More about the New Payroll Certifications

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We told you in our article last week the great news about the new QuickBooks Payroll Certification for QBO ProAdvisors. The new certification preparation is made up of two courses, the QuickBooks Online Payroll course and the Payroll Specialist Fundamentals course. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit more about each of these two courses. Remember, because of the QuickBooks Online and payroll integration component, foundational knowledge of QuickBooks Online is crucial for anyone taking the exam.

QuickBooks Online Payroll course 

Provides in-depth product training of key features to support your clients’ various payroll needs. This course is 4 hours total and is made up of 4 1-hour modules. Each of the modules is composed of multiple lessons ranging from as little as 5-minutes to as much as 18-minutes of self-paced instruction. Each module also includes an optional CPE Assessment to qualify participants for CPE credits.

Module 1 – QuickBooks Online Payroll Subscriptions and setup consists of 6 lessons and an optional 5 question CPE Assessment (to qualify you for 1 CPE credit). The 6 lessons (and self-paced module times) are:

  1. About QBO Payroll (11 minutes)
  2. The Payroll Center (7 minutes)
  3. Setting-up Subscriptions (13 minutes)
  4. Adding Employees to QBO Payroll (10 minutes)
  5. Setting-up Direct-deposits (9 minutes)
  6. Processing Contractor Payments (6 minutes)

Module 2 – Working with QuickBooks Online Payroll consists of 5 lessons and an optional 5 question CPE Assessment (to qualify you for 1 CPE credit). The 5 lessons (and self-paced module times) are:

  1. Your first payroll (6 minutes)
  2. Managing scheduled/unscheduled payrolls (13 minutes)
  3. Payroll automation & calculating overtime (9 minutes)
  4. QBO Payroll and QuickBooks Time (11 minutes)
  5. Voiding/Deleting/Adjusting Paychecks (9 minutes)

Module 3 – Reports and End of Period Activities consists of 6 lessons and an optional 5 question CPE Assessment (to qualify you for 1 CPE credit). The 6 lessons (and self-paced module times) are:

  1. Basic Payroll Reports (6 minutes)
  2. Advanced Payroll Reports (8 minutes)
  3. Reporting After Payroll Processing (11 minutes)
  4. Paying tax, adjusting tax deposits and Filing forms (11 minutes)
  5. Year-end Payroll Activities (9 minutes)
  6. Payroll Profitability (5 minutes)

Module 4 – Advanced Options in QBO Payroll consists of 7 lessons and an optional 5 question CPE Assessment (to qualify you for 1 CPE credit). The 7 lessons (and self-paced module times) are:

  1. Accounting preferences (12 minutes)
  2. Adjusting tax settings (5 minutes)
  3. Banking and direct deposit troubleshooting (15 minutes)
  4. Time-off policies and accrual rates (8 minutes)
  5. Deductions and contributions (18 minutes)
  6. Termination Policies & Procedures (8 minutes)
  7. Tips & gratuities (6 minutes)

Payroll Specialist Fundamentals course 

An overview of Payroll compliance and regulations that will provide any accounting professional new to payroll the foundational knowledge needed to confidently provide payroll services. This course is also 4 hours total, but it is made up of 8 modules of 30 minutes each. Unlike the QuickBooks Online Payroll course, each of the 8 modules in this course are a single lesson and only four of the modules offer CPE credit. The eight modules are:

Module 1 – The Role of the Payroll Specialist (30 minutes)

Module 2 – Worker Classification Types (30 minutes) – 0.5 CPE credits

Module 3 – Compliance for Employees & Employers (30 minutes)

Module 4 – Payroll Records, Tax Forms & Retention (30 minutes) – 0.5 CPE credits

Module 5 - Employee and Employer Taxes (30 minutes)

Module 6 – Payroll Benefits (30 minutes) – 0.5 CPE credits

Module 7 – Voluntary and Involuntary Deductions (30 minutes)

Module 8 – Reporting Requirements (30 minutes) – 0.5 CPE credits

You will find more details in the Firm of the Future blog. Enjoy your studies.