Good morning. The software that runs your books is a fixed cost most owners set once and never look at again. Intuit is counting on that. Here's what QuickBooks actually costs your shop this fall, and the two-minute check that can claw some of it back.
Top story — Your QuickBooks bill went up, and it lands at renewal
Intuit raised the price of QuickBooks Online for its three middle and upper plans. In its own words, "the monthly subscription prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced will change for renewals on or after August 1, 2026" (Intuit). Today those plans list at $85, $140 and $340 a month on Intuit's own pricing page. The entry plan, Simple Start, held at $38 — Intuit says Simple Start, Free, Lite and Ledger are not changing.
Two things matter for how this hits you. First, it's the same software — this is a price move, not a feature you asked for. Second, it lands at renewal, not on a fixed day, so the month you feel it depends on your billing date. If you signed up recently, Intuit says new subscribers keep their starting price for six months, with the increase arriving on the seventh invoice. Either way, nobody's going to call to tell you. It just shows up on the card.
Quick hits
It's per plan, so the cheapest fix might be a tier you're already overpaying for. Simple Start stayed at $38; Essentials is $85, Plus $140, Advanced $340 (Intuit, list prices today). Plenty of shops sit on Plus or Advanced for one report they run twice a year. Before you renew, pull your plan and ask whether the tier below does what you actually use — that's a bigger saving than switching apps.
QuickBooks Desktop is a renew-only island now. Since September 30, 2024, Intuit has stopped selling new Desktop subscriptions to US customers — Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus and Enhanced Payroll (Intuit). Existing subscribers "can continue to renew their subscriptions" and keep getting updates and support; Enterprise is the only Desktop product you can still buy new. If you're on Desktop, you can stay — but you're on a platform Intuit has stopped growing, and the pressure toward Online only goes one way.
The increase doesn't touch what your accountant sees — it touches what you pay. Same ledger, same file, same reports. When a vendor raises the price of a tool you can't easily rip out mid-year, the leverage isn't in the software. It's in whether you're on the right plan and the right billing cycle before the renewal hits.
The Tip — Do the two-minute renewal check before the bill does it for you
Open your QuickBooks account and find two things: your plan tier and your renewal date. Then answer one question honestly — what do you use QuickBooks for? Most trades shops need invoicing, expense tracking, and a clean handoff to whoever does the taxes. If that's you and you're on Plus or Advanced, price out Simple Start ($38) or Essentials ($85) against what you're paying now and switch before you renew, not after. If you genuinely use the higher tier — class tracking by crew, project profitability, more than a couple of users — keep it, but know the number went up so you can put it in next year's overhead, not discover it. This is a fifteen-minute job that recurs every month you skip it.
Tool watch — [Not sponsored]
The only page you need is Intuit's own. Its QuickBooks Online pricing page lists the current price of every tier next to each other, and your account's billing/subscription screen shows your exact plan and renewal date. Check the two side by side before you decide anything. No reseller, no "QuickBooks alternative" affiliate link, no upsell — just your real number against the list. No one paid for this mention, and the only thing named is the software you already run.
That's the callout. See you next time.
The Callout — the business brief for the trades. We label every commercial placement: [Sponsor], [Affiliate], or [Not sponsored]. Today's Tool watch is our own honest read — no one paid for it, and the only pages named are the vendor's own. 231J Ramparts Road, Te Anau 9600, New Zealand · Unsubscribe anytime. Software prices change without much notice. The figures here were read live on Intuit's own pages on 25 September 2026; check your own account for the price and renewal date that apply to you.
Sources
Intuit — QuickBooks Online August pricing changes and product updates ("the monthly subscription prices for QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus, and Advanced will change for renewals on or after August 1, 2026"; Simple Start, Free, Lite and Ledger unchanged; new subscribers get six months at the current base price, with the increase on the seventh invoice). https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/product-update/quickbooks-price-changes/
Intuit — QuickBooks Online pricing page (list prices read live 25 September 2026: Simple Start $38/mo, Essentials $85/mo, Plus $140/mo, Advanced $340/mo, each shown with a 50%-off-for-3-months new-customer offer). https://quickbooks.intuit.com/pricing/
Intuit — QuickBooks Desktop to stop selling to new US subscribers (after September 30, 2024, Intuit no longer sells new QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Mac Plus or Enhanced Payroll subscriptions to US customers; Enterprise remains available for new purchases; "existing QuickBooks Desktop Plus and Desktop Payroll subscribers can continue to renew their subscriptions after Sept. 30, 2024," with continued security updates, product updates and support). https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/whats-new/quickbooks-desktop-stop-sell/
All Intuit pages read live 25 September 2026 (US) / 26 September 2026 (NZ).