Sometimes accountants need a little bit of community. The job requires the constant application of judicious thinking, adherence to complicated rules, and more knowledge than is sometimes available on one of the company’s smaller teams. For those occasions, online forums are a good place to go. But accountants aren’t typically the chattiest group of people. Finding a place to chat with fellow accountants can be tough, whether you're a financial leader or an accountant just starting out in your career.Look no further. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best five forums for accounting professionals looking to bounce ideas off of people or informally seek expertise. Forums are ranked on the frequency and quality of the posts.
5 Best Accounting Discussion Forums
1. Proformative
Since being acquired by Argyle Executive Forum in 2016, the community at Proformative.com has established itself as the premier online destination for accounting and finance professionals to talk shop. Accounting discussion topics include cash management, technology, strategy, budgeting and forecasting, risk management and more. The community is active and knowledgeable, and the forum is well moderated. Head here for everything from philosophical questions (“What’s the best way for me to go into investment banking?”) to tactical advice (“What accounts payable software do you use?”).Added bonus: Proformative also holds live, CPE credited webinars.
2. Accountant Forums
Surprise: AccountantForums.com is a great place to talk about accounting on the internet. The site divides its conversation into two main categories: Accountancy and Taxes. The tone tends to keep fairly professional—even the “Off Topic Lounge” contains threads like “Partnership Tax Preparation” and “Accounting Jokes.” You’ll find a sizable accounting community here capable of fielding technical questions.
3. Reddit Accounting
“The front page of the internet” is good for more than just spreading memes. Reddit is also host to r/Accounting, the best place to go if you want to engage in some very human conversation with accountants about the daily travails and dilemmas of accounting life. This subreddit is great because it ranges from professional leaning topics to humorous memes and unabashed water-cooler chats. “Worst audit rooms you’ve sat in?” has some funny stories.
4. AccountingWEB
The community at AccountingWEB has a more unique format than your typical internet forum. Users are able to submit entire blog posts and watch the discussion between other CPAs unfold in the comments section. It’s a good way for freelance accountants—or anyone else looking to elevate their profile in the accounting industry—to contribute thought leadership pieces and see responses in real time.
5. Intuit ProConnect
In 2016, Intuit launched ProConnect to roll a number of its software products into one brand. The community it built under the ProConnect umbrella serves largely as a peer-to-peer help resource for Intuit products, but it has also expanded into an all-purpose forum that is a fantastic resource for highly technical SMB accounting questions. Experienced accountants might find these topics lower-level, but for someone managing the finances of their small business, Intuit’s forum might have just the answers they need.
Honorable Mention: LinkedIn Groups
Conspicuously absent from this list are the innumerable LinkedIn groups that feature lots of good content but little peer banter. LinkedIn groups are good places to find interesting thought leadership and trending topics, but as much for technical accounting discussion.Two other accounting specific forums warrant mentioning:
- TaxProTalk, which is a great accountant-only resource that simply has less volume than some other forums.
- AAT Discussion Forums, which would easily earn a spot on our list if it were focused on more than just UK accountancy.
The five sites listed above are great resources for accountants who want to chat about anything from technical questions to musings about their accounting careers in a forum of peers. They’re places for a diverse range of accounting professionals to gather, blow off steam, and help one another out. If you have any to add, leave them in the comments below!