details. Look for a link or button that says “Cancel subscription” or “Cancel service”. If you’re currently on a free trial, it might say “Cancel Trial”.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts. QuickBooks will likely present you with a series of screens. You might be asked to give a reason for canceling or complete a short survey. This helps them understand why you’re leaving.
Confirm Cancellation. Keep following the prompts until you see a final “Confirm Cancellation” or “Cancel Now” button. Make sure you click this to finalize everything. You should then receive a confirmation message and the Master Admin will usually get an email verifying the cancellation.

Important Note: If you signed up for QuickBooks Online through a mobile app store like Apple App Store or Google Play Store, the cancellation process is a bit different. You’ll need to go through your respective app store’s subscription management settings to cancel.

For Google Play Store Android: Open the Google Play Store app, tap your profile icon, go to “Payments & subscriptions,” then “Subscriptions,” find your QuickBooks Online subscription, and tap “Cancel subscription”.
For Apple App Store iOS: Go to your device’s Settings, tap your name, then “Subscriptions,” find your QuickBooks Online subscription, and tap “Cancel Subscription”.

Table of Contents

Canceling QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping

If you’re using QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping, which gives you one-on-one support from a QuickBooks-certified bookkeeper, canceling it is also done through your settings:

Sign in to your QuickBooks Online account as an admin.
Go to the Settings ⚙ icon, then select Account and settings.
Choose Billing & subscription.
In the “QuickBooks Live Full-Service Bookkeeping” tile, select Cancel.
Confirm your cancellation in the next window.

Canceling QuickBooks Online Payroll

For those using QuickBooks Online Payroll, you’ll want to make sure you cancel this separately if it’s a standalone service or if you’re stopping all QuickBooks services. It’s crucial to handle payroll cancellation carefully to avoid any issues with tax filings.

Log in to your QuickBooks Online account.
Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select Account and settings.
On the Payroll product, select Cancel subscription.
Fill out the online cancellation form to complete the process.

A Heads-Up for Payroll Users: Before you cancel payroll, it’s a smart move to ensure you’ve paid any outstanding tax deposits, filed any outstanding quarterly forms, and printed necessary payroll reports. Also, be aware that if you cancel, QuickBooks will no longer handle your quarterly filings or payments on or after your specified date. If you have QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted, Intuit might even charge you a fee $150.00 as of a previous update if you need them to prepare year-end filings or W-2s after cancellation.

Canceling a Suspended Subscription

Sometimes, a QuickBooks Online subscription might get suspended, usually due to payment issues. If this happens, you can’t just cancel it directly. You’ll need to reactivate it first:

Sign in to QuickBooks Online as an admin user.
Go to Settings ⚙ and select Account and Settings.
Navigate to the Billing & Subscription tab.
In the QuickBooks section, click on Resubscribe and update your payment information. This will reactivate your suspended subscription.
Once your account is reactivated, you can then follow the standard cancellation steps based on where you originally purchased your subscription Intuit, Apple App Store, or Google Play Store.

What Happens When You Cancel QuickBooks Online?

So, you’ve hit that “Cancel” button. What now? It’s super important to understand the implications, especially regarding your data and billing.

Data Access After Cancellation

When you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription, your data doesn’t just vanish into thin air immediately. Intuit generally provides read-only access to your data for one year from the cancellation date. This means you can still log in, view your financial records, and run reports, but you won’t be able to make any edits, enter new transactions, or reconcile accounts.

After this one-year read-only period, your data will likely be permanently deleted. Some older information mentions an 18-month grace period, but the more recent and consistent information from Intuit’s own support points to one year. So, consider that one-year window your deadline to get everything you need.

If you have multiple QuickBooks Online subscriptions under the same login, and you cancel one but keep at least one other active, you might retain indefinite read-only access to the canceled company’s data. This is a neat trick if you’re just cutting down on services.

