QuickBooks Live will only hire Certified ProAdvisors, Intuit says

When QuickBooks Live was first unveiled (with no announcement) in February, commentators were quick to point out that contracted bookkeepers would be in direct competition with Intuit’s own Proadvisor network. At first, it seemed Intuit was going to hire bookkeepers outside its ProAdvisor network to be part of the Live offering, but following negative feedback, Intuit has announced today that being a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor is one of the required qualifications for also participating in Live as a bookkeeper.

In February, Intuit debuted a test for a service called QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping, an Uber-like, on-demand bookkeeping service based on a monthly subscription model. The proposed service is still in development, and Intuit continues to run tests to fine-tune its marketing, prices and service within this channel overall.

“We’ll continue conducting a variety of tests focused on tailoring QuickBooks Live for small businesses, and qualified bookkeepers and ProAdvisors," Intuit said in an announcement on May 20.

Other requirements include:

• A minimum of one-year’s experience working with QuickBooks Online; and
• An active CPA credential (Certified Public Accountant); or
• An active CPB credential (Certified Public Bookkeeper); or
• Three or more years of recent experience managing the books for Small Business Clients; or
• Received a four-year business degree in accounting or finance.

Intuit is still finalizing the full set of qualifications and promises to share updates when those are solidified. Intuit invites those interested in providing bookkeeping services to small businesses on the QuickBooks Live platform to express their interest here.

For those not already certified as QuickBooks ProAdvisors, the QBO re-certification date of July 31 is fast approaching. There are several ways you can prepare for the QBO certification exam:

• Self-paced in QuickBooks Online Accountant through the ProAdvisor Training tab;
• Live webinars on Accountant University;
• Free virtual conferences: May 22-23 and June 26-27; and
• In-person events across the U.S., from May 14 to July 11. Go here for more info.