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Accounting | Buyer's Guide

7 Best QuickBooks Training Courses for 2023

Tim Yoder, Ph.D., CPA

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.

 

WRITTEN BY: Danielle Bauter

Published April 25, 2023

Danielle is a writer for the Finance division of Fit Small Business. She has owned a bookkeeping and payroll service that specializes in small business, for over twenty years.

Published April 25, 2023

This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.

Table of Contents
  1. 1 Quick Comparison
  2. 2 Best Overall
  3. 3 Best Free Online Courses
  4. 4 Best for Learning Specific Tasks
  5. 5 Best for Live Webinars
  6. 6 Best for On-site Group Training
  7. 7 Best Instructor-led Courses for College Classes
  8. 8 Best Online Training for Beginners
  9. 9 Our Methodology
  10. 10 FAQs
  11. 11 Bottom Line

The best QuickBooks training courses offer flexible training sessions for students (the option of live or self-paced), are expert-led, and come with supplemental resources—such as reference manuals, study guides, and instructional videos. You’ll find some free courses, but you usually have to pay a fee to access premium lessons and maximize your learning experience.

There are plenty of QuickBooks training courses, but we narrowed it down to our top seven:

Comparison of the Best QuickBooks Online Training Courses

Training Course
Cost
Instructor/Creator
Key Strengths
Key Weaknesses
Quickbooks Training Logo.
$679.95 (one-time fee) plus $29.95 per month to maintain live services (optional)
QuickBooks Experts
  • Instructor is available to answer questions in class or one-on-one
  • Option to become certified as a user
  • Flexibility with scheduling as both live and self-paced options are available
  • Can’t purchase individual courses
  • Instructor only teaches current version of QuickBooks Desktop
Fit Small Business logo
Free
Tim Yoder, Ph.D., CPA
  • Tutorials are free, thorough, and easy to access
  • Courses are accompanied by a video demonstration of the topics
  • Tutorials are provided by two QuickBooks ProAdvisors
  • Live interaction with an instructor isn’t available
  • Must follow along in your own QuickBooks account to practice material
QuickBooks logo that links to the QuickBooks homepage in a new tab.
Free
QuickBooks staff and users
  • All information is provided for free
  • Video tutorials are updated regularly
  • Vast database of information, including over 660,000 articles
  • No live support
  • Instruction is limited to webinars, video tutorials, and online articles
Advanced Webinars by Hector Garcia
From $200 per year
Hector Garcia, CPA
  • Has industry-specific courses, such as for contractors
  • Both live and self-paced learning formats available
  • Premium membership gives you access to all webinar recordings
  • Some courses provide access for a limited time
  • Website can be confusing to navigate
Certstaffix Training logo
From $435
Certstaffix instructors
  • Flexibility with scheduling and location for on-site training
  • Access to software is in an online lab environment
  • Both online and live training available
  • Course options can be limited depending on delivery method
  • QuickBooks for Mac is not supported
College of Southern Idaho logo.
From $105
Scott Paxton, CPA
  • Option for self-paced or instructor-led courses
  • Ability to interact with instructor in person
  • Prices are affordable, with structured courses
  • QuickBooks Desktop 2019 is newest version supported
  • Instructor-led courses are only offered four times per year
LinkedIn Learning logo.
$39.99
Bonnie Biafore
  • Ability to earn a certificate of completion after passing exam
  • Post questions via online forum
  • Price is cost-effective
  • Instructor is not a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
  • No training offered for advanced users

QuickBooks Training: Best Overall QuickBooks Training Courses

Quickbooks Training Logo.

Pros

  • Cost-effective course bundles are available for both QuickBooks Online and Desktop
  • A wide range of courses available for all skill levels and industries, from accountants and contractors to nonprofits and enterprises
  • Offers a money-back guarantee: if class doesn’t meet expectations, you can request a refund
  • Has both live and self-paced training programs

Cons

  • Price per course is higher than most QuickBooks training options
  • Only the most current version of QuickBooks Desktop is taught; no option to work with previous versions

Pricing

QuickBooks Training offers both live classes and self-paced training sessions (VIP Membership).