Refunds and Billing

Here’s the deal with money when canceling QuickBooks Online:

No Cancellation Fee: Generally, there’s no fee to cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription.
Refund Policy: If you cancel within the first 30 days of a new subscription, you might be eligible for a full refund. Beyond that initial period, any prepaid fees are typically non-refundable. This means if you paid for an annual plan and cancel halfway through, you usually won’t get a refund for the unused months. Your subscription will simply continue until the end of the current billing cycle you’ve already paid for.
Timing is Key: To avoid being charged for another month or year, make sure to cancel at least 24 hours before your next billing date.

Related Services

Canceling your core QuickBooks Online subscription doesn’t automatically cancel all related services like QuickBooks Payments or Intuit Enterprise Suite.

QuickBooks Payments: If you use QuickBooks Payments, you’ll need to cancel that account before canceling your QuickBooks Online subscription.
QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping & Payroll: As discussed, these usually require separate cancellation steps through your Account and Settings.

Crucial Steps Before You Cancel

Before you click that “Cancel” button, take a deep breath and make sure you’ve tied up all loose ends. Trust me, you don’t want to realize you needed a report or a specific piece of data after you’ve lost access.

1. Export Your Data – Don’t Skip This!

This is probably the most critical step. Even with read-only access for a year, having your own copies of your financial data is invaluable for future reference, audits, or switching to new software.

QuickBooks Online offers a few ways to export your data:

Export Reports and Lists to Excel: This is a common and highly recommended method. You can get pretty much all your essential reports like Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Accounts Receivable/Payable and lists like customer, vendor, chart of accounts, products and services into Excel spreadsheets.
1. Go to the Gear icon ⚙, then under “Tools,” pick Export Data.
2. Select the reports or lists you want to export. Most folks recommend just enabling everything for a complete dump!
3. Tap on Export to Excel.
4. For inventory or products and services specifically, you might need to go to Products and Services under the Gear icon, then “More,” choose “Run report,” and then hit the Export icon to Excel.
Print to PDF: Many users suggest printing key reports like your General Ledger, Balance Sheet, and Profit & Loss statements to PDF for each year you were in business. This is often sufficient for audit purposes.
Convert to QuickBooks Desktop if applicable: If you plan to move to QuickBooks Desktop, you can actually convert your entire QuickBooks Online data set into a QuickBooks Desktop company file. This creates a backup copy you can run on your computer, but you’ll need a QuickBooks Desktop license. There’s usually a specific tool or process within QBO for this.
Third-Party Apps: Some apps are designed specifically for backing up or extracting QuickBooks Online data, like Chronobooks or Rewind though these might be for Advanced users or have specific plan requirements.

What to prioritize for export:

Profit & Loss statements
Balance Sheets
Accounts Receivable/Payable
General Ledger report
Customer lists
Vendor lists
Transaction histories
Chart of Accounts
Any forms or reports you might need for tax filings

2. Settle All Outstanding Transactions

Before you pull the plug, make sure you’ve handled everything that’s pending:

Send out any remaining invoices and try to collect payments.
Pay all your bills.
Process any final payroll runs and ensure all tax liabilities are taken care of.
Reconcile all bank and credit card accounts up to your cancellation date.

3. Consider Alternatives Before Full Cancellation

Are you sure you want to completely cancel? Sometimes, there are other options that might fit your needs better:

Downgrade Your Plan: If costs are the main concern, you might be able to downgrade to a less expensive QuickBooks Online plan, like Simple Start, which still offers core accounting features but at a lower price.
Pause Your Subscription: QuickBooks Online sometimes offers an option to suspend or pause your service for a period, typically up to 6 months. During this time, you won’t be charged, and your data remains accessible. Your subscription would then automatically resume. This is great if you just need a temporary break. You can usually find this option on the “Billing & Subscription” page by clicking “Suspend Service.”

4. Inform Stakeholders

If you work with an accountant or bookkeeper who accesses your QuickBooks Online account, make sure to let them know about your plans. They might need to export their own copies of data or adjust their workflows.

5. Review Your Intuit Account

Remember that some services, especially for QuickBooks Desktop users like payroll or live assisted payroll, are managed through your overarching Intuit account online, even if the main software is installed locally. Double-check your Intuit Account Manager for any other associated subscriptions or services you might be paying for.

