Intuit's new ProAdvisor Academy enhances the certification experience for accounting professionals, providing flexible, in-depth QuickBooks training at no cost. This updated platform tailors learning paths to bookkeepers seeking QuickBooks certifications, offering a more structured and accessible way to build expertise. Let’s explore the unique features and pathways that help streamline and personalize the learning journey.
My Hub: Customized learning dashboard
Within the QuickBooks Online Accountant portal, the “My Hub” dashboard serves as the central access point to ProAdvisor training. To start, click on ProAdvisor, then Training, and begin with the Start Learning button. This hub offers a clear view of your course status, certifications, and achievements, allowing you to resume your training seamlessly.
Updated certification paths
The academy now organizes certification programs into two main subcategories: Foundation and Specialty. The Foundation program includes Level 1 and Level 2 certifications, replacing the former Core and Advanced tiers. This new numbering system gives Intuit the flexibility to introduce additional tiers in the future.
Level 1 introduces essential QuickBooks workflows, while Level 2 delves into deeper product knowledge and the advisory skills crucial for today’s market. Both require annual recertification to stay up-to-date on QuickBooks updates, with exams available from April to June each year.
Each level offers two learning tracks: Regular and Test Out. In the Regular track, users work through modules and take exams at the end of each stage, while experienced users can bypass the modules and go straight to the exam through the Test Out option. Level 1 includes five core courses, each providing CPE credits, while Level 2 expands to include Custom Reporting. Both open-book exams require an 80% passing score and allow three attempts, with a cool-down period before retakes.
Bookkeeping Certification by Intuit
The Foundation tab also features Intuit’s Bookkeeping Certification, offering a free path for those new to the field. Previously available as a paid program on Coursera, Intuit now provides a lasting credential without an expiration date, and is designed to attract career switchers and non-traditional hires.
Requiring approximately 30 hours of time, this course includes essentials such as Bookkeeping Basics, Tracking Expenses Liabilities & Equity, Tracking Assets and Sales, and Reconciling Accounts and Examining Financial Statements. It requires access to Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers.
Unlike the other certification exams, this one is not open book. Notably, the certification exam requires a secure proctored environment through a Chrome extension, limiting users to a single browser tab and monitoring to maintain integrity.
Specialty certifications
Beyond foundational training, Specialty certifications include QuickBooks Online Payroll, Desktop Certification, and Desktop Enterprise Certification. With continued support for ProAdvisors who work with QuickBooks Desktop products, the Desktop certification has 11 modules and the exam, while the Enterprise certification offers four additional modules and an exam.
The Payroll certification includes five core areas, including Getting Started with Payroll, Managing Workers, Wages and Taxes, Deductions and Contributions, and Tax Liabilities and End-of-Period Activities. As with the Level 1 and 2 paths, you can work through each individual topic and take the certification exam as you go, or opt for the Test Out option and take the exam in one sitting.
Supplemental learning and credential tracking
The Learn Tab provides additional resources, with modules and webinars available for CPE credit. Topics include all of the mini-courses from all of the certifications, but offered à la carte to allow users to dive deeper into specific topics without the pressure of an exam.
For tracking achievements, the My History tab stores CPE certificates, as well as emailing them. It leverages Credly.com to manage badges, which can be shared through a personalized landing page, along with certifications earned from other companies, including Microsoft.
Earning ProAdvisor points
Certification points contribute to ProAdvisor benefits in QuickBooks Online Accountant. Level 1 and Desktop certifications award 100 points, while Level 2 and Payroll certifications earn 200 points each. Accumulating 500 points provides additional benefits, including premium U.S.-based support with a direct phone number, and a listing in the Find-a-ProAdvisor directory.
Intuit’s ProAdvisor Academy represents a forward-thinking approach to certification, combining foundational and specialty training with flexibility for diverse career paths. For more information, visit ProAdvisor Academy.
Editor's note: For those seeking further QuickBooks Training, Royalwise Solutions, Inc. offers advanced QuickBooks training developed by Alicia Katz Pollock, a celebrated industry trainer. Explore her deep-dive courses at Royalwise Solutions.
