QuickBooks for Accountants: The Desktop Accountant Edition Explained
Accountants and bookkeepers work with many company files, and they need tools that clean up books quickly. QuickBooks Desktop Accountant is built for that job. It includes everything in the regular Desktop editions plus extra tools for reviewing, correcting and sharing client files. This guide explains what the Accountant edition adds, how it fits into a client workflow and who should consider it.
QuickBooks Desktop Accountant is the edition made for accounting professionals. It adds tools such as Client Data Review, the Accountant’s Copy and the Accountant Toolbox, and it lets you open client files that were created in other Desktop editions. It is for people who work on other businesses’ books, not for most single-company owners.
What the Accountant Edition Adds
- Client Data Review. A guided way to find and fix common problems in a client file, such as unapplied payments, misposted transactions and balance sheet issues.
- Accountant’s Copy. Receive a copy of the client’s file, make your adjustments and send them back to be merged into the live file, while the client keeps working.
- Accountant Toolbox. Tools that save time on cleanup, such as reclassifying transactions in bulk, batch entering transactions and writing off invoices.
- Access to multiple editions. You can work with client files created in Pro, Premier or Enterprise without having to buy each one, by switching between the editions.
- Accountant reports. Reports for review and tax work, including the income tax reports and the trial balance and journal views.
| Accountant edition | Pro, Premier or Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Accountants and bookkeepers with multiple clients | A single business running its own books |
| Client Data Review | Included | Not part of the standard set |
| Accountant’s Copy | Receive and send back | Create and send to your accountant |
| Opening other editions | Switch between editions to match the client file | Works in its own edition |
| Typical buyer | CPA firm, bookkeeper, tax preparer | Business owner |
A Typical Client Workflow
- The client creates an Accountant’s Copy and sends it to you.
- You open it in the Accountant edition and run Client Data Review to find problems.
- You make adjustments, reclassify transactions and prepare the tax reports.
- You send back your changes so the client can import them, without ever stopping their daily entries.
Working with client files? Get the QuickBooks Desktop Accountant edition, with instant email delivery of your download link and license key.
Who Should Choose the Accountant Edition?
Choose it if you regularly work in your clients’ QuickBooks files, prepare their books or review them for tax filing. It is overkill for a business owner with one company. If that sounds like you, Pro Plus, Premier Plus or Enterprise is the better fit. Compare them in our guide to Pro Plus, Premier Plus and Enterprise.
You can browse the QuickBooks Desktop Accountant license page for current options.
Tax Season With the Accountant Edition
At tax time the edition’s review tools shorten the cleanup stage, and the income tax reports give you the figures you need. Share our tax preparation workflow with clients so they send you reconciled books. If you are weighing software for the filing itself, read what QuickBooks does and does not do at tax time.
Keep Your Software Working
Install and activate the edition before busy season starts. Our install and activation guide explains the steps and where to find your license number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is QuickBooks Desktop Accountant?
It is the edition of QuickBooks Desktop designed for accounting professionals. It includes tools for reviewing client files and working with Accountant’s Copies, plus access to the other Desktop editions.
Can QuickBooks Accountant open client files from Pro or Premier?
Yes. The Accountant edition lets you work with files created in other Desktop editions by switching between them.
What is an Accountant’s Copy?
It is a copy of the client’s company file that the accountant can edit while the client continues working. The accountant’s changes can then be imported back into the client’s file.
Do business owners need the Accountant edition?
Usually not. It is aimed at professionals who work on many files. A single business is better served by Pro, Premier or Enterprise.
If you work on other people’s books, QuickBooks Desktop Accountant gives you the review and correction tools to do it faster, plus the ability to open files from other Desktop editions. If you only manage one company, a regular edition is the simpler and more affordable choice.
KeysDays is an independent reseller of software licenses and is not affiliated with, authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by Intuit Inc. Feature details are summarized from Intuit’s published information and independent reviews and may change. Check Intuit’s site for the latest. This article is general information, not tax or legal advice; talk to a qualified tax professional about your situation.