  • Live Classes: $679.95 for the first attendee; $250 off on each additional attendee, two-day duration
  • VIP Membership (self-paced): $679.95 (one-time fee), plus $29.95/month to maintain live services (optional), 200+ hours duration

Students can validate their QuickBooks knowledge by becoming an Intuit QuickBooks Certified User. The QuickBooks Certification examination is offered at universities and technical schools. While it costs $156 to take the test, it’s free with enrollment. QuickBooks certification can be obtained with either live classes or self-paced training.

QuickBooks Training offers online and self-paced courses for both the Online and Desktop versions. With on-demand training, users can start and stop the course as their schedule allows. You can watch the video tutorials as often as you like, and live classes are also available.

Because of the wide range of courses offered and the option of live or self-paced, we selected QuickBooks Training as the best overall training for QuickBooks Online and Desktop programs. If you haven’t purchased a QuickBooks subscription, you should study the differences between QuickBooks Online vs Desktop before deciding.

In 1998, Intuit officially partnered with Real World Training as its QuickBooks Training partner, and it has been the only official training partner for more than 20 years. Its eight instructors not only educate QuickBooks users, but they also provide QuickBooks training to those who work at Intuit.

A few of the Real World Training instructors have been working in the software field themselves—either instructing or bookkeeping—for more than 15 years, whereas the others have three to five years of experience. They’re all certified under the Certified User program, and many are former teachers.

QuickBooks Training offers both self-paced training and live classes. With both methods of study, you’ll be granted access to video lectures and workbooks that are designed to enhance your learning.

The self-paced courses can be completed at your leisure. Meanwhile, in-person sessions, which lasts two days, you can schedule the dates that work best based on your availability. You’re encouraged to bring all of your questions to class. If your question isn’t covered, the instructor will stay after class to help you one-on-one.

  • Live classes: Intended to help you become a QuickBooks Certified User, live classes provide all the information needed to become certified, plus a free voucher for the exam. Courses cover the foundations of QuickBooks, everyday transactions, special transactions, automating tasks, customizing QuickBooks to your needs, and how to set up and pay employees.
  • Self-paced training: Offering classes for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop users, courses include mastering QuickBooks Pro/Premier, mastering QuickBooks Payroll, and mastering accounting basics for QuickBooks Desktop. There are also courses available for accountants, contractors, nonprofits, and enterprise businesses.

Fit Small Business: Best Free Online QuickBooks Training Courses

Fit Small Business logo

Pros

  • Watch the tutorials at your own pace and on your own time and focus on the topics that interest you
  • Completely free
  • Plenty of bite-sized lessons on QuickBooks Online
  • Offers several QuickBooks Desktop courses

Cons

  • No one-on-one training offered
  • No option for live interaction

Pricing

These QuickBooks training courses are all offered free of charge with no email required.

Fit Small Business offers lessons for beginners and supplemental training for those wanting to boost their existing knowledge of QuickBooks. It has 46 tutorials, which run anywhere from 2 to 15 minutes.

By breaking down longer lessons into bite-sized tutorials, students can digest them better. Each one contains a step-by-step guide and a video demonstration of the concepts, helping them understand the lessons better. Fit Small Business offers several courses on both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

The Fit Small Business QuickBooks tutorials are updated and maintained by Mark Calatrava and Tim Yoder, both QuickBooks Pro Advisors. Tim is also a certified public accountant (CPA) with more than 25 years of experience.

Each QuickBooks Online tutorial provides an in-depth lesson, complete with instructions, examples, and video demonstration. You can follow along in your own QuickBooks Online account to help you understand the illustrated steps easily.

The QuickBooks tutorials cover the following topics:

  • Setting up QuickBooks
  • Managing sales and income
  • Managing bills and expenses
  • Managing banking transactions
  • Managing business credit card transactions
  • Managing credit card sales
  • Setting up and managing payroll
  • Reporting in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online, our best small business accounting software, has advanced and complex accounting features. However, they can be mastered easily if you follow along in your own account while watching the Fit Small Business tutorial videos.

QuickBooks Support: Best for Learning Specific Tasks

QuickBooks logo

Pros

  • All information is available for free
  • Best for learning specific QuickBooks tasks
  • Video tutorials always include the most recent features in the software since Intuit updates them regularly

Cons

  • No live support
  • Since some articles are authored by QuickBooks employees and users as opposed to certified QuickBooks experts, there is no guarantee that information is completely accurate
  • QuickBooks certification courses are unavailable

Pricing

There’s no charge to access the webinars, video tutorials, and articles through QuickBooks Support.

If you have a specific question on how to perform a QuickBooks task, QuickBooks Support is a free, comprehensive option. It offers help articles, community discussions with other QuickBooks users, video tutorials, and more, and free Live QuickBooks webinars are offered regularly. However, there’s no actual live support available, which can make it challenging to find an answer to a specific question.

QuickBooks Support offers articles that are authored by both QuickBooks employees and users. Its video tutorials and webinars are created by QuickBooks staff.

Information is available via video tutorials, webinars, and online articles.

QuickBooks Support offers free webinars, step-by-step video tutorials, and more than 660,000 articles on a variety of topics, from account management and banking to reporting and taxes. The articles are created by both QuickBooks experts and QuickBooks users. The QuickBooks Resource Center also offers articles to help you start, grow, and manage your business.

Advanced Webinars by Hector Garcia, CPA: Best for Live Webinars

Advanced Webinars by Hector Garcia

Pros

  • Both QuickBooks Online and Desktop courses are available
  • Each industry-specific course delves into each topic with a lot of detail

Cons

  • Paid courses are not ideal for those looking for a basic overview of QuickBooks
  • Access to some courses is only available for a limited time

Pricing

Prices vary depending on the type and duration of the course and the level of the QuickBooks topic covered. For instance, a two-day live basic to intermediate course—like Learn QuickBooks Desktop 2013 to 2022—costs $200 per year.

Hector Garcia, a CPA and Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, has created a series of webinars that aim to introduce the software and encourage users to feel comfortable with using it. He has produced hundreds of videos on topics related to both QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online, and his YouTube videos will help you troubleshoot common QuickBooks issues.

Currently, he has a paid course available through Advanced Webinars, which is intended for contractors and project-based businesses. He also recorded a course for manufacturers and wholesalers and accountants supporting multiple industries.

Hector Garcia is the principal accountant at Quick Bookkeeping & Accounting LLC, an accounting firm based in Miami. He specializes in QuickBooks consulting and provides traditional accounting services, such as bookkeeping, payroll processing, tax return preparation, and general business advisory.

Hector Garcia offered his QuickBooks training tutorials in a live class and self-paced format. Live web-based courses usually last for three hours; after which, a recording will be available to those who wish to learn at their own pace. The topics are very specialized, focusing on specific industries.

Hector Garcia offers access to some prerecorded courses, such as QuickBooks Desktop for Manufacturers and Wholesalers and QuickBooks Online for Construction, Contractors, and Project-based Businesses.

Certstaffix Training: Best for On-site Group Training

Certstaffix Training logo

Pros

  • Each QuickBooks course offered provides the training needed to understand and use the program
  • With on-site training, the course is scheduled based on dates that you provide and completed in a convenient session of your choosing
  • Software for class is provided in an online lab environment

Cons

  • Mac versions of QuickBooks aren’t supported
  • Course options are limited depending on the method of delivery

Pricing

Prices for classes offered vary depending on the type and duration of the course and whether it’s a public or a private class. Currently, Certstaffix Training offers three live QuickBooks training courses, which cost $435 each for a duration of seven hours. Certstaffix also offers an E-Learning Bundle for those wanting to learn QuickBooks at their own pace.

If you want on-site training at your office or group live online class, you should contact Certstaffix Training directly to request a customized quote.

Certstaffix offers training for several versions of QuickBooks, and all classes are delivered by one of its expert trainers. It also provides QuickBooks Certified User Desktop training classes. From hands-on, instructor-led live online QuickBooks training for individual employees to private online or on-site group training, you’ll find a flexible training option that suits your learning needs.

Certstaffix instructors are professional trainers with an average of more than five years of delivering classes to business professionals.

Certstaffix Training public classes are instructor-led live online training that you attend either from your home or work location or at one of the computer labs. The instructors teach from a remote location while being able to interact with you like you’re in a traditional classroom.

The online QuickBooks Pro courses are presented as a seminar. They’re task-based, focusing on real-world scenarios and challenges that students face in their day-to-day environments.

For group training, an expert instructor will either come to your office or deliver a private live online class to your students. Instructors can view student progress and take control of their PC to provide direct assistance. Students can watch the presentation and also voice questions directly to the instructor and participate in class discussions.

Currently, the instructor-led courses available are:

  • QuickBooks Online Edition: Basic course
  • QuickBooks Desktop Edition: Basic course
  • QuickBooks Desktop Edition: Advanced course

The QuickBooks E-Learning Bundle allows you to learn at your own pace, with lectures that utilize video and recorded screenshots. It includes three courses:

  1. QuickBooks Online – Beginner.
  2. QuickBooks Online – Advanced.
  3. QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2021.

College of Southern Idaho: Best Instructor-led Courses for College Classes

College of Southern Idaho logo.

Pros

  • Taught in a college; which means the environment is more structured for learning
  • Prices are relatively affordable compared to other QuickBooks training courses
  • Can interact with the instructor

Cons

  • Instructor moderation and group discussions are only available with instructor-led courses
  • There aren’t any QuickBooks Desktop courses available for versions newer than 2019

Pricing

College of Southern Idaho currently offers 15 courses, with prices ranging from $105 to $199.

At the College of Southern Idaho, students can participate in instructor-led or self-paced courses on a variety of QuickBooks topics. As part of the CSI Workforce Development and Training Program, CSI provides training and apprenticeship opportunities for individuals to master new expertise and opportunities for companies to utilize local training for their employees.

The instructor-led courses are taught by Scott Paxton, a CPA who holds master’s degrees in business administration and accounting. He also worked as a manager in the banking industry and as a college business instructor. He has spent much of his career helping small business owners implement and troubleshoot QuickBooks successfully.

Students have the option of self-paced or instructor-led courses. The length of each course is 24 to 48 hours, and they’re entirely online. All courses feature instructional text and a final exam and may also include supplemental learning material—such as assignments, quizzes, audio, video, infographics, and hands-on labs.

Self-paced tutorial courses are designed for completely independent learning, without instructor moderation or group discussion. These are open enrollment, allowing you to enroll and start a course at your convenience. After enrolling, you’ll receive all lessons immediately and will be granted three months of access to complete the course content.

On the other hand, instructor-led courses are designed for structured group learning and feature an instructor-moderated discussion board so that you can interact with your instructor. These courses operate on a rolling monthly basis, with four available start dates. After enrolling, you’ll receive new lessons on a set schedule during a six-week period. Two lessons are released each week, and the final exam is released consecutively with the 12th lesson. You have two weeks to complete the exam.

  • Introduction to QuickBooks 2019
  • Introduction to QuickBooks Online
  • Intermediate QuickBooks Online
  • QuickBooks Online Series

Although the College of Southern Idaho doesn’t offer training for QuickBooks Desktop after the 2019 version, it anticipates adding courses in the future. While there have been a few features added since 2019, learning the 2019 edition will translate easily to success in more recent editions.

LinkedIn Learning QuickBooks Online Essential Training: Best Online Training for Beginners

LinkedIn Learning logo.

Pros

  • Earn certificate of completion to add to your LinkedIn profile
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Lifetime access to course
  • Remote and offline access to videos available

Cons

  • No training offered for advanced users
  • Mac versions of QuickBooks aren’t supported

Pricing

The cost for the QuickBooks Online Essential Training course is $39.99.

The instructor’s other QuickBooks-related courses include:

  • QuickBooks Payroll Essential Training: $34.99
  • QuickBooks Pro 2021 Essential Training: $39.99
  • QuickBooks Pro 2020 Essential Training: $39.99
  • QuickBooks Online Tips and Tricks: $34.99

With the QuickBooks Online Essential Training course, instructor Bonnie Biafore shows beginner users how to pay bills online, receive payments, and run reports to evaluate how the business is doing. She also shows how to set up customers, vendors, products, and services; record transactions; reconcile bank statements; and pay sales tax.

In addition to the short videos that present topics in an organized fashion, users have the ability to post questions in the Q&A forum and to save notes on the course. They can access video transcripts as well.

Bonnie Biafore has a background as an engineer and project manager, and she is also a bestselling author of more than 25 books, including several editions of QuickBooks: The Missing Manual and Online Investing Hacks. As a certified project management professional (CPME), she has authored dozens of courses for LinkedIn Learning and provides both project management and Microsoft Project consulting services.

This course is presented through the LinkedIn Learning platform in the form of 64 short videos that are divided into sections based on topic. Each video runs about five minutes or less, and there is a short quiz to complete before moving on to each section. At the end, you will take the exam, and if you pass you’ll receive a certificate of completion. You can also practice what you’ve learned with exercise files provided by the instructor that are available for download.

In addition to the QuickBooks Online Essential Training course, instructor Bonnie Biafore has other QuickBooks-related courses, which include

  • QuickBooks Payroll Essential Training
  • QuickBooks Pro 2021 Essential Training
  • QuickBooks Pro 2020 Essential Training
  • QuickBooks Online Tips and Tricks

She also teaches several project management-related courses, including Microsoft Project Quick Tips, and Project Management Foundations.

How We Evaluated QuickBooks Training Courses

We evaluated these training courses based on many factors, including cost, accessibility, course curriculum, and access to instructors:

  • Price: While some courses are available at no cost, others run upward of $600.
  • Available training methods: Many of these training courses are offered as self-paced training or live, instructor-led courses. We also evaluated the programs that offer in-person training.
  • Types of courses offered: Whether it’s a topic-specific video tutorial or a course dedicated to a specific version of QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online, these programs offer a variety of courses for novices to accountants and advanced users.
  • Course instructors: Whether the courses are taught by certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors or CPAs, it’s important to know the level of expertise that’s provided.
  • Additional support available: Examples include reference manuals, study guides, course videos, and access to the instructor for questions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Intuit QuickBooks Training offers both live classes and self-paced training sessions (VIP Membership). Live Classes are $679.95 for the first attendee with $250 off on each additional attendee. Self-paced classes are $679.95 (one-time fee), plus an optional fee of $29.95 per month to maintain live services.

There are several options for learning QuickBooks Online, which include live classes, self-paced training, and free online tutorials.

Yes, companies such as Fit Small Business offer free QuickBooks Online tutorials.

Bottom Line

QuickBooks training courses come in various forms, including on-demand videos, online instructor-led or self-paced lessons, live virtual and in-person classrooms, and video tutorials. Most classes cover QuickBooks basics and generally are taught by certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors and/or CPAs who provide bookkeeping services to small business clients.

QuickBooks classes are ideal for small business owners, bookkeepers, and anyone who is seeking to become a Certified QuickBooks User. Classes may also include structured lessons, access to an instructor, practice exercises or exams, a quiz or final exam, and a certificate of completion.

About the Author

Danielle Bauter

Find Danielle OnLinkedIn

Danielle Bauter

Danielle Bauter is a writer for the Accounting division of Fit Small Business. She has owned Check Yourself, a bookkeeping and payroll service that specializes in small business, for over twenty years. She holds a Bachelor's degree from UCLA and has served on the Board of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She also regularly writes about travel, food, and books for various lifestyle publications.