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Transfer clients to your ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing program in QuickBooks Online

by Intuit•30• Updated 3 days ago

Learn how to take over billing for clients who currently pay for their own QuickBooks Online subscription. Or move existing ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing clients from another accounting firm.

In QuickBooks Online Accountant, you can do bookkeeping for firm-billed clients and those who pay for QuickBooks Online on their own. Clients who are part of your firm-billed subscriptions get more long-term savings and peace of mind.

If a client wants to become part of your firm-billed subscriptions and already pays for a subscription, you can transfer their subscription. We'll stop billing your client, add them to your plan, and adjust your charges. Your firm covers the costs and handles billing for them from now on. These subscriptions will be billed to you at the full retail price unless covered by one of these exceptions. We automatically re-apply discounts within 7 business days of the client moving to your firm. We also refund for overcharges.

Moving to a new accountant

A client decides to move from another QuickBooks Online Accountant firm to yours. If you add them to your firm-billed subscriptions within 60 days of when the other firm stops paying for their subscription, they qualify for the ProAdvisor discount.

Firm mergers, required transfers, and accidental removals

Clients can keep their current discounts if you move their QuickBooks Online Accountant file for reasons like mergers, business changes, damaged files, accidental removal, or reaching client limits.

Note: 

  • ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing replaced the wholesale discount program for new subscriptions added on or after July 15, 2021.
  • Payroll free trials don't apply to ProAdvisor discount units.

If your clients pay for QuickBooks Online, or still use their prior firm's wholesale or ProAdvisor discount plan, you can move them to your Firm's Billing.

When you add a client with a current QuickBooks Online subscription to ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing program, we bill them at the standard rate with no promotional discounts. Your firm covers the costs and billing for them from now on.

Take over billing for a client

If you can’t move a client to the ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing, check the Eligible to Transfer column. These are the most frequent messages we see.

  • No (permission needed) - The Primary Admin needs to grant permission to the Accountant to take over their billing.
  • No (different Billing system) - A service attached to the company makes it ineligible to transfer, like QB Live, Form Fly, or 1099 efile.
  • No (in progress) - Result of an invalid address on either the client or accountant company. The address listed in Account and settings should match how it shows at USPS Address Look-up Zip Code.
  • No (annual billing) - Customers who are on annual billing payments need to switch to monthly billing.

Step 1: Get invited as your client's accountant

If you haven’t already, ask your client to invite you to become their accountant.

Step 2: Get permission to take over billing

Your client needs to give you permission to make the transfer:

  1. Ask your client's primary admin to sign in to QuickBooks Online.
  2. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Subscriptions and billing.
  3. Select the Allow billing transfer to your accountant link.
  4. Select the name of the accounting firm you want to transfer billing to.
  5. Select Allow transfer.

Once your client gives you permission, you have two days to finish the transfer.

If your client changes their mind and you haven't accepted the transfer, they can cancel the request:

  1. Ask your client's primary admin to sign in to QuickBooks Online.
  2. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Subscriptions and billing.
  3. Select the Allow billing transfer to your accountant link.
  4. Next to your firm's name, select Cancel permission.

Step 3: Take over your client’s billing

After your client gives you permission, you can finish the transfer:

Note: If the client's subscription is annual billing, they'll need to change to monthly before the accountant transfers billing to the firm.If a client's subscription is canceled and was previously annual, they'll need to resubscribe, move to monthly, and then transfer the billing to the accountant.

  1. In QuickBooks Online Accountant, go to Settings ⚙ and select Subscriptions and billing.
  2. Select the Your subscriptions tab.
  3. Select Add existing clients.
  4. Select the checkbox for your clients you want to add.
  5. Select Add clients.

If your client is currently part of another QuickBooks Online Accountant firm's wholesale or ProAdvisor discount plan, you can transfer them to yours.

Step 1: Remove the client from the other firm’s discount plan

Ask your client's previous accounting firm to remove them from their wholesale or ProAdvisor discount plan.

As long as you transfer your client within 60 days of being removed, they keep the same discounted rate. Be sure to add the ProAdvisor discount for your client as quickly as possible to avoid any service interruptions.

Step 2: Add the client to your firm

Ask your client to invite you to become their accountant.

Step 3: Get permission to take over billing

Your client needs to give you permission to make the transfer:

  1. Ask your client's primary admin to sign in to QuickBooks Online.
  2. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Subscriptions and billing.
  3. Select the Allow billing transfer to your accountant link.
  4. Select the name of the accounting firm you want to transfer billing to.
  5. Select Allow transfer.

Once your client gives you permission, you have two days to finish the transfer.

Step 4: Transfer your client's subscription

  1. In QuickBooks Online Accountant, go to Settings ⚙ and select Subscriptions and billing.
  2. Under the Your subscriptions tab, select Add existing clients and follow the instructions on the screen.

It may take about a week to update the price on your billing statements. If your firm's ProAdvisor discount pricing doesn't change, reach out to our team so we can help.

Note: If your client has the following products, active or canceled, attached to their QuickBooks Online subscription, you can't add them to your ProAdvisor Preferred Pricing program.

  • QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping
  • Quickbooks Online Payroll or Contractor Payments on prior billing systems
  • FormFly
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