What Does Your QuickBooks ProAdvisor® Profile Say About You?

The Find-a-ProAdvisor® directory has always been a great place for connecting small business owners who desperately need assistance from the professional bookkeepers and accountants who possess the skills to help them. Yet, did you know your profile is also the place where individuals and small businesses who need tax assistance can connect with you?

Tax Leads* on Find-a-ProAdvisor Are Up 50 Percent From 2017!

Connecting with a trustworthy, certified and recommended tax professional has become more critical to taxpayers than ever before, not to mention the uncertainty associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. People desperately want assurance for their current and future tax situation, often feeling confused and wondering where to go for help. As a result, Intuit® introduced enhancements to its Find-a-ProAdvisor search experience to ensure visitors seeking tax help see the directory as a useful tool that meets their needs. The site also helps industry professionals connect with their peers for referrals and other business sharing opportunities.

How Tax Professionals Can Get Started

Did you know that more than 800,000 small businesses connect annually with accounting professionals through QuickBooks® Online Accountant?** To get started with your QuickBooks ProAdvisor profile, sign up for your free QuickBooks Online Accountant account. Once inside, locate the “ProAdvisor” tab on the left menu. From there, find the “Profile” tab, then complete your profile. Be sure to highlight your expertise, including tax and the section to include your tax-related credentials, new services provided and free consultations.

You and your potential clients will enjoy the ability to message each other from the site, keeping all of your initial correspondence in one secure location. The best part is that when a prospect searches the site for tax-related services, the site suppresses other functions, such as bookkeeping, and gives priority to tax firms.

More About the ProAdvisor Program

Your free online membership also includes basic and advanced QuickBooks Online. Both versions are free, and Intuit includes CPE for you and your staff for basic certification. Be sure to add your certificates to your ProAdvisor profile to increase your visibility on the site. Time to complete the training may vary.

The ProAdvisor program is free to join. Benefits include unlimited chat support and 90 days of U.S.-based phone support. By obtaining the basic certification, users can take advantage of unlimited phone support. Software discounts, training and free apps for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Online Accountant are all added benefits.

One quick word of mention: if you believe you have already registered for QuickBooks Online Accountant, perform a quick check the next time you are in the program. Log in and check the top left to see if it reads “QB Accountant.” If so, no further action is needed. If it reads “Q-u-i-c-k-B-o-o-k-s” spelled out, you are in your client’s QuickBooks Online account as a user. Please be sure to register for your free accountant’s version today!

In addition, here are several new key features of the ProAdvisor membership:

• Improved scenario-based training and exam for QuickBooks Online Certification.
• Simplified recertification process for QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisors.
• Common annual recertification date of July 31.
• Redesigned ProAdvisor tab in QuickBooks Online Accountant that provides easy access to your benefits, training and certification.
• Opportunities to expand your expertise in the QuickBooks ecosystem with the introduction of new specialty training.

Good luck creating or enhancing your ProAdvisor profile!

*Disclaimer: Average determined by number of new leads in the period between April and Sept. 2017.

**Based on actual number of small businesses connected to accounting professionals through QuickBooks Online Accountant, as of Oct. 2017.