Bookkeeper Job Description, Skills, Experience and Education

When it comes to bookkeeping, some business owners choose to manage those tasks themselves. You may not mind balancing the books and handling financial transactions, and software like QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks and Xero can automate a significant amount of this work. But as your business expands, bringing on a bookkeeper can alleviate your workload and free up your time to devote to other areas of the business. As your business grows to include more customers, vendors and employees, keeping track of your finances on your own becomes more challenging.

Those who prove their knowledge, learn on the job or attend school while working as bookkeepers may progress into an accountancy role. It can be difficult to gauge the appropriate time to hire an accounting professional or bookkeeper ― or to determine if you need one at all. While many small businesses hire an accountant as a consultant, you have several options for handling financial tasks.

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Accountants rely on the accuracy of the financial information provided by the bookkeeper or business owner to do their job well. Their financial analyses and strategies are only as good as the data they’re provided with. This is the master file where they record or post, and keep track of sales and expenses.

The freelance writer likely invoices once per month or as a project is completed, and has relatively few expenses to add to their bookkeeping records. At the same time, the number of predicted bookkeeping job openings per year over that period is 197,600. Compare this to the expected 136,400 annual openings for accountants and auditors (BLS, September 2022).

Whether you outsource the work to a professional bookkeeper or do it yourself, you’ll be able to reap a variety of benefits. Crucially, accountants are also a useful port of call when it comes to any tax-related queries you may have. Equally, even once your business is established, accountants can help provide advice when it comes to business expansion and tax matters relating to a large asset acquisition.

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The level of complexity of the position is not relatively high; however, it does require keen attention to detail. Yet, their work is crucial in providing accountants with the information they need to be able to do so. Your business’s accounting needs might not require the in-depth expertise of a hired professional. You might also be watching your company’s list of expenses and wondering where to reduce spending. In either case, consider handling the accounting yourself or delegating this responsibility to one or a few of your current employees. A CIA is an accountant who has been certified in conducting internal audits.

To receive this certification, an accountant must pass the required exams and have two years of professional experience. A bookkeeper with professional certification shows they are committed to the trade, possess the skills and expertise required and are willing to continue learning new methods and techniques. This content is for information purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or tax advice, or a substitute for obtaining such advice specific to your business. No assurance is given that the information is comprehensive in its coverage or that it is suitable in dealing with a customer’s particular situation.

Now that you’ve decided you need to hire a financial pro, here are a few tips for ensuring you hire the right person. Close your clients’ monthly books with increased accuracy and in less time with new month-end review. Quickly assess your clients’ business performance and benchmark them against similar companies, for custom, actionable insights. Manage everything from one place with accountant-only features for greater efficiency and insight.

What Does a Bookkeeper Do?

Intuit Inc. does not have any responsibility for updating or revising any information presented herein. Accordingly, the information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent research. Intuit Inc. does not warrant what are direct materials that the material contained herein will continue to be accurate nor that it is completely free of errors when published. But if you have the time to dedicate to updating your books regularly, doing your own bookkeeping may be feasible.

Accounting is the umbrella term for all processes related to recording a business’s financial transactions, whereas bookkeeping is an integral part of the accounting process. Bookkeeping is the process of tracking and recording a business’s financial transactions. These business activities are recorded based on the company’s accounting principles and supporting documentation.

Forensic Accountant

They take the outputs from accountants and deliver them to the appropriate stakeholders. Controllers are another stop-gap to make sure that reports are accurate. With that being said, as time progresses, it is becoming increasingly the case that accountants hold at least a bachelor’s degree. In many cases, they also have a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Accountancy. The first people to be able to recognize whether or not this is happening is a bookkeeper. As such, their role is very important to ensure that businesses are functioning properly.

When you’re running a small business, it can be difficult to know who to turn to for help with your finances. As the terms « bookkeeper » and « accountant » are often used interchangeably by the general public, business owners can understandably become confused about which one they actually need. Accountants take the information that your bookkeeper compiles and use it, along with their broad knowledge of financial topics, to give you advice on your business’s finances. Missing vital tax deadlines and being forced to pay penalties and fees are other signs that you may need to outsource your business’s day-to-day bookkeeping tasks to a professional. It might be time to hire a bookkeeper if you find that your business’s financials are becoming overwhelming for you to track on your own.

You’ll also explore how to become one and find suggested cost-effective courses that can help you gain job-relevant skills today. The records reported by the bookkeeper will determine the accountant’s advice to leadership, and ultimately, the health of the business overall. Accounting is the process of keeping financials for a company by recording, summarizing, analyzing, advising and reporting.

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As a business leader, you should have a good idea of which professionals best suit the needs of your company. As such, it’s important to know whether you need a bookkeeper or an accountant to keep track of your affairs. As an accountant, you must pay attention to figures and financial details, but it is more essential to possess sharp logic skills and big-picture problem-solving abilities. While bookkeepers make sure the small pieces fit correctly into place, accountants use those small pieces to draw much more significant and broader conclusions about a company’s finances.

• If you are interested in becoming an accountant, it may be beneficial to your career to become a certified public accountant (CPA), which has its own exam.
• In addition to CPA credentials, other common accounting designations are chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified internal auditor (CIA).
• Often, businesses find that they will need to enlist the help of both a bookkeeper and an accountant at some point during the business’ life.
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Certifications aren’t necessary to become a bookkeeper but can signal to employers that you have the training and knowledge to meet industry standards. After you have a couple of years of experience, you can earn the Certified Bookkeeper designation from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers by passing a series of exams. While single-entry bookkeeping is simpler, double-entry is more thorough and less likely to produce errors. It’s important to understand whether you need to hire a bookkeeper or an accountant. This choice primarily depends on the industry and the level of expertise required. Bookkeepers’ and accountants’ work often overlap, as bookkeeping is a part of the accounting process.

In these documents, transactions are recorded as a single entry rather than two separate entries. Often, businesses find that they will need to enlist the help of both a bookkeeper and an accountant at some point during the business’ life. It’s a skill used in both large companies and small businesses, and bookkeepers are needed in just about every business and industry.

A bookkeeper is responsible for recording daily financial transactions, updating a general ledger and preparing trial balances for perusal by accountants. They monitor cash flow and produce financial reports to assist managers in taking strategic decisions. Bookkeepers may also assist in running payