Intuit QuickBooks launches QuickBooks Online Accountant in more than 170 countries around the world

In a world first, the launch of the cloud-based financial management software is free to accounting professionals around the globe.

Dubai, UAE – 10 May 2023

Intuit QuickBooks today announces global free access to QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA), enabling accounting professionals in 170 countries to move to the cloud faster, scale their practices and bring more value to their clients and the wider economy.

Accounting professionals make a huge contribution to the economy at a local, regional and global level, working as trusted business partners to the SMB community, which represents 90% of businesses and accounts for 70% of employment globally^[1].

But their impact could be even bigger, as QuickBooks research suggests accountants are now busier than ever. Four out of 10 (43%) report they have more than 40 clients – and 86% are looking to technology to help them be more efficient and better meet client needs.

QBOA addresses this by enabling accountants to manage their practice workflow, client interactions and billing all in one place. Developed with a select group of accountants globally over the past 12 months, QBOA is a refined suite of benefits to help professional accountants move to the cloud faster and drive greater efficiency and scalability of their firms.

Access to real time insights from anywhere in the world puts professional accountants at the heart of driving informed business decisions that could positively increase small business survival rates – currently, only 51.6% of U.S. small businesses survive beyond the first five years^[2].

Intuit serves more than 100 million customers worldwide and is one of the biggest software companies in the world, with Intuit QuickBooks now the first provider in the market to deliver at this scale for the accounting profession.

Lars Leber, Vice President of Intuit QuickBooks Australia, said: “Small businesses form a vital component of economic growth in the UAE^[3]. Backed by government support and new legislation like the upcoming Small Business Relief Law, the number of small businesses in the region is set to boom – with the need for skilled accountants growing just as rapidly. Providing accountants with the ability to efficiently manage customers from one easy-to-use platform will therefore have a huge impact in the region. With just a Wi-Fi connection required, the global roll out of QBOA will create a positive effect for accounts and the SME owners they support, not only in the UAE, but around the world.”

Global trends and technological advancements are transforming the world of work and reshaping the future of the accountancy profession, increasingly shifting demand towards more strategic and analytical roles^[4]. The UAE has one of the most liberal trade regimes in the Gulf region and attracts strong capital flows from across the region.^[5] Additionally, the UAE’s Ministry of Finance has raised the minimum threshold for corporate tax from $100,000 (AED375,000) to $816,000 (AED3 million) for small and micro businesses, startups and freelancers, while Small Business Relief Law is intended to support startups and other small or micro businesses by reducing their corporate tax burden, and where an accounting professional can provide support. The law will go into effect at the beginning of June 2023, and continue until the end of December 2026^[6]. Accountants will be key to helping fuel local business and economic prosperity.

QuickBooks Online Accountant benefits professional accountants anywhere in the world – through the following set of features:

• Singular login and dashboard view of real-time and historic client data, current projects and deadlines;
• Automated transactions and specific rules classifying data, minimizing manual data entries and reducing risk of errors;
• Options to use workflows to send reminders to the right people at the right time and automate common tasks –invaluable for bookkeepers in busiest periods of the year;
• Integrated apps providing functionality that spans reporting, inventory management, expense management, payroll, eCommerce;
• Predictive AI-based ability to estimate income tax/VAT contributions, support self-assessment filings with automated breakdown of earnings and tax-deductible expense.

Assisted QuickBooks Online Accountant onboarding for accountant professionals and bookkeepers is free, via a Zoom session, and is focused on new clients who are new to QuickBooks, as well as any existing clients that aren’t actively using QuickBooks. It’s a hands-on, “Do-It-With-Me” session.

To celebrate the launch of the QBOA global edition, limited time only pricing bundles have also been announced. To help accountants get their small business clients started on QuickBooks online, for just the next three months, the one-dollar subscription deal will be active. One dollar (or country currency equivalent), per month, per file. The deal is available in all countries, to further support digital expansion for all accountants.

Local developers can now publish apps as part of the QuickBooks Global App Store – to include payroll, payments, inventory and purpose-built applications for specific regions – to integrate with QuickBooks. For more information and information on how to access the free QuickBooks Online Accountant platform please visit here. 

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[1] World Economic Forum White Paper “Future Readiness of SMEs: Mobilizing the SME Sector to Drive Widespread Sustainability and Prosperity” published 30 November 2021: https://www.weforum.org/whitepapers/future-readiness-of-smes-mobilizing-the-sme-sector-to-drive-widespread-sustainability-and-prosperity

[2] The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994-2022: https://www.bls.gov/bdm/us_age_naics_00_table7.txt

[3] PWC, ‘Doing Business in the UAE’ report: www.pwc.de/de/internationale-maerkte/assets/doing-business-in-the-uae.pdf 

[4] ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) “Future ready: accountancy careers in the 2020s” report. Link: https://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/ACCA_Global/professional-insights/FutureReady2020s/JamieLyon.FutureCareersAccoutancy2020s.summary.pdf

[5] PWC, ‘Doing Business in the UAE’ report: www.pwc.de/de/internationale-maerkte/assets/doing-business-in-the-uae.pdf 

[6] Wamda,com, April 2023: https://www.wamda.com/2023/04/uae-raises-tax-threshold-startups#:~:text=The%20UAE’s%20Ministry%20of%20Finance,micro%20businesses%2C%20startups%20and%20freelancers.