Intuit licensing is the set of terms under which Intuit Inc. licenses its financial software to small and mid-sized businesses and to accounting and tax professionals. For a software asset manager the relevant products are QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop (Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Accountant, Mac Plus and Enterprise), Intuit Enterprise Suite, and the professional tax products ProSeries, Lacerte and ProConnect Tax. Intuit publishes a separate licence or terms of service for each product family and country.[1]
Most of these agreements share one structure. Section A holds the platform terms that apply to every Intuit service. Section B adds product-specific terms and “will prevail over any conflict or inconsistency” with Section A.[2] The QuickBooks Online terms in force on the retrieval date were Section A Version 02122026 and Section B Version 09222026.[2] The tax products carry their own Section B with a Tax Year in the title, for example ProSeries Tax Year 2025.[7]
The core grant is narrow. Intuit grants “a personal, limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable license” to use installable Software only for the period in the ordering and activation terms, or under Intuit’s then-current product discontinuation policies. The Software “is licensed, not sold”.[2] Catalog proof: Intuit Software is licensed, not sold, for the period in the ordering and activation terms.
Editions
| Product line | Licensed as | How counted | Deeper article |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus, Advanced | Monthly or annual subscription per company | Billable users per plan (1, 3, 5, 25) plus 2 or 3 accountant firm users[4] | QuickBooks Online and Enterprise Suite licensing |
| Intuit Enterprise Suite | Subscription under a Sales Order with a minimum Contract Period | Users, Additional Entities and Dimensions as Entitlements[6] | same |
| QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, Premier Plus, Accountant, Mac Plus | Subscription (no new Desktop Plus sales; renewals only)[10] | User licences, up to 3 or 5 simultaneous users[3] | QuickBooks Desktop licensing |
| QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Gold, Platinum, Diamond | Subscription | User licences, up to 30 or 40[3] | same |
| ProSeries Basic and Professional; Lacerte | Licence per Tax Year | Licensed Location or Host and Branch Office, returns, network licence[7][8] | Professional tax software licensing |
| ProConnect Tax | Annual User Access plus Tax Return Bank | User log-in per calendar year; returns per Tax Year[9] | same |
The US QuickBooks Online list prices on the retrieval date were USD 38 a month for Simple Start, 85 for Essentials, 140 for Plus and 340 for Advanced, before introductory discounts.[5] Catalog SKUs: QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials, QuickBooks Online Plus, QuickBooks Online Advanced. Intuit publishes no list price for Desktop Enterprise, Enterprise Suite or the tax products in the documents retrieved.
Metrics
Intuit uses different units for each line. The catalog holds them as separate rows.
| Unit | Catalog row | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Billable user | QuickBooks Online billable user | QuickBooks Online plans |
| Accountant firm user | QuickBooks Online accountant firm user | Invited accountants, 2 or 3 per company, not billed |
| Reports-only or time-tracking-only user | QuickBooks Online reports-only or time-tracking-only user | Unlimited on Plus and Advanced |
| User license | QuickBooks Desktop user license | QuickBooks Desktop and Desktop Enterprise |
| Entitlement | Intuit Enterprise Suite Entitlement | Users, Additional Entities, Dimensions |
| Licensed Location | ProSeries Licensed Location | ProSeries |
| Host and Branch Office | Lacerte Host Office and Branch Office license | Lacerte |
| Tax return | Tax return (ProSeries and Pay-Per-Return), ProConnect Tax Return Bank return | ProSeries, Pay-Per-Return, ProConnect |
| User Access | ProConnect User Access license | ProConnect |
| EFIN | Fast Path license per EFIN | ProSeries and Lacerte e-file services |
Counting / floors
QuickBooks Online (2026-08-05 help article; terms 2026-09-22). Users are added by the Administrator “subject to limitations based on the subscription you purchase”.[2] Only active or invited users count. Users with the View company reports or Track time only roles “don’t count toward the user limit”.[4] If a company exceeds its limits, Intuit may cancel or suspend the subscription without notice.[2] Catalog proof: Only active or invited users count toward QuickBooks Online user limits; Exceeding QuickBooks usage limits allows immediate cancellation or suspension.
QuickBooks Desktop (2024 EULA). A single user licence covers “one specific person” on a primary and one additional computer. Multi-user licences allow as many installations as licences, plus one computer that only holds the shared data file. Each edition caps simultaneous licensed users: Pro Plus 3, Premier Plus 5, Accountant Desktop 5, Accountant Enterprise 30 and Desktop Enterprise up to 40.[3] Catalog proof: A single QuickBooks Desktop user licence covers one person on a primary and one additional computer; QuickBooks Desktop multi-user installs equal the user licences, plus one data-file computer; QuickBooks Desktop editions cap simultaneous licensed users (3, 5, 30 or 40).
