Advising & Training for QuickBooks, and Bookkeeping in Bellingham, WA

There are a few bookkeeping associations in the US that carry their own certification, but Intuit is the undisputed leader in the certification arena. They are, of course, a for-profit company and their certifications are extremely self-serving – it’s a way to further promote QuickBooks. However, Intuit and QuickBooks have become so dominant in the small business bookkeeping world that they are now the de-facto standard.

Intuit’s QuickBooks ProAdvisor program is very well developed. The basic certification requires a professional to pass an online test that focuses on the understanding of how to best leverage QuickBooks. Certification is specific to the year of product release. Once a practitioner has been certified for 3 years in a row, they are allowed to take the Advanced ProAdvisor certification test. There are also certifications for specialized products such as QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.

A word of caution:  If you see people claiming to be a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, it just means that they paid the fee for the year. It doesn’t mean that they are certified. Look for the word “Certified”: in “Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor.”

The basic certification exam is not very difficult to pass, but the fact that a bookkeeper past the test shows that this bookkeeper invested the time and money to get it. It demonstrates that this bookkeeper is ambitious and committed to the job. Too many bookkeepers out there are doing bookkeeping just as a filler while they are looking for a better job. Knowing that your bookkeeper is dedicated enough to get certified is very important.

Getting Advanced ProAdvisor Certification is a lot harder than the regular certification. In order to pass, you must be knowledgeable in both Accounting and QuickBooks, and be willing to invest the considerable time needed to take the exam. Advanced Certified ProAdvisors often do QuickBooks “Consulting” which is essentially the art of such special projects as complex configurations, setups, and cleanups. Advanced ProAdvisors often perform these tasks better than CPAs, as CPAs are typically not QuickBooks experts. CPAs can typically make their way around QuickBooks and fix common issues because of their deep accounting background, but Advanced ProAdvisors can do things with QuickBooks that almost no CPA can.

There are a few bookkeeping associations in the US that carry their own certification, but Intuit is the undisputed leader in the certification arena.  They are, of course, a for-profit company and their certifications are extremely self-serving – it’s a way to further promote QuickBooks.  However, Intuit and QuickBooks have become so dominant in the small business bookkeeping world that they are now the de-facto standard.

Intuit’s QuickBooks ProAdvisor program is very well developed. The basic certification requires a professional to pass an online test that focuses on the understanding of how to best leverage QuickBooks. Certification is specific to the year of product release.  Once a practitioner has been certified for 3 years in a row, they are allowed to take the Advanced ProAdvisor certification test. There are also certifications for specialized products such as QuickBooks Point of Sale and QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions.

A word of caution:  If you see people claiming to be a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, it just means that they paid the fee for the year. It doesn’t mean that they are certified. Look for the word “Certified”: in “Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor”.

The basic certification exam is not very difficult to pass, but the fact that a bookkeeper past the test shows that this bookkeeper invested the time and money to get it. It demonstrates that this bookkeeper is ambitious and committed to the job.  Too many bookkeepers out there are doing bookkeeping just as a filler while they are looking for a better job. Knowing that your bookkeeper is dedicated enough to get certified is very important.

Getting Advanced ProAdvisor Certification is a lot harder than the regular certification. In order to pass, you must be knowledgeable in both Accounting and QuickBooks, and be willing to invest the considerable time needed to take the exam. Advanced Certified ProAdvisors often do QuickBooks “Consulting” which is essentially the art of such special projects as complex configurations, setups, and cleanups. Advanced ProAdvisors often perform these tasks better than CPAs, as CPAs are typically not QuickBooks experts. CPAs can typically make their way around QuickBooks and fix common issues because of their deep accounting background, but Advanced ProAdvisors can do things with QuickBooks that almost no CPA can.