How Long Does It Really Take to Learn QuickBooks?

QuickBooks is a popular accounting software used by many small and medium-sized businesses. If you're an aspiring Accountant, Bookkeeper, or Financial Manager, you might be interested in learning QuickBooks. You might also worry that it will take too much time. Fortunately, QuickBooks is not too difficult to learn. Some basic use of the software can be learned in a matter of hours. However, most agree that it will take beginner QuickBooks learners about two to four weeks to become proficient at using QuickBooks. Of course, this depends on several factors.

What is QuickBooks?

QuickBooks is a widely used accounting and bookkeeping software package from Intuit. Primarily used by small and medium businesses, QuickBooks helps businesses track and manage everything to do with their finances. Using QuickBooks, businesses can monitor their cash flow and profits and losses by tracking sales, expenses, customers, and payments. QuickBooks is also frequently used to create and send invoices, manage the business's inventory, and manage employee payroll. It also has budgeting, time tracking, and daily task features to keep businesses running efficiently.

QuickBooks helps businesses ensure the accuracy of their records by directly connecting sales channels to QuickBooks and reconciling bank transactions with the information one inputs. The software also has features to help with tax preparation and can also be used to collaborate and share documents with an Accountant. QuickBooks is a subscription-based service with various payment tiers that provide access to different features.

What Can You Do with QuickBooks?

QuickBooks software has many different applications and uses across a wide variety of industries. Many small and medium-sized businesses use QuickBooks for its record-keeping capabilities as it was originally designed for businesses without a dedicated accounting department. QuickBooks allows someone to track and categorize many things such as expenses, sales, transactions, and customer, vendor, and inventory lists. This makes QuickBooks a great option for those needing to keep all of their business records in one place.

Additionally, many people use QuickBooks to create and send invoices, manage employee payroll, help prepare their taxes, maintain a budget, and automate tasks. QuickBooks includes features to automate accounts payable and receivable. Many use QuickBooks to automate sending customer invoices, payment reminders, or even keeping employees updated on crucial tasks and sending deadline reminders. These features of QuickBooks allow you to increase productivity and maintain efficient workflows so that you do not constantly need to task employees with work that can be done by the QuickBooks software itself.

Read also: Decoding College Classes

Not only do businesses use QuickBooks, but QuickBooks is often used by self-employed people like freelancers and independent contractors. QuickBooks offers a specific version of the software called QuickBooks Self-Employed (formerly QuickBooks Solopreneur). Many people find that once they link their accounts, it is easy to import their transactions and the QuickBooks software will automatically work to tag one’s income. Self-employed users will likely need to do a bit of extra work to categorize their transactions more effectively for their own needs, but QuickBooks can handle much of the bookkeeping work automatically, making tracking finances easier for individuals.

Average Time It Takes to Learn QuickBooks

While it can take a few hours just to get comfortable with the QuickBooks software interface, most beginning QuickBooks learners can become proficient at using the software to track and manage their finances in under a month. The average time it takes QuickBooks users to become comfortable using the software is two to four weeks. How long it will take depends upon one’s educational background as well as how much time and effort one devotes to learning QuickBooks. It will take longer to master the more advanced or customizable aspects of QuickBooks.

Beginning QuickBooks learners can take a few weeks to become proficient in using some of the basic features of QuickBooks like creating and sending invoices, recording expenses, paying bills, receiving payments, and performing bank reconciliations. It takes time to set up one’s account and with 10-20 hours of training and practice, one should have a good handle on the fundamental aspects of using QuickBooks. For those with no accounting or bookkeeping experience, it can take additional time to understand how to use QuickBooks for financial record-keeping and management.

The more intermediate or advanced features of QuickBooks can take additional weeks or even months to learn and master. This will include learning how to do payroll and inventory management as well as using the financial reporting features of QuickBooks. One should expect that a beginning QuickBooks learner should take an additional few months to become proficient in these features, though it will depend upon how much experience users have with these processes outside of QuickBooks. If a user wants to customize QuickBooks for their business or the industry they operate in, it can take additional months of training and practice to be able to do this both efficiently and effectively.

Ultimately, how long it takes to learn QuickBooks depends upon other factors of one’s educational background and the rate at which one learns new concepts. You can speed up the process of learning QuickBooks by enrolling in a bootcamp, which is an accelerated class designed to get you using QuickBooks quickly. Overall, the more time one devotes to learning QuickBooks initially, the faster QuickBooks skills can be mastered.

