Can I get a certification as a professional Quicken service provider?

User846991

I am interested in providing bookkeeping services to the public. I'd like to use Quicken as my main backbone. Is it possible to get a Quicken certificate? Thanks, Kevin

Jon

I've never heard of such a thing. Quicken isn't really intended to be used as a professional accounting program so I don't think they would have seen any value in setting up a program like that.

You should be aware that there's an upper limit to the number of Quicken files you can realistically work with. Each file you create syncs some information to the Quicken Cloud and there's a maximum number of cloud accounts it can support.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7946041/quicken-for-mac-classic-7-5-2-error-code-qcs-0403-2

Jim_Harman

The Cloud account limit is on a per-subscription basis, right? I suppose you could support a large number of clients by having a subscription for each client, or set up a limited number of clients per subscription.

Would you be the sole or primary user of Quicken on your clients' behalf? Quicken does not make it easy to share a data file between multiple users with different computers, and you certainly could not have more than one user accessing a data file at the same time.

[adding to build on @volvogirl ]

Quicken's terminology and organization makes it easy for us non-accountants to understand and use for our personal finances, but it tends to make real accountants' heads spin.

Chris_QPW

From time to time the subject comes up where an accountant gets a client that uses Quicken and wants to know more about it to help them, even get data from them that way, but it is pretty clear that they are bending over backwards for them, not something they really want as a default.

There is no way Quicken Inc is going to "certify" anything. Quicken itself isn't "certifiable". You can change anything in it without any kind of record that it happened. From that I understand programs like QuickBooks do have this though. But programs like QuickBooks target businesses (which is probably a good thing since Quicken users complain when the price for Quicken is raised by $10 a year).

Jon

I've never heard of such a thing. Quicken isn't really intended to be used as a professional accounting program so I don't think they would have seen any value in setting up a program like that.

You should be aware that there's an upper limit to the number of Quicken files you can realistically work with. Each file you create syncs some information to the Quicken Cloud and there's a maximum number of cloud accounts it can support.

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7946041/quicken-for-mac-classic-7-5-2-error-code-qcs-0403-2

volvogirl

When I took my Quicken reports to an accountant for taxes they didn't like them. They are not in the right format they want. I had to make a big spreadsheet.

Jim_Harman

The Cloud account limit is on a per-subscription basis, right? I suppose you could support a large number of clients by having a subscription for each client, or set up a limited number of clients per subscription.

Would you be the sole or primary user of Quicken on your clients' behalf? Quicken does not make it easy to share a data file between multiple users with different computers, and you certainly could not have more than one user accessing a data file at the same time.

[adding to build on @volvogirl ]

Quicken's terminology and organization makes it easy for us non-accountants to understand and use for our personal finances, but it tends to make real accountants' heads spin.

Chris_QPW

From time to time the subject comes up where an accountant gets a client that uses Quicken and wants to know more about it to help them, even get data from them that way, but it is pretty clear that they are bending over backwards for them, not something they really want as a default.

There is no way Quicken Inc is going to "certify" anything. Quicken itself isn't "certifiable". You can change anything in it without any kind of record that it happened. From that I understand programs like QuickBooks do have this though. But programs like QuickBooks target businesses (which is probably a good thing since Quicken users complain when the price for Quicken is raised by $10 a year).