Desktop ProAdvisor Categorical Award Changes for 2026

When the ProAdvisor Awards were created, one categorical award recognized QuickBooks Desktop ProAdvisors, and another recognized QuickBooks Online ProAdvisors. That practice continued through 2022.

Based on the scoring measures, ProAdvisors primarily supporting Desktop Enterprise had a distinct advantage over ProAdvisors only supporting Desktop Pro or Premier. Enterprise-focused ProAdvisors typically had 'more clients', 'larger clients', 'offered more services', and had a 'greater diversity of services' than non-Enterprise Desktop ProAdvisors.

In 2023, structural changes in the categorical alignment and makeup of the awards made it possible to recognize a QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise in addition to the QuickBooks Desktop awards. The two awards were part of the 2024 and 2025 awards structure.

With Intuit no longer selling QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier to new customers and with the growing number of Pro and Premier users migrating to either QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise or one of the QuickBooks Online products, the 2025 ProAdvisor Application data revealed a significant decline in both the number of ProAdvisors supporting Pro and Premier and the number of clients being supported on Pro and Premier.  Regarding the ProAdvisors participating in the ProAdvisor Awards, those continuing to actively support desktop users are primarily focused on QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise. 

As a result, Insightful Accountant is officially announcing that the QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise categorical awards are being combined for the 2026 ProAdvisor Awards cycle, which will commence this July.  This does not mean that scoring criteria, as in the past, for QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier, will not be a part of the scoring factors for the consolidated Desktop ProAdvisor Award category for 2026. It simply expands the total available points within the single category by the previous point factors in each prior category. 

Again, this change is being made to more closely align with the actual participation by U.S. ProAdvisors, as evidenced by the 2025 Award Applications submitted.  

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does this mean a ProAdvisor must possess a valid QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise certification to qualify for the 2026 Desktop ProAdvisor category?  No, a ProAdvisor who holds either the QuickBooks Online Level 1, QuickBooks Online Level 2, or the QuickBooks Desktop certification can qualify for consideration1; however, as with many other award categories, the more training and certifications a ProAdvisor holds related to a category, the higher their training and certification scoring factors will be. 

You didn't mention the QuickBooks Desktop 3rd-party Integration Award. Is it being eliminated, too?  NO, the QuickBooks Desktop Integrations Award category is not being eliminated or changed in any way for 2026. That award category will continue to recognize Desktop ProAdvisors who focus on integrating third-party software and applications with any QuickBooks Desktop products. 

Will the Desktop ProAdvisor Awards category be eliminated in 2027?  Insightful Accountant has no reason to believe that the QuickBooks Desktop category will be dropped from the award categories recognized as part of the 2027 ProAdvisor Awards. As long as ProAdvisors continue supporting Desktop products, it's reasonable to assume that the Desktop Award category will continue to be recognized. 

Thanks to our ProAdvisor Awards Sponsors.  For more information about our sponsors, or to request contact by a sponsor, head over to our ProAdvisor Awards Sponsor landing page. 

Footnote and Disclosures:

Footnote(s):

1 - as long as they meet the other established minimum criteria for the U.S. ProAdvisor Awards. 

Disclosures: 

_{As used herein, QuickBooks^®, QuickBooks Desktop Pro and Premier, and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Suite refer to one or more registered trademarks of Intuit^® Inc., a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Mountain View, California.}

_{This is an editorial feature, not sponsored content. The article is provided solely for informational and educational purposes.}

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