A QuickBooks ProAdvisor is an accounting professional who has been trained, tested, and certified by Intuit to help businesses get the most out of QuickBooks software. Think of them as specialists who combine bookkeeping and accounting knowledge with deep technical expertise in the QuickBooks platform. The program is free to join, and it creates a structured relationship between Intuit and the accountants, bookkeepers, and consultants who support QuickBooks users every day.
What a ProAdvisor Actually Does
A ProAdvisor helps small business owners set up, customize, and troubleshoot QuickBooks from both a technical and accounting perspective. That might mean configuring your chart of accounts during initial setup, turning on features you didn’t know existed (like location tracking or class tracking in QuickBooks Online Plus), recommending the right version of QuickBooks for your situation, or cleaning up a file that’s gotten messy over time.
Beyond setup, ProAdvisors often serve as ongoing advisors. They can train you or your employees on how to use the software efficiently, help you understand your financial reports, and point out capabilities that make your workflow easier. If they run into a problem they can’t solve, they have dedicated support channels at Intuit that regular users don’t get, which means issues tend to get resolved faster.
Some ProAdvisors focus purely on QuickBooks consulting. Others are full-service accountants or bookkeepers who happen to also hold the certification. When you’re hiring one, it’s worth asking whether they’ll handle your books on an ongoing basis or if they specialize in one-time setup and training projects.
Certification Tracks Available
The ProAdvisor program offers several certification paths, each tied to a specific QuickBooks product:
- QuickBooks Online covers cloud-based QuickBooks, the most widely used version for small businesses today.
- QuickBooks Advanced Online goes deeper into complex workflows and features within the online platform.
- QuickBooks Desktop covers the locally installed version still popular with certain industries.
- QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise focuses on the higher-end desktop product used by larger or more complex businesses.
- QuickBooks Online Payroll certifies advisors in Intuit’s payroll tools.
There’s also an Intuit Bookkeeping Certification for professionals who want to validate broader bookkeeping skills alongside their QuickBooks knowledge. Each certification requires passing an exam after completing Intuit’s training materials. The training and exams are free.
How the Tier System Works
Once certified, ProAdvisors earn points based on their activity, like managing client subscriptions, completing certifications, and engaging with the platform. Those points determine your membership tier, and each tier unlocks additional perks.
- Silver (0 to 499 points): Basic phone support, 20% off QuickBooks Payments, access to training and certifications, digital ProAdvisor badges, and discounts on checks and supplies.
- Gold (500 to 2,399 points): Everything in Silver, plus premium phone and chat support, a listing in the Find-a-ProAdvisor directory (Intuit’s public search tool where potential clients can discover you), client engagement email templates, and 35% off ProConnect Tax returns.
- Platinum (2,400 to 6,999 points): Everything in Gold, plus participation in QuickBooks Hive (an exclusive community), 40% off ProConnect Tax returns, and deeper discounts on partner tools like DocuSign (30% off).
- Elite (7,000+ points): Everything in Platinum, plus a dedicated account manager for firm growth consultation, access to special events and contests, 45% off ProConnect Tax returns, and 40% off DocuSign.
The directory listing at Gold and above is particularly valuable for independent accountants and bookkeepers. It puts your profile in front of small business owners who are actively searching for QuickBooks help in their area or specialty.
Software Discounts and Pricing Perks
One of the biggest draws of the ProAdvisor program is the preferred pricing on QuickBooks subscriptions for your clients. The program is free to join for anyone who signs up for QuickBooks Online Accountant, and the discounts are substantial.
If your firm manages billing for clients directly, you get 30% off the ongoing subscription price for QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Payroll, QuickBooks Time, and QuickBooks Bill Pay. That discount doesn’t expire as long as you stay in the program. If clients prefer to manage their own billing, you can still pass along a 30% discount for their first 12 months, or offer 50% off the first three months as a revenue-share arrangement.
There’s no cap on the number of clients you can put on these discounted plans. For a growing accounting firm, this adds up quickly, both as a cost savings you can pass to clients and as a competitive advantage when pitching your services.
QuickBooks Payments is also available at an “as you go” rate with no monthly base fee. Transaction fees run 2.3% for swiped cards, 2.8% for e-invoice payments, 3.3% for keyed-in transactions, and 1% (capped at $15) for ACH bank transfers.
What It Means for Small Business Owners
If you’re a business owner considering hiring a ProAdvisor, the certification tells you that this person has passed Intuit’s product exams and has access to tools and support channels that non-certified accountants don’t. It doesn’t replace the need to evaluate their accounting experience, industry knowledge, or communication style, but it does confirm they know their way around the software.
A ProAdvisor can save you money on your QuickBooks subscription through their preferred pricing, help you avoid common setup mistakes that create headaches at tax time, and unlock features in your existing plan that you might be paying for without using. Many small business owners run QuickBooks for years without realizing that a feature they need is already built in but turned off in their preferences screen.
You can search for a ProAdvisor through Intuit’s Find-a-ProAdvisor directory, which lets you filter by location, industry specialization, and the specific QuickBooks products they’re certified in. ProAdvisors listed in the directory have reached at least the Gold tier, meaning they’ve demonstrated a meaningful level of engagement with the platform beyond just passing a single exam.
How To Become a ProAdvisor
The path starts with signing up for a free QuickBooks Online Accountant account. From there, you get access to Intuit’s self-paced training courses covering each product line. Once you feel ready, you take the certification exam for the track you want. The entire process, from training through certification, costs nothing.
Most accountants start with the QuickBooks Online certification since that’s where the majority of small business clients are. From there, you can add Desktop, Enterprise, or Payroll certifications to broaden your expertise. Each additional certification also earns points toward higher tiers, which unlocks better discounts and marketing tools.
The program is open to any accounting professional, whether you’re a CPA, an enrolled agent, a bookkeeper, or a consultant. There are no prerequisite degrees or licenses required to take the exams, though the material assumes a working knowledge of basic accounting concepts like debits, credits, and financial statement structure.