Other Factors Influencing Learning Time

How long it takes to learn QuickBooks depends on a variety of factors, including the skills and knowledge you already have as well as the rate at which you learn new skills. These factors can determine not only how long it will take you to learn QuickBooks, but they can also let you know whether QuickBooks will be easy or difficult for you to learn.

Computer Literacy

The main prerequisite for learning QuickBooks is basic computer skills. In other words, someone needs to be familiar with how to download and install software and how to navigate an interactive interface. QuickBooks' interface itself should not be difficult to learn. As long as someone can open QuickBooks, navigate the dashboard, and input information and data, they should be able to use QuickBooks for basic financial tracking and management.

Knowledge of Accounting

Most people agree that it is much easier to use QuickBooks when you already know some accounting terms and principles. For anyone wanting to learn QuickBooks, it is useful to know terms like income, expenses, cash flow, assets, and liability. Additionally, it is generally expected that someone has knowledge about accounts payable and accounts receivable and knows what the difference is between cash and accrual accounting. Common accounting knowledge can also include how to read and understand statements and reports like income statements and balance sheets.

What you need to know to learn how to use QuickBooks is also essential knowledge for a small business owner. It will be harder to operate a functioning business with no financial literacy. However, if one does not know these terms and accounting principles, one can still get started learning QuickBooks, though one should expect it to take longer. For those interested in learning more about accounting, Noble Desktop’s comprehensive guide to accounting is a useful resource that can help point you in the right direction to learn enough about accounting to use QuickBooks easily.

Experience with Data Entry, Organization, & Visualization

Being able to enter data and understand how it is organized and visualized will make using QuickBooks easier. One will need to be able to enter one’s business data to set up QuickBooks and keep it running efficiently. QuickBooks software will organize and visualize one’s financial data in a variety of ways, from simplistic cash flow charts to balance sheet reports that show your company’s assets, liabilities, and equity. Without the ability to read and understand how financial data is organized and visualized, one will need to spend longer acquiring this ability along with learning QuickBooks.

Read also: The Length of a College Semester

Your Own Speed of Learning

One of the most important factors in how long it will take someone to learn QuickBooks is their own learning speed. Faster is not always better and it will sometimes naturally take someone longer to learn how QuickBooks works and put that knowledge into practice. This can be a function of one’s personal learning style, as some people want to see many examples of something before trying it themselves while others play around with QuickBooks software while watching their very first video tutorial. Speed of learning can also depend on how long one spends with QuickBooks training materials. Those who can devote a lot of time to their training may end up learning faster than those who can only devote one or two hours a week to learning QuickBooks, for instance.

Additionally, finances and accounting are not easy-to-learn topics for all people. While Intuit would like to think their QuickBooks software is intuitive, the reality is that this kind of record-keeping does not come naturally to everyone, and some aspects will be trickier to learn and require repeated practice and studying multiple examples before they make sense. By contrast, there are some people who will pick up on how to use the software quickly and with little formal QuickBooks training. If you are feeling frustrated about learning QuickBooks too slowly, consider taking an in-person or live online class as these options will allow you to receive guidance from an expert instructor and get individual feedback to help you improve your skills.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost

QuickBooks is not considered overly challenging to learn, though beginners can face difficulties mastering its range of features. QuickBooks is comprehensive accounting software, and many features have both basic and advanced, customizable uses. For instance, while beginning learners can quickly figure out basic bank reconciliation, it can be harder to reconcile accounts when one is dealing with complex transactions and multiple bank accounts. Using QuickBooks also requires financial literacy, and those without knowledge of common accounting terms and principles may find it difficult. Most QuickBooks learners can become proficient in QuickBooks in two to four weeks, though it will take longer to master the more complex or industry-specific features of QuickBooks.

There are no formal prerequisites to learning QuickBooks. To use the software, you will need basic computer skills like knowing how to install software, navigate an interactive application interface, and input data. Knowing common accounting terms and principles is also recommended, which includes understanding terms such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash versus accrual accounting, income, assets, liabilities, and deductibles. It will also be useful to know how to interpret financial data and reports to make full use of QuickBooks. Before using QuickBooks, you should also know which version to use and which features will be necessary for your business.

Small businesses will most likely use a version of QuickBooks Online, which has tiered pricing for different features and ranges in cost from $30-200 a month. The lowest-cost option for QuickBooks Online is Simple Start, which includes one user, one linked sales channel, and most features except for things like bill pay, inventory tracking, employee management, and support services. QuickBooks Online Plus is the next tier up and includes up to five users, all sales channels, and adds things like multi-currency transactions, bill pay, and inventory tracking that the Simple Start excludes. QuickBooks Online Advanced is the most expensive plan and has all features, including payroll, employee management services, support services, and more customization and automation options. Accounting professionals can use QuickBooks Online Accountant for free, and this version also provides access to free training materials.

Free QuickBooks Online Resources

For those not yet ready to take a full course on QuickBooks, one can start learning QuickBooks and related skills for free online. Noble Desktop’s comprehensive guide to accounting is one such free resource that covers introductory information about accounting and how to learn the skills necessary to become an Accountant. It is common for those interested in QuickBooks or accounting, either for use with their own business or for other clients, to start by learning about the software and familiarizing themselves with what it can do and what skills will allow them to optimize their use of it. Using free resources can help someone not only receive a basic overview of QuickBooks but also figure out what skills to learn, what courses to take, and what knowledge they still need to acquire before getting started with QuickBooks.

One can also find free introductory courses from different education providers online. Most of these courses will be on-demand, self-paced courses that will provide learners with access to video lectures or tutorials and allow for limited practice and skills testing. These courses range from providing beginners with tips and tricks for getting started with QuickBooks to more focused classes with modules on how to create invoices, use payroll, set up different kinds of accounts, or even customize the QuickBooks interface.

Length of QuickBooks Classes

How long a class takes is important to consider when choosing QuickBooks classes. Some learners need to learn QuickBooks in a matter of days, while others can afford to take weeks or even months to master QuickBooks slowly. Prospective learners will want to consider whether they need an introductory or advanced class, which training format is best for their needs, and whether they want to take a part-time or full-time QuickBooks class.

Introductory Classes

Introductory QuickBooks classes vary in course content, though they are often shorter than some other types of QuickBooks training. Some introductory classes might last only an hour or two, though these are usually very basic classes that do little besides providing an overview of the software. Other introductory QuickBooks bootcamps and classes are intended for beginners and usually take between four and twenty-four hours to complete. These classes cover basics like navigating the software interface, setting up your company profile, linking accounts, and recording transactions. Introductory courses vary by content and provider, so they might also cover how to create customer invoices, read or customize reports, or start automating certain tasks in QuickBooks. Instructor-led introductory classes often take less time to complete, though self-motivated learners who pick up skills quickly might be able to learn QuickBooks in a short amount of time by taking self-paced introductory classes.

Intermediate & Advanced Classes

Like introductory classes, the length of intermediate and advanced QuickBooks training classes will vary. Intermediate-level training focuses on building upon what one has learned in a previous class, whereas advanced training teaches learners more complex features that often involve detailed customization or industry-specific needs. Some people also seek to learn just one intermediate or advanced feature, like customized inventory management, and this hyper-specific training can be completed in a matter of hours by watching a YouTube video tutorial or taking an on-demand class.

While the skills learned in intermediate and advanced classes can take longer to master, overall, the training itself should be of a similar length to an introductory class, especially if one takes these classes in a sequence. Expect these classes to also take between four and twenty-four hours to complete, on average. A sequence of introductory, intermediate, and advanced QuickBooks classes provides a comprehensive, detailed knowledge of QuickBooks, though completing this form of QuickBooks training can take weeks or even months.

Certificate Programs

Certificate programs are career-oriented courses of study that aim to provide students with all of the knowledge and skills to work in a specific career upon completion. Although one can become QuickBooks certified, dedicated QuickBooks certificate programs do not exist. Rather, one can find QuickBooks training included in bookkeeping and accounting certificate programs. Those seeking to become certified Accountants or Bookkeepers should consider taking a certificate program to learn the skills necessary to work in these professions. These programs often last several weeks to months, as students need to work through many modules to learn the necessary information and skills. If you only need to learn QuickBooks, taking a bootcamp or on-demand class is a better option than taking a full certificate program. Learning common accounting terms and concepts is a useful prerequisite for a QuickBooks class, though one can find shorter classes to take if not intending to become a professional Bookkeeper or Accountant.

Bootcamps

Bootcamps are accelerated classes that aim to teach students about one skill or one topic. Because QuickBooks is only a software program, bootcamps are often on the shorter side. One can find six to twelve-hour or one-to-two-day QuickBooks bootcamps, depending on the course material the class will cover. While many QuickBooks bootcamps provide comprehensive instruction that combines both basic and intermediate or advanced knowledge of QuickBooks, some will be sequenced for beginning, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. Students looking for the quickest way to learn comprehensive QuickBooks should consider taking an instructor-led bootcamp. Instructor-led bootcamps provide students with interactive, hands-on guidance and allow them to ask instructors questions or request help with troubleshooting issues that arise while learning QuickBooks. Additionally, this training format offers individualized feedback for learners, which will allow them to improve their skills throughout the class and set them up for success after the class.

On-Demand Classes

On-demand classes are self-paced classes that give learners access to the course material so that they can work through it at their own pace. How long these classes take depends on two things: the amount of course material a class offers and the learner’s own pace of learning. On average, an on-demand class will provide four to twenty-four hours of course content, which often includes video lectures and tutorials as well as practice and skills tests. Some on-demand classes, especially those for beginners or those that teach highly specialized skills, will offer two-to-four hours of QuickBooks content. Others are much more comprehensive, geared towards mastery, and provide learners with over 100 hours of course material to move through.

Any sort of self-teaching or self-paced class relies on the learner’s self-motivation, and it is up to the learner to determine how quickly or slowly they will learn the material. If one is determined to move through the QuickBooks course material at a fast pace, on-demand classes can allow someone to learn QuickBooks quickly and comprehensively. However, for most people, on-demand classes are often not the quickest training options because it is up to the learner to work through the material on their own. The lack of instructor guidance in this training format means that when learners run into challenging material, they can become stuck and it can take longer to learn QuickBooks in an on-demand class.

College Degree Programs

While there are no QuickBooks college degree programs, one can learn QuickBooks or other accounting software as part of some accounting degrees. Community colleges and technical schools are the most likely higher education institutions to offer degrees in accounting or business, where one may also learn QuickBooks. Because this form of training involves learning additional theories and skills besides QuickBooks, it is one of the slowest ways to learn how to use this software. It can take between one and four years to earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in accounting, and one will need to fulfill the school’s requirements in addition to learning QuickBooks. This can still be a useful option for those wanting to work professionally in accounting or finance, though it is not the best way to learn only QuickBooks.

Part-Time Vs. Full-Time

Enrolling in a full-time QuickBooks class will almost always allow one to learn QuickBooks faster than enrolling in a part-time class. However, those with busy schedules or who want to slow down their training pace should consider part-time QuickBooks classes. Outside of on-demand classes, taking a part-time class is the best way for someone with a full-time job or other commitments like childcare or pet care to complete structured QuickBooks training. Select professional training centers, like Noble Desktop, or some community colleges and technical schools are one’s best options for finding part-time instructor-led QuickBooks classes. To make them even more accessible, part-time classes are often scheduled in the evenings or on weekends, as well.

How to Learn QuickBooks Effectively

There are various effective and accessible methods to learn how to use QuickBooks. These include:

QuickBooks Training: Intuit offers QuickBooks training for both beginners and advanced users of the software, covering the online and desktop versions. The training also includes accounting and payroll basics. Users can opt for either self-paced online video training or classroom lessons.
QuickBooks Tutorials: Intuit's QuickBooks Tutorials offer free and brief tutorial videos on various tasks. These tutorials cover a broad range of QuickBooks functions, including invoicing, sales, taxes, inventory, and accounting.
QuickBooks Learning Center: Accessible through the Help menu in the program, the QuickBooks Learning Center provides PDF guides, quick learning modules, and enables you to connect with other users through the learning portal.
Udemy: Udemy, an online learning platform, provides QuickBooks training for users of all levels, from beginners to experts. They offer specialized courses like "QuickBooks Payroll - QuickBooks Online" and "QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop."

Benefits of QuickBooks Training and Certification

QuickBooks training can equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively use the software for personal or business financial management. It can also enhance your resume and open up job opportunities in fields that require knowledge of QuickBooks. No prior knowledge is required to take QuickBooks training. Our courses are designed for all levels of expertise, from beginners to advanced users. Our experienced instructors will guide you through the fundamentals and help you build a strong foundation in using QuickBooks effectively.

QuickBooks certification is definitely worth it if you want to stand out in the job market or enhance your financial management skills. Earning a QuickBooks certification demonstrates your proficiency, making you more attractive to employers seeking skilled bookkeepers, accountants, and financial managers. Certified QuickBooks users often have an edge in securing roles in small businesses, accounting firms, and as freelance bookkeepers. Certification can lead to better job opportunities, higher earning potential, and the confidence to manage finances effectively.

Career Opportunities with QuickBooks Skills

Learning QuickBooks opens the door to various job opportunities in accounting, bookkeeping, and financial management. With QuickBooks proficiency, you can qualify for roles such as bookkeeper, accounts payable/receivable clerk, payroll specialist, office manager, and small business accountant. Many small to medium-sized businesses use QuickBooks, making this skill highly marketable. Additionally, freelancers and consultants can use QuickBooks to manage multiple clients, further expanding their career opportunities.

tags: #how #long #to #learn #quickbooks