QuickBooks Accountant Desktop: Review for Accounting Firms 2023
Tim is a Certified QuickBooks Time (formerly TSheets) Pro, QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and CPA with 25 years of experience. He brings his expertise to Fit Small Business’s accounting content.
Mark has researched and reviewed accounting software at Fit Small Business since 2019 and has developed an extensive knowledge of accounting software features and how unique business needs determine the best accounting software.
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop, an on-premise accounting software, provides bookkeepers and accountants with special tools for serving their clients who use QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier. This version of QuickBooks for accountants has many unique features not present in the Pro and Premier editions, such as the ability to review and adjust client data and toggle between all the industry-specific versions of QuickBooks Desktop. Most importantly, it can import an Accountant Copy created from your client’s books.
QuickBooks Desktop Accountant comes with the purchase of a QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor membership, with annual prices that start at $799 per ProAdvisor.
Overall Score:
4.10 / 5
What We Like
- Accountant Copy allows easy file sharing from clients
- Accountant Toolbox helps find client errors and make year-end adjustments
- Open client files from the previous year’s edition of QuickBooks Pro or Premier
- Ability to toggle between all QuickBooks desktop editions
- Includes QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor membership
What's Missing
- More difficult to access client books than in QuickBooks Online Accountant
- Only one user at a time allowed to access the company file
- Cannot access the program remotely without third-party hosting
- No real-time update of financial data
Visit QuickBooks Accountant Desktop
Are you looking for more accounting software options? Explore our evaluation of the best accounting software for small businesses.
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Deciding Factors
Supported Users | Accountants serving clients who use QuickBooks Pro or Premier |
Pricing |
|
Money-back Guarantee | 60 days from the purchase date |
Standout Features |
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Customer Support | 24/7 customer support (submit a request and wait for a call from QuickBooks), live chat support, chatbot, community forum, downloadable user guides |
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop New Feature for 2023
- Cash Flow Hub: This provides a single screen where you can track all incoming and outgoing cash flow. You can monitor paid and incoming invoices, payments, sales receipts, and credit memos easily as well as upcoming and paid vendor bills. The Cash Flow Hub is customizable, so you can display specific information, such as cash balances and cash flow trends.
Cash Flow Hub in QuickBooks Accountant Desktop (Source: QuickBooks)
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Alternatives
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Best for: Accountants who manage QuickBooks Online clients or work remotely | Best for: Accountants who need project management features | Best for: Accountants serving clients that are using Xero accounting software |
Cost: Free with enrollment in QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor program, which is also free | Cost: Starts at $45 per user, per month | Cost: $149 per month for up to 10 users—free when you become a Silver Partner |
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Pricing
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop is available with the purchase of a QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisor membership. There are currently two membership levels available:
- ProAdvisor Premier Software Bundle: $799 per year, per ProAdvisor
- ProAdvisor Enterprise Software Bundle: $1,299 per year, per ProAdvisor
Both include QuickBooks Accountant Desktop and other features, but The ProAdvisor Enterprise Software Bundle has more inclusions, like QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Accountant, QuickBooks Mac Desktop 2023, and QuickBooks POS Desktop.
Tip: If you want to learn how QuickBooks Accountant Desktop compares with the other QuickBooks Desktop products, read our QuickBooks Desktop versions comparison.
Fit Small Business Case Study
To create a reasonable and critical analysis of the accounting software we review, our experts designed an internal case study, which evaluates and rates each software based on key metrics, like pricing, features, and ease of use. The results of our case study for all editions of QuickBooks Premier, including QuickBooks Accountant Desktop, are explained in detail in our QuickBooks Desktop Premier review.
The scores are summarized below.
Categories | Score (Out of 5) |
|---|---|
Pricing | 1.00 |
General Features | 4.50 |
A/P | 4.80 |
A/R | 4.80 |
Banking & Cash Management | 5.00 |
Project Accounting | 5.00 |
Sales Income Tax | 4.00 |
Inventory | 5.00 |
Reporting | 4.80 |
Ease of Use | 3.90 |
Mobile App | 0.50 |
User Ratings | 4.30 |
Overall Score | 4.10 |
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Features
In addition to the general accounting features discussed in our QuickBooks Desktop Premier review, QuickBooks Accountant Desktop includes unique, time-saving tools that can help accountants streamline their work.
Accountant Toolbox
As the name itself suggests, the Accountant Toolbox provides extra features and tools exclusively for accountants and bookkeepers:
- Access the Accountant Center: Your Accountant Center gives quick access to many of the features in your toolbox, such as the ability to batch-enter transactions, write off invoices, and merge vendors.