Why Are You Canceling? Common Reasons

People cancel QuickBooks Online for a variety of reasons, and understanding these might help you decide if it’s the right move for you.

Cost: Sometimes, especially for small businesses or startups, the monthly subscription fees can add up. There are plenty of free or lower-cost accounting alternatives out there that might fit a tighter budget.
Switching to New Software: Maybe you found another accounting software that better suits your industry, has features you need, or simply offers a more user-friendly experience.
Business Closure/Dormancy: If your business is closing down or becoming inactive, keeping an active QuickBooks Online subscription just doesn’t make sense. You’ll still need access to past records for tax purposes, but not necessarily an ongoing subscription.
Downgrading Needs: Perhaps your business has simplified, and you no longer need the advanced features of your current QuickBooks Online plan. A cheaper plan or even a simpler spreadsheet solution might be enough.
Moving to QuickBooks Desktop: Some businesses prefer the desktop version for various reasons, including local data storage and a one-time purchase model for non-Plus versions. If you’re making this switch, you’ll cancel your Online subscription.

Whatever your reason, taking the time to cancel correctly will save you headaches down the road.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cancel my QuickBooks Online subscription if I purchased it from an accountant?

If your QuickBooks Online subscription was purchased by your accountant, you generally won’t see the “Billing & Subscription” tab or the option to cancel directly in your account. In this scenario, you’ll need to contact your accountant directly and ask them to cancel the subscription on your behalf. They manage the billing for their clients, so they’re the ones who can initiate the cancellation.

Can I get a refund if I cancel my QuickBooks Online subscription early?

Generally, if you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription after the initial 30-day period, any prepaid fees are non-refundable. This means if you’re on a monthly plan and cancel halfway through, you won’t get money back for the remaining days of that month. If you paid for an annual plan, you typically won’t be refunded for the unused portion of the year. However, if you cancel within the first 30 days, you are usually eligible for a full refund. Always check the specific terms and conditions applicable to your subscription at the time of purchase.

What happens to my data if I cancel my QuickBooks Online subscription?

After canceling, you will typically have read-only access to your QuickBooks Online data for one year from the date of cancellation. During this period, you can log in, view your financial records, and export reports, but you won’t be able to edit, add new transactions, or perform any active accounting functions. After this one-year period, your data will generally be permanently deleted. It’s highly recommended to export all critical reports and lists to Excel or PDF before you cancel to ensure you have a permanent copy.

Can I reactivate my QuickBooks Online account after canceling?

Yes, you can usually reactivate your QuickBooks Online account. If you decide to resubscribe within the one-year read-only access period, your data should still be available, and you can pick up where you left off. If you resubscribe after the one-year period, your old data might have been permanently deleted, and you would likely need to start a new account from scratch. To reactivate, you would typically sign in to your inactive account and follow the prompts to resubscribe and update your payment information.

Is there a difference between canceling QuickBooks Online and canceling QuickBooks Desktop?

Yes, there’s a significant difference. QuickBooks Online is a cloud-based subscription service, so cancellation stops ongoing charges and limits data access after a grace period. QuickBooks Desktop, on the other hand, is generally a software license you own though “Plus” versions are subscription-based too. For a standard QuickBooks Desktop purchase, you own the software, and there’s no “cancellation” in the same way. you simply stop using it. Where cancellation comes into play with Desktop is for associated services like Payroll or Live Assisted Payroll, which are separate subscriptions managed through your Intuit account online. If you have a QuickBooks Desktop Plus subscription, then that is a subscription and would need to be canceled if you no longer want to pay for updates and support. CyberGhost VPN Cancel Plan: Your Full Guide to Unsubscribing & Getting a Refund

What should I do about QuickBooks Payroll if I cancel my main QuickBooks Online subscription?

QuickBooks Payroll is often a separate subscription, even if it’s integrated with your main QuickBooks Online account. If you want to stop payroll services, you need to cancel your QuickBooks Online Payroll subscription separately. Before canceling, ensure all outstanding tax deposits are paid, quarterly forms are filed, and you’ve printed all necessary payroll reports. If you don’t explicitly cancel payroll, you might continue to be charged for it.

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