Switch · From QuickBooks Live
Switching from QuickBooks Live to an independent ProAdvisor.
QuickBooks Live is Intuit’s own bundled bookkeeping assistance, layered inside QuickBooks Online. If you’ve decided you want a named, consistent Certified ProAdvisor instead of a vendor-bundled team, the switch is easier than most people expect — you stay in the same QuickBooks file, and we simply become your accountant user. This page is for the decided switcher: the move, the offer, and what changes. Independent firm, not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
Intuit certifications
Every engagement is reviewed by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor (QuickBooks Online Level 2, Payroll) — verification on request. Intuit’s ProAdvisor program becomes ProPartner Accountants in early 2027; the certifications continue.
Switching from QuickBooks Live, in five questions.
What does “switching from QuickBooks Live” mean?
It means moving your bookkeeping from Intuit’s bundled in-product service to an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor who works in your own QuickBooks file. QuickBooks Live is Intuit’s own assisted-bookkeeping help inside QuickBooks Online; an independent firm is a separate accountant you choose and keep. Your QuickBooks file and data stay where they are — we’re added as your accountant user.
Is it hard to switch from QuickBooks Live?
No — it’s one of the simplest switches in accounting because nothing migrates. You stay in the same QuickBooks Online file you already use; we’re added as your accountant user, review the current state, and take over the monthly work. There’s no data export, no rebuild, and no gap in your history.
Why do businesses switch off QuickBooks Live?
The reasons we hear most: they want a Certified ProAdvisor they chose and can hold accountable rather than a service tier inside the software vendor; they need scope the bundled service does not cover — payroll administration, multi-state sales tax, historical reconstruction, advisory — even though Intuit’s Full Service tier now includes a dedicated bookkeeper and an initial cleanup (Intuit’s page, September 9, 2026); and they want a relationship that survives the vendor’s next restructure. QuickBooks Live suits some businesses fine — this is for those who want independent depth.
Will I lose my QuickBooks data if I switch?
No. Your QuickBooks file, history, and transactions stay exactly where they are — switching to an independent ProAdvisor doesn’t move or delete anything. We’re simply added to your existing file as the accountant user. Your Intuit subscription and login also stay yours; those remain between you and Intuit.
What does it cost to switch to an independent ProAdvisor?
We start with a free file review so we can see the current state before scoping. From there, ongoing monthly bookkeeping is a fixed monthly fee based on your volume and complexity, and a one-time cleanup — if the books are behind — runs $1,500–$15,000+. You get a written scope before any work begins. Independent firm.
Switching from QuickBooks Live means moving your bookkeeping from Intuit’s bundled in-product assistance to an independent Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor who works inside your own QuickBooks file. QuickBooks Live is Intuit’s own service — the help is provided by Intuit’s team within QuickBooks Online. The switch itself is simple: your QuickBooks file and your data stay exactly where they are; we’re added as your accountant user, take over the monthly work, and you get one named ProAdvisor you chose — an independent firm, accountable to you, instead of a service tier inside the software vendor. Most businesses switch for a consistent point of contact, deeper cleanup and advisory beyond the bundled scope, and a relationship that isn’t tied to the software vendor.
Reference maintained by the Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor team at TechBrot Inc., an independent firm — not Intuit, and not QuickBooks Live. Not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
What “switching from QuickBooks Live” actually means.
QuickBooks Live is Intuit’s own assisted-bookkeeping offering, bundled into QuickBooks Online — the bookkeeping help comes from Intuit’s team, inside the software you already pay Intuit for. Intuit has adjusted its assisted-bookkeeping offerings over time; whatever the current form, the defining trait is the same: the service is part of the software vendor, not a separate firm you choose and keep.
Switching to an independent ProAdvisor means handing the monthly books to a named, outside firm instead. The mechanics are deliberately simple: your QuickBooks file, your history, and your data do not move — you stay in the exact same file. We’re added as your accountant user, take over the recurring bookkeeping, and you deal with one consistent Certified ProAdvisor you selected — not a tier Intuit can reshape (its Full Service tier does assign a dedicated bookkeeper, per Intuit’s page on September 9, 2026; the difference is who the relationship belongs to). To be fair: QuickBooks Live suits some businesses perfectly well, especially when the books are simple and the bundled scope is enough. This page is for the businesses that have decided they want independent depth and a relationship that isn’t owned by the software vendor.
Why businesses move off QuickBooks Live.
QuickBooks Live works for some — but these are the reasons we hear most from businesses that decide to switch to an independent ProAdvisor.
You want a ProAdvisor you chose, not a tier you bought
On Intuit’s own page (checked September 9, 2026) the Full Service tier does promise a dedicated bookkeeper; the lighter Expert Assisted tier is on-demand experts answering questions. What neither is, is a firm you selected, can hold accountable directly, and keep regardless of what Intuit does to the tier next. Businesses switch when they want the accountant relationship to belong to them, with a published scoping commitment in writing.
You need depth beyond the bundled scope
The bundled service is built around core monthly bookkeeping inside QuickBooks Online, and Intuit does offer a one-time Expert Cleanup and an initial cleanup on Full Service. What it does not cover is payroll administration, multi-state and local sales tax, historical reconstruction across years, Desktop or Enterprise files, or advisory on how the numbers should be structured — and Intuit’s bookkeepers cannot prepare, file, or advise on taxes. An independent firm can take the file as deep as it needs to go and coordinate with your CPA.