Intuit Enterprise Suite (2026-08-12). The Sales Order sets a number of Users, Additional Entities and Dimensions. Each Entitlement above it incurs a monthly Additional Charge.[6] Catalog proof: Intuit Enterprise Suite Entitlements above the Sales Order incur monthly Additional Charges.
Professional tax software. ProSeries is licensed per address, called a Licensed Location. Return-limited versions consume a return when a federal form is printed or e-filed.[7] Lacerte is licensed to a Host Office and up to four Branch Offices.[8] ProConnect requires at least one User Access licence per calendar year, and each licence is “for a single user log-in”.[9] Catalog proof: ProSeries needs a separate licence for each preparer address; Lacerte use is limited to the Host Office and up to four licensed Branch Offices; ProConnect needs at least one User Access licence per calendar year; each is one user log-in.
Virtualization & partitioning
Intuit does not license by processor or core. Section A forbids making the Platform available “on any file-sharing, virtual desktop or application hosting service”.[2] The QuickBooks Desktop EULA counts computers and named persons. Read literally, a terminal server or virtual desktop does not reduce the number of user licences needed, because each person using the Software still needs a licence (commentary).[3] Lacerte states the rule most directly. Installing it on “application hosting or virtualization servers or services”, or on a non-Windows operating system, requires a separate WAN or application hosting licence, which Intuit offers at its discretion.[8] Catalog proof: No file-sharing, virtual desktop or application hosting of the Intuit Platform; Lacerte on a WAN, hosting or virtualization service needs a separate WAN or application hosting licence. For the general topic see virtualization and partitioning.
Cloud / BYOL
QuickBooks Online, Intuit Enterprise Suite and ProConnect are hosted by Intuit, so bring-your-own-licence does not arise for them. For QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, Intuit markets a cloud hosting add-on with the line “Add cloud hosting to work with multiple users across multiple companies and locations”.[13] The retrieved documents do not give the terms of that add-on. The 2024 Desktop EULA states that version 2024 and later is delivered only electronically.[3]
Programs
- QuickBooks Desktop Subscription. Fees are paid monthly, quarterly or annually. When the subscription lapses the customer loses the licence to use QuickBooks Desktop.[3] Intuit no longer offers new Desktop Plus subscriptions or perpetual Pro, Premier and Mac licences, but existing subscribers can renew.[10]
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program. This is the program for accountants. Either side may end enrolment on 30 days’ written notice.[12]
- QuickBooks Online Accountant Revenue Share Program. Subscriptions in the program must be client-billed.[2]
- Pay-Per-Return. ProSeries charges per return from a prepaid balance that does not carry forward.[7]
- Intuit Enterprise Suite Sales Order. The Sales Order sets a minimum Contract Period.[6]
- QuickBooks Test Drive, Sandbox and Demo Programs. These environments are for non-production use only.[2]
Lifecycle
Intuit retires QuickBooks Desktop version years under its discontinuation policy. QuickBooks Desktop 2023 “will stop getting support after May 31, 2026”.[11] Support for version 2024 ends at the earliest of three dates: the end of the subscription, the date a required Update or Upgrade must be installed, or the date Intuit discontinues the Software.[3] Updates must be installed within 30 days.[3] Catalog proof: QuickBooks Desktop 2023 lost support after 2026-05-31; QuickBooks Desktop 2024 support ends at subscription expiry, a required upgrade or discontinuation; QuickBooks Desktop Updates must be installed within 30 days.
Audits and compliance
The retrieved agreements contain no audit clause of the kind found in enterprise software contracts. Compliance is enforced technically and by suspension instead. QuickBooks Desktop must be activated with licence and product numbers, and sharing those numbers is “grounds for immediate termination”.[3] Use above the edition’s user maximum is “a material breach”.[3] QuickBooks Online enforces plan limits in the product and may suspend subscriptions that exceed them.[2] The tax products tie each licence to the firm name, address and EFIN registered with the IRS, and Intuit may ask for documents to validate them.[7] Customers may not assign their agreements without Intuit’s consent.[2] Catalog proof: QuickBooks Desktop licence, product and validation numbers may not be shared; Intuit agreements cannot be assigned without consent. For the general discipline see software license audit.
Out of scope
- TurboTax, Credit Karma and Mailchimp, which have their own terms on the Intuit legal index.[1]
- Terms outside the US. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries have their own QuickBooks terms.[1]
- QuickBooks Payroll, Payments, Bill Pay and other money-movement services, which are licensed as add-on services within the same terms.
- Negotiated Enterprise Suite Sales Orders, multi-year tax software purchase terms and WAN or hosting licences, which are not public.