Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU) announced yesterday the launch of the all new QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program to benefit the more than 100,000 ProAdvisor members around the world. The reimagined QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program will make it even easier for accounting professionals to grow their business and meet the needs of the more than 705,000 QuickBooks Online users around the world. The new program, built into the new QuickBooks Online Accountant, taps into the largest set of benefits ever available: it allows ProAdvisors to unlock additional benefits by passing certification exams or working with QuickBooks Online clients; includes the newly-launched QuickBooks Online Advanced Certification and free access to a Bill.com corporate account.

One Global Program with More Benefits

Beginning in December 2014, the current QuickBooks ProAdvisor and Cloud ProAdvisor programs will combine to become one new QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program. In addition, the new QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program will also help ProAdvisors and their firms reap more online benefits than ever before, including free online products, training, certifications, support and discounts - everything accounting professionals need to support the clients that rely on them. One new benefit, exclusively for ProAdvisors, provides free access to a Bill.com corporate account with up to three users – a $1,700 annual value. ProAdvisors will also be able to earn points by using Bill.com and making referrals to their clients, points they can redeem for cash, gift cards or charitable donations from Intuit.

“The online benefits of the reimagined QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program are massive for accounting professionals,” said Luis Sanchez, director of the Worldwide QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program at Intuit. “We listened to member feedback and looked at accounting industry trends globally. The result is the creation of a program that provides benefits most requested by members while also fulfilling the mission of the program itself: to help ProAdvisors grow their practices and meet the needs of their clients.”

Two Ways to Unlock Benefits: Certifications and Clients

The new QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program has the same three membership levels that exist today, Silver, Gold and Diamond, but members now have new ways to enjoy greater benefits by graduating to higher membership levels. In addition to ProAdvisors being able to move up member levels by passing QuickBooks certification exams, they can now also do so based on the number of QuickBooks Online clients their firm serves. Only Certified ProAdvisors, however, can be listed on the Find-a-ProAdvisor website, an online directory that receives more than 600,000 visits a year by small businesses looking for help from a QuickBooks expert.

The qualifying criteria for the member levels are:

             
Levels   Silver   Gold   Diamond

Certifications

  

Not Certified

 

Any QuickBooks
Certification

 

Any Advanced
QuickBooks
Certification

OR

Number of
QuickBooks
Online Clients

   0 to 4   5 to 19   20+

New QuickBooks Online Advanced Certification and New Badges

Education continues to be at the core of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program. In Fiscal Year 2014, QuickBooks Online certifications grew by 250 percent worldwide. As a result, the ProAdvisor Program now offers QuickBooks Online Advanced Certification, a brand new certification that helps accounting professionals further distinguish themselves from their peers and attract new QuickBooks Online clients. For the first time ever, ProAdvisors interested in serving their growing number of online clients can reach the Diamond membership level and enjoy all its benefits, including premium technical support. The new QuickBooks Online Advanced Certification will help ProAdvisors better serve online clients and gain access to more program benefits.

Additionally, a new set of ProAdvisor certification badges will be available for Certified ProAdvisors to use in marketing materials, including business cards, websites and brochures starting in early December.

Built Into the New QuickBooks Online Accountant

Starting in December 2014, the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program can be accessed directly from the new QuickBooks Online Accountant, doing away with the need for a different username and password to access ProAdvisor member information and benefits. Key elements of the ProAdvisor Program experience within the new QuickBooks Online Accountant include:

  • ProAdvisor Dashboard: View ProAdvisor information including member level, number of QuickBooks Online Clients and certification status to quickly understand necessary actions to move to the next level.
  • Training and Certification: Improve expertise through a comprehensive QuickBooks training program. ProAdvisors are able to choose from more than 70 optional QuickBooks training courses to expand their knowledge and to prepare and take certification exams.
  • Online Directory Profile: Sign up for, view, edit and publish their Find-a-ProAdvisor directory profile.
  • Resources: Leverage marketing documents, templates and other resources to help accountants grow their practice.

Pricing and Availability

The new QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program is free for all accounting professionals to join starting in December 2014. For accounting professionals serving QuickBooks desktop clients, they will be able to purchase QuickBooks desktop software, desktop certifications and desktop support for an additional fee of $549.

Resources

QuickBooks Online Accountant Press Release

New ProAdvisor Program Blog Post

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. creates business and financial management solutions that simplify the business of life for small businesses, consumers and accounting professionals.

Its flagship products and services include QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, which make it easier to manage small businesses and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. Mint.com provides a fresh, easy and intelligent way for people to manage their money, while Demandforce® offers marketing and communication tools for small businesses. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had revenue of $4.5 billion in its fiscal year 2014. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.