Practice Development Articles

Engagements for Training Clients in QuickBooks Financial Software

Intuit ProConnection Really Simple
You can bring these articles to your desktop as soon as they are published.


Already a ProConnection subscriber?
Update your profile and personalize your ProConnection experience.
Update your profile

Not a subscriber yet?
Sign up now for free and start receiving customized newsletters directly to your inbox.
Sign up now

Note: The author is not rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services in this publication. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Also available are two sample engagement letters designed for clients using QuickBooks® financial software: one who needs accounting set up services, and one who needs ongoing accounting services. This month, we'll cover QuickBooks training.

An engagement letter for training is quite a bit different from one for ongoing services or QuickBooks set up. It's important to spell out who is responsible for each task required to conduct a training session. Duties such as securing the room and equipment, notifying the participants, and creating the training materials should be included in the letter as to who is responsible, who pays the expenses, and when it will be complete. Contingencies such as cancellation options should be included in the engagement letter as well.

Three sections of the sample engagement letter need special mention:

What We'll Do. This section describes in detail the program location, participant equipment, audiovisual equipment, content, and more. In the sample letter, the program is a hands-on course, meaning that training PCs will be furnished to each participant. The class size is limited to 12. Please modify this section to your client's specific needs. Be as specific as possible and list the details of each program.

When We'll Do It. This sentence lists program dates and times.

Fees. This paragraph lists program fees. Be sure to include deposit requirements and cancellation penalties. Make it clear who pays for what in terms of expenses such as room rental, equipment fees, and speaker travel. You may want to add a disclaimer about coach air travel or per diem fees if the travel expense is expected to be a large part of the bill.

A sample engagement letter specifically written for QuickBooks training services is provided in Word format. Each word or phrase in bold should be replaced with the appropriate phrase that fits the particular client and project that you're writing the letter for. Be sure to further customize the What We'll Do, What We Need from You, When We'll Do It, and Fees sections. The letter should be provided on the accountant's letterhead, signed, and presented to the client for signature.

Note: You should always check with your own attorney before creating or signing any business contracts. If you're not a CPA, consider asking your attorney his opinion of engagement letters when starting a relationship with a new client. 

• Sample Engagement Letter — Training Clients  Word file (17K)