Accountant Center in QuickBooks Accountant Desktop
- Troubleshoot prior account balances: Users can compare the prior-year balances in a client’s QuickBooks file to what they should be, based on the actual prior-year numbers that you input. The system will then prepare a proposed adjusting entry that you can accept.
- Bulk-reclassify transactions: Instead of making a journal entry when a client repeatedly makes a classification error, you can specify criteria to locate the suspect transactions. You can then select the individual transactions to reclassify and perform the bulk reclassification with one click.
- Bulk write-off invoices: You can specify criteria to generate a list of invoices to review. After reviewing, perform a bulk write-off by indicating the appropriate invoices and clicking one button.
- Fix incorrectly recorded sales and payroll taxes: You can find and correct instances where your client recorded tax payments incorrectly.
- Merge vendors: If clients create duplicate vendor accounts accidentally, you can merge all of their transactions into a single vendor.
- Batch enter transactions: You can input numerous transactions quickly using a spreadsheet-like interface. This is much quicker than entering checks or other transactions through the regular screens.
Accountant’s Copy
Clients create an Accountant’s Copy to share their QuickBooks data. They specify a dividing date, usually the end of the most recent period. Only the client can work on transactions after the dividing date, and only the accountant can work on transactions prior to the dividing date. You can import their Accountant’s Copy, make the necessary changes, and then export your changes. When the client imports your changes, the dividing date they set will be unlocked.
Client Data Review
This provides specialized tools to detect and correct common data entry errors, such as incorrectly recorded sales tax payments invoices written off in bulk instead of individually. It also lets you reclassify multiple transactions in one go, troubleshoot inventory problems, and detect changes made to your lists in QuickBooks.
Client Data Review tool in QuickBooks Accountant Desktop
Toggle Editions
QuickBooks Desktop Accountant lets you toggle between all the industry-specific editions of Pro and Premier: General Business, Retail, Professional, Contractor, Nonprofit, and Manufacturing and Wholesale.
To switch to another edition, select File from the top menu bar, click Toggle to Another Edition, and then select the edition you want to switch to as demonstrated in the GIF below.
Toggle between industry-specific editions of Pro and Premier
Other Features
- Categorize transactions with improved bank feeds: Categorize bank transactions automatically with more detail by using enhanced rules, batch editing, and improved matching.
- Send statements automatically: Automate regularly sent statement emails tailored to different customer needs
- Customize payment receipts: Customize payment receipt formatting, including logos, for a professional and consistent look across your customer communications.
- Create customer groups: Create rule-based customer groups based on fields like customer type, status, location, and balance so that you can manage and communicate with customers easily.
- Access QuickBooks Desktop Manager: Use one management tool to find and install all of your QuickBooks products.
- Access QuickBooks Tool Hub: Fix common problems and errors with a hub containing easy-to-use troubleshooting tools.
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop Ease of Use
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop is fairly intuitive and essentially has the same user interface as the other QuickBooks Desktop products, except for the addition of the Accountant menu. The menu lets you access the special tools you need, such as the Accountant Center and the Client Review tool.
Accountant Menu in QuickBooks Accountant Desktop
The platform also has some helpful features that make it easy to transfer and access your clients’ QuickBooks company files. For instance, you can open client files from the preceding two years without updating the file. This enables your client to still access the file with their older version of QuickBooks.
In terms of customer service, QuickBooks Accountant Desktop includes telephone support, but you have to send a request and wait for a call. You can also talk to an agent through live chat during business hours or explore some of its self-help resources and troubleshooting guides online.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How is QuickBooks Accountant Desktop different from QuickBooks Premier?
QuickBooks Accountant Desktop has the same accounting features as QuickBooks Premier. In addition, it has special tools to allow accounting professionals to import, adjust, and export their clients’ QuickBooks company file.
Can I convert an Accountant’s Copy to a regular company file?
Yes, you can, but you’ll need QuickBooks Accountant Desktop to do so. Check out QuickBooks’ guide on how to convert an Accountant’s Copy to a regular file.
Bottom Line
If you have clients who use Pro or Premier versions of QuickBooks Desktop, then you need QuickBooks Accountant Desktop. It includes comprehensive tools to import your client’s data file, review the file for errors, and make adjustments. The 2023 version includes a Cash Flow Hub that can help you better track your or your client’s outgoing and incoming cash flow.
