The Woodard Report

Intuit to Stop Supporting QuickBooks Tags

Written by Ryan Francis | Dec 19, 2024 4:00:59 PM

Intuit, the maker of QuickBooks Online, sent an email this week announcing that the platform will discontinue the tags feature beginning in early 2025.

Effective March 8, tags, which have been a useful feature for tracking and reporting insights, will be phased out and replaced with enhanced custom field functionality. This change applies to all QuickBooks Online plans and aims to streamline reporting and tracking features for users.

Key details

Starting on March 8, 2025, tags will no longer be available for creating or managing reports in QuickBooks Online. Instead, Intuit is introducing additional custom fields to most QuickBooks Online plans. Custom fields will support both sales and expense forms, providing a comprehensive way to track and manage data.

This adjustment means that most plans will now offer at least one additional custom field, enabling users to track specific information more effectively.

What actions should you take?

To ensure a smooth transition, Intuit has outlined several key steps for customers and their accountants:

Migration to custom fields

In February 2025, you and your clients will have access to a migration tool that helps transfer existing tags to a custom field. Intuit will send an email with instructions and FAQs during the first week of February. Users will have the option to:

    • Use the migration tool to convert tags into a custom field.
    • Manually input tag data into a custom field.
    • Opt not to transfer tags if they are no longer needed.

Downloading tag reports

Customers should generate and download any reports containing tag data before March 8, 2025. This ensures that valuable historical information is retained for record-keeping and future reference.

Read-only access

Between March 8 and April 30, users will still have read-only access to existing tags. During this period, you can view and generate reports for tagged transactions. After April 30, 2025, all tags and their associated interfaces will be permanently removed from QuickBooks Online.

Important deadlines

To keep track of this transition, here are the critical dates to remember:

  • Week of February 3: An email notification from QuickBooks will be sent to all users, containing a link to the migration tool and a detailed FAQ.
  • March 8: Tags will no longer be editable, and the migration tool will be available for use.
  • March 8 – April 30: Read-only access to tags will be available for generating reports.
  • May 1: Tags and their reporting features will be fully removed from QuickBooks Online.

How will this impact users?

The transition from tags to custom fields is expected to offer users a more robust way of managing data. By consolidating features into custom fields, QuickBooks aims to simplify reporting processes while maintaining the flexibility to track specific business metrics.

Custom fields can be used across various transaction types, including invoices, sales receipts, and expenses, making them a versatile tool for businesses of all sizes.

For users currently relying heavily on tags, this change will require some preparation and adjustments. But the migration tool Intuit provides should make the process straightforward, likely minimizing any disruption to daily operations.

Support and resources

To assist with this transition, Intuit will provide several resources:

  • A detailed FAQ to answer common questions about the migration process.
  • Step-by-step guidance for using the migration tool.
  • Articles on upgrading, downgrading, or canceling subscriptions as needed.

If you encounter difficulties accessing your QuickBooks account or require additional help, Intuit’s support team is available to provide assistance.

Change, challenge, progress

The discontinuation of tags in QuickBooks Online marks a shift towards enhanced customization options through custom fields. While change can be challenging, this update is intended to improve the user experience by offering more flexible and comprehensive tracking tools.

By staying informed and preparing in advance, you and your clients can make this transition seamless and continue leveraging QuickBooks Online for efficient financial management.