The latest payroll version is 7.3A, its version number is independent of the Sage version.  If you've been getting tax updates, then continue on.

Ah.  Good point about looking at the actual version and not the software name.  Yep, for US Payroll 2017 it does say 7.3.  

Can i ask a couple follow-up related questions?  We have three separate "products" showing as installed.

1. Can Product Update Q1 2018 (7.3D) be removed either before or after we install PU Q4 2020 (7.3J)?  Can you skip from 7.3 to 7.3J directly?  Or is 7.3D necessary even if you are starting with a fresh install?  

2. is Product Update Q4 2020 SR1 -7.3J the latest PU for US Payroll?  

Ah.  Good point about looking at the actual version and not the software name.  Yep, for US Payroll 2017 it does say 7.3.  

Can i ask a couple follow-up related questions?  We have three separate "products" showing as installed.

1. Can Product Update Q1 2018 (7.3D) be removed either before or after we install PU Q4 2020 (7.3J)?  Can you skip from 7.3 to 7.3J directly?  Or is 7.3D necessary even if you are starting with a fresh install?  

2. is Product Update Q4 2020 SR1 -7.3J the latest PU for US Payroll?  

Install and activate 7.3J, ignore all the rest.

Thank you!! So 7.3J can be installed from scratch without needing 7.3 or 7.3D first?  The Product Update itself is the full product?

and if so, that means we would need to uninstall 7.3 and 7.3D before we install 7.3J, if we only want 7.3J showing up, right?

Just install it.  Stop uninstalling.

Got it. On new builds, after we install US Payroll 2017, we only need the latest product update.