You want a relationship that isn’t tied to the vendor
With a bundled service the bookkeeping is part of the software you buy from Intuit. Some businesses prefer their accountant to be independent of the software vendor — a separate firm they chose, can hold accountable directly, and keep regardless of subscription changes.
You want direct, accountable contact
Switchers often tell us they want to email or call one person who already knows their file, rather than re-explaining context each time. An independent ProAdvisor is reachable directly and carries the history of your books in their head, not just in a ticket.
Your books outgrew “keep it tidy”
As a business grows, bookkeeping turns into decisions: how to structure the chart of accounts, how to handle classes or locations, how to get the books ready for tax or financing. That advisory layer is where many businesses decide they want a named professional rather than a bundled service.
You simply want to choose your accountant
For some owners it’s straightforward — they’d rather pick their own bookkeeper, on their own terms, than use the one bundled with the software. Switching to an independent ProAdvisor puts that choice back in your hands while keeping QuickBooks exactly as it is.
How the switch from QuickBooks Live works.
Six steps, in order. You keep your QuickBooks file the whole way — nothing migrates, nothing gets rebuilt from scratch.
Book a discovery call
Start with a short call so we understand your business, where the books stand, and what you want from an independent ProAdvisor. There’s no obligation — the goal is to confirm we’re the right fit before anything moves.
Get a free file review
We look at your existing QuickBooks file as-is to see the current state — how the books are kept, what’s clean, and what (if anything) needs catching up. This is how we scope honestly instead of quoting blind.
Receive a written scope and fixed fee
Based on the review, you get a written scope: ongoing monthly bookkeeping at a fixed monthly fee, plus a one-time cleanup quote if the books are behind. You decide with the numbers in front of you, before any work starts.
Add us as your accountant user
When you’re ready, you invite us into your existing QuickBooks Online file as the accountant user — a built-in QuickBooks role. Nothing is exported, nothing is rebuilt, and your data and history stay exactly where they are.
We take over the monthly work
You let QuickBooks Live go on your own timeline, and we pick up the recurring bookkeeping — categorization, reconciliation, and the monthly close — in the same file you’ve always used. Your one named ProAdvisor runs it from here.
Settle into the relationship
From the first close on, you have a consistent point of contact who knows your file. If a cleanup was part of the scope, we complete it first so the ongoing books start from accurate numbers, then keep them current month after month.
Signs you want an independent ProAdvisor instead.
You keep re-explaining your business
If your interactions with the bundled service start with context you have already given — more likely on the on-demand Expert Assisted tier than on Full Service, which Intuit says assigns a dedicated bookkeeper — that’s the clearest sign you want a named ProAdvisor who already knows your file and stays your contact month after month.
You need more than the books kept tidy
When your questions have moved from “is it categorized” to “how should this be structured,” “are we ready for tax or financing,” or “help me clean up a real backlog,” you’ve outgrown a bundled scope and want an independent firm with depth.
You want your accountant separate from the software
If it matters to you that your bookkeeper is independent of the software vendor — a firm you chose, can hold accountable directly, and keep regardless of subscription changes — that’s the signal to switch to an independent Certified ProAdvisor.
Ready to switch from QuickBooks Live?
Book a discovery call and we’ll walk the move with you. You keep your QuickBooks file; we’re added as your accountant user. Start with a free file review — ongoing monthly bookkeeping is fixed-fee, and a one-time cleanup (if the books are behind) runs $1,500–$15,000+. Independent firm.
One named Certified ProAdvisor, in your own file.
The difference a switch buys you isn’t the software — it’s who’s behind it. Instead of a service tier inside Intuit’s product — a dedicated bookkeeper on Full Service, on-demand experts on Expert Assisted — you get a named Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor with active QuickBooks Online (Level 2) certification who learns your business, owns the monthly close, and is reachable directly. The work happens in your own QuickBooks file against a written scope, and the relationship is yours — it doesn’t move with a software subscription. Independent firm — not Intuit, not QuickBooks Live; an Intuit account, subscription, or billing matter stays with Intuit.
Same file
you keep your QuickBooks file — nothing migrates
Free
file review first — we look before we scope
Independent
Certified ProAdvisor firm — not Intuit, not QuickBooks Live
What people ask about switching from QuickBooks Live.
Are you QuickBooks Live or Intuit?
What is QuickBooks Live, exactly?
Is switching from QuickBooks Live difficult?
Will I lose my data or have to start a new QuickBooks file?
Why would I switch off QuickBooks Live?
What changes day to day after I switch?
How much does it cost to switch to an independent ProAdvisor?
Should I compare you to QuickBooks Live before deciding?
Decided you want an independent ProAdvisor?
Keep your file. Change who runs the books.
You don’t migrate data or rebuild anything — your QuickBooks file stays put and we’re added as your accountant user. Start with a free file review so we can see the current state and scope honestly; from there ongoing monthly bookkeeping is fixed-fee, and a one-time cleanup (if the books are behind) runs $1,500–$15,000+. Written scope before any work begins.