Is Your QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certified?

Each year Intuit comes out with the latest and greatest QuickBooks edition.  QuickBooks 2012 was released a few months ago.  They then release the certification test for ProAdvisors.  The certification test just came out last week.  I was able to take the test and passed it!  I am now certified for QuickBooks 2012.

Why is this important?  Does accounting change?  No, a debit is still a debit and a credit still a credit.  But, keep in the mind that QuickBooks is more than an accouting program.  There are hundreds of business tools.  Each year Intuit tries to make doing the accounting more user friendly and they try to develop more tools which can be used to make daily decisions for your business.  Part of the certification is to learn about all the new features.  The other part of the certification is to test knowledge about the accounting part of the program.  There are many really great accountants out there, but if they do not have the proper QuickBooks certification, you may miss out on some of the "tools" within the program.  Many Certified ProAdvisors work in conjunction with your accountant.  So, it is important that the person you depend on to help you with QuickBooks knows the latest information.

Secondly, a person must be certified for three years before becoming eligible to take the Advanced Certification.  This certification tests on a wide variety of topics and really get delves deeper into QuickBooks, problem-solving, advanced reporting, and accounting. 

Third, Intuit has recently made some changes in the ProAdvisor Program.  One change is that only Certified ProAdvisors have access to U.S. based telephone support.  This can be very helpful.  There are many times where even I, an Advanced Certified ProAdvisor, gets stumped by a problem.  I can just pick up the phone and call tech support.  The U.S. based ProAdvisor tech support is much more knowledgeable than the general tech support.  Usually I can get an answer very quickly.

As you are looking for help with QuickBooks, make sure your ProAdvisor has current certification for QuickBooks.