Start your business
Start your business
Run your business
Run your business
Grow your business
Grow your business
Accountants and Bookkeepers
Accountants and Bookkeepers
- Accountants and Bookkeepers
  Learn how accountants and bookkeepers can be productive in these articles & guides
- Learning and Development
  A range of informative content to enhance your QuickBooks experience.
Updates
Updates
- Product Updates
  Watch this space for monthly product updates.
- Intuit News
  Latest news, articles & guides

Need help choosing a plan?

1800 917 771 Schedule a call

Schedule call

Two people sitting at a table looking at a laptop.

Client Advisory Services 101: What are they? Why should you offer them?

March 20, 2024

In their broadest definition, Client Advisory Services (CAS) are services where a practitioner “develops findings, conclusions, and recommendations for client consideration and decision making.”

Speak to those accountants offering CAS and you’ll find a more practical description, usually along the lines of applying an accountant's deep knowledge about a client’s business to develop insights and strategies to create opportunities that help them grow.

If your accountant’s brain is confused by the breadth of those definitions, you’re not alone! Within that ambiguity lies opportunity. As their most trusted advisor, you are uniquely positioned to have a positive influence on the trajectory of your clients’ businesses. Yes, transaction processing is needed. Yes, compliance services are required. Those are simply foundational pieces. Your clients want and need more.

What do CAS include?

CAS include a wide array of services that depend on the specific needs of each client, including cash flow forecasting, budgeting, technology implementation, industry benchmarking, business valuations, and tax planning. Ultimately, advisory services are any form of advice regularly given to a client in relation to their business.

The list of potential services is as diverse as the specific needs of your client base. Whether it involves pricing, sales, hiring, or expansion, clients are looking for a professional who can explain future-looking forecasts, and help them use that knowledge in their business decisions.

Adding value for clients

Technological changes are upending the industry in many ways. What hasn’t changed is the level of trust small business owners place in their accountants. Through the pandemic, accounting professionals became therapists, coaches, and partners to their clients, helping them navigate the most significant economic downturn they’d ever known.

Clients look to their accountant for answers to questions ranging from how to pay an employee, how cash flow will affect a loan application, and even how to use accounting software. While technology can generate more data and often better information, your clients need you to help them understand that information and apply it in ways that make sense for their business.

Why is now the best time to consider adding CAS?

Working in accounting can be a rewarding endeavour, professionally and personally. If you’re anything like me, you find fulfilment in helping businesses thrive by keeping their financials in order.

Accounting firms have always provided valuable information to their clients through financial statements and tax returns. However, the assembling of this information is becoming more automated and commoditised by the day.

Next-generation accounting tools powered by machine learning are processing transactions and analysing data with greater efficiency, which is devaluing traditional bookkeeping and tax preparation services.

You don’t have to look any further than a recent investment by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in an accounting startup called Pilot ($1.2 billion valuation) to understand that the field of accounting is in the midst of a sea change with far-reaching impacts on firms that serve SMB clients. You may already recognise this trend in subtle ways through conversations with prospective clients who are beginning to care less about how and more about how much.

Client Advisory Services 101: What are they? Why should you offer them?

How does offering CAS benefit firms?

A survey of Australian Small Businesses and their Advisors by Intuit QuickBooks found that many accounting firms are already providing some level of advisory services, from cash flow management to outsourced CFO services, or planning to in coming years.

The survey, published in the SMB Navigator Report, found that over half (52%) of Australia’s accounting practices are already offering strategic tax structuring and planning, with an additional 8% planning to.

64% of practices are either already offering or planning to offer business performance reporting and forecasting, and 60% either already offer or are planning to offer business or strategic planning advice.

Advisory services offer the perfect opportunity to move from hourly billing to value-based pricing.

The SMB Navigator Report showed that business owners who view their accountant

as a key strategic partner – often driven by their ability to support the business owner’s emotional needs by reducing anxiety, stress, and creating clarity over financial results and decisions – are significantly more likely to feel like they’re receiving value for money.

83% of businesses who see their accountant as a key strategic partner said they “definitely” feel they get value for money for the services their accountant provides.”

The future of accounting firms is clear: Advisory services present a huge opportunity for accountants to develop deeper, more valuable, and profitable relationships with their clients. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to prepare and launch these services.

Learn more about Client Advisory Services

Building your Client Advisory Services offering is about people, processes, and technology. Download our Grow Your Firm CAS eBook to learn more, or read more about these elements in our client advisory services series:

People

Processes

Firm operations

To niche or not to niche: That is the question

accountants and bookkeepers

15 marketing tools to retain your clients

April 14, 2023

A person sitting at a desk with a laptop computer.

accountants and bookkeepers

Update your tech stack and beat the tax time blues

June 1, 2023

A cell phone with a picture of a person on it.

Growing a business

Leverage AI for business growth and success

April 26, 2024

Looking for something else?

Get QuickBooks

Smart features made for your business. We've got you covered.

See how it works

Help Me Choose

Use our product selector to find the best accounting software for you.

Choose your product

QuickBooks Support

Get help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more.

Start learning

Stay up-to-date with the latest small business insights and trends!

Want more? Visit our tools and templates!

First Name*

Email*

What best describes you?*

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms and privacy policy.

- - QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time. Prices are in AUD and include GST. See our Terms of Service for further information.
  - Pricing: All prices are in AUD and include GST.
  - ProAdvisor Program: Please find the terms of our ProAdvisor program here.
  - 75% off for 6 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 75% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 6 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 6 months. From month 7, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 50% off for 12 months: For new subscribers, enjoy a 50% discount off the current monthly retail price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will applied from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 3 months (Advanced): For new subscribers to QuickBooks Online Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for the first 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will apply from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 12 months (Advanced): For new subscribers to QuickBooks Online Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for the first 12 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will apply from the date of your enrolment and will continue for 12 months. From month 13, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - 30% off for 3 months (existing subscribers): For existing QuickBooks subscribers who upgrade to QuickBooks Online Essentials, Plus or Advanced, enjoy a 30% discount off the current monthly retail price for 3 months of your subscription (Offer). The discount will be applied from the date you upgrade in-product and will continue for 3 months. From month 4, you will be charged the then current monthly retail price for your subscription. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll and QuickBooks Time services and prices are not eligible for any discount and will be invoiced separately according to your usage on a monthly basis during your subscription. Intuit reserves the right to request information to verify the eligibility of a purchaser of the Offer. Acceptance of such verification information is at the reasonable discretion of Intuit, which may revoke the Offer and impose a monthly cost for the subscription at the then current retail prices, at any time if it considers the purchaser is ineligible for the Offer.
  - Free Trial: First thirty (30) days of subscription to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll (including QuickBooks Advanced Payroll), starting from the date of enrolment, is free. During the free trial, you may pay any number of employees using QuickBooks Payroll free of charge. To continue using QuickBooks after your 30-day trial, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorisation and you'll be charged monthly at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected.
  - QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero: Payroll services are offered by a third party, Employment Hero. QuickBooks Payroll is only accessible via QuickBooks Online subscriptions. You will be charged $5.00 (incl. GST) per month for each ‘active employee’ paid using QuickBooks Payroll. An ‘active employee’ is one who has been paid at least once in the billing month. For Advanced Payroll, there is an additional monthly subscription fee of $10 (incl GST). Pricing, terms and conditions, including service options, are subject to change.
  * Employment Hero was voted the leading payroll solution for SMBs <50 employees (Australian Payroll Association 2021 Payroll Benchmarking Study)
  - Customer support: Call or chat to an expert for QuickBooks Online Accountant, QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential, Plus, and Advanced or use in-product QB Assistant and chat for QuickBooks Self-Employed. You'll also find useful resources in the QuickBooks Community.
  - Compatible Devices: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll require a computer with Internet Explorer 10, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari 6 and an Internet connection (a high-speed connection is recommended). The QuickBooks Online mobile app works with iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll are accessible on mobile browsers on iOS, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Devices sold separately; data plan required. QuickBooks Payroll cannot be used on the mobile apps. Not all features are available on the mobile apps and mobile browser. QuickBooks Online mobile access is included with your QuickBooks Online subscription at no additional cost. Data access is subject to cellular/internet provider network availability and occasional downtime due to system and server maintenance and events beyond your control. Product registration required.
  - Get paid faster: Get paid 2.5x faster invoicing with PayPal
  * PayPal and QuickBooks customers get paid on average in less than 5 days, which is over 7 days faster than the average for invoices that get paid with other payment methods. Data is for paid invoices that were created in QuickBooks in Australia between 23.05.22 and 23.11.22
  - Tax deductions: Tax deductions not guaranteed due to being subject to user data entry errors. Mileage calculation provided by the Australia Taxation Office - 85 cents per kilometre for the 2023-2024 income year. To a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres per car (Deductions are only applicable to cars)
  - Customer Service Awards: Excellence in Customer Service Award at the CX Australia Awards 2022
  - Multiple file discount: Multiple file discount applies to QuickBooks Australia customers only and valid when signing up for more than one QuickBooks Online subscription in one order. Further terms and conditions available here. Not applicable to QuickBooks Self Employed.
  - Reviews: GetApp, Capterra, Google Play Store, Apple App Store reviews as at date 08/01/24.
  - Cost per day claim: Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $25 per month and a 31 day month.
  - Cost per day claim (annual): Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $270 per year and a 365 day year.
  - Annual Billing: You may pay for your QuickBooks Online subscription on an annual, upfront basis to enjoy a discount on the current fees. If you use QuickBooks Payroll powered by Employment Hero, your payroll costs will still be charged monthly to your nominated payment method in accordance with your usage as set out here. If you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription within the pre-paid 12 month period, you will not be eligible for a refund, but will retain full access to your QuickBooks Online subscription for the remainder of the 12-month period. Unless cancelled by you prior, your annual subscription will auto-renew on the 12 month anniversary of your sign-up date using the billing details you have given us. Discounts, prices, terms and conditions are subject to change.
  - Over 7 million customers: Based on number of global QB customers (ecosystem) (7.1m) worldwide as of October 2022.
  - Free Onboarding: Applicable to Buy Now subscriptions on QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans. Not available for QuickBooks Self-Employed.
  - Save Hours: Save up to an average of 29 hours per month with QuickBooks.
  - * Based on a survey conducted by Intuit Australia Pty Ltd in September 2022. Time saving is in comparison to previous accounting method, based on 184 responses from customers that saw time savings.
  - Get access to QuickBooks Tax: ***Access QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT, by becoming a member of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Program (it’s free to join). Find out more about the ProAdvisor Program here, including the terms of the QuickBooks Tax offer in the Program here.
  - QuickBooks Time Disclaimers & Offers for Australia: For Important pricing offers and disclaimers with further information, please see here.
  - *Full terms and conditions for access to QuickBooks Tax, powered by LodgeiT as part of the the Proadvisor Program can be found here. QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time.
  - **Intuit conducted a study involving 56 interviews with accountants and bookkeepers who used Books Review for BAS preparation between March to December 2021 and found that when using Books Review, participants reduced the time spent preparing their clients BAS Reports by around 40%.
  - Our Terms of Service apply to all QuickBooks Online subscriptions. Please review them carefully.