How to Become QuickBooks Certified

As an accountant or bookkeeper providing consulting services to small businesses, becoming QuickBooks certified can help you show your expertise as well as bring you in new clients. The process of becoming QuickBooks certified takes time and effort, but the rewards are ultimately worth it. Another benefit of QuickBooks certification is that you will pick up QuickBooks tips and shortcuts that you may not already know. You can obtain the QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification, the QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions certification, the QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) certification or the QuickBooks Advanced certification. Each level of certification has different time and examination requirements. The QuickBooks certification courses come as part of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor membership at no additional cost. Read on to learn how to become QuickBooks certified.

Things You'll Need

  • QuickBooks certification application
  • Copy of most recent version of QuickBooks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose which level of certification you need for your consulting business. You can choose from QuickBooks ProAdvisor, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, QuickBooks Point of Sale (POS) or QuickBooks Advanced. The QuickBooks Advanced certification is offered only at certain times of the year so make sure that you check the QuickBooks website for those times. The most common QuickBooks certification is the ProAdvisor certification so we will concentrate on that below.

    • 2

      Load the most recent version of the QuickBooks product you are seeking certification for. QuickBooks is released annually and you will have to re-certify for each new release. Beginning in 2008, you can choose to simply take the re-certification exam rather than the full course if you are already certified in QuickBooks 2006 or 2007. Before taking the certification course, familiarize yourself with the new functionality of the new version. The QuickBooks certification courses assume that you already have a working knowledge of the QuickBooks product.

    • 3

      Begin the certification course. You will have been provided with a login name and password when you signed up for the QuickBooks ProAdvisor program. Your available certification courses will show on your dashboard or course locker. You can start and stop a certification course at any time and pick it up again later. The course will resume where you left off the last time.

    • 4

      Work through the QuickBooks certification course at your own pace. The average time reported in taking the QuickBooks ProAdvisor course is 16 hours but you may take less or more time. At the end of each section, there is a knowledge test. You must attain a minimum of 85 percent on each section in order to move on to the next section.

    • 5

      At the end of the QuickBooks certification course, you will receive a certificate that you can print off to show that you have successfully completed the certification requirements. Your certificate is also valid to log your CPE credits if you are a CPA.

    • 6

      Once you have completed your certification, you are a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Fill out your profile on the ProAdvisor website as completely as you can. This will be searched by companies looking for a QuickBooks consultant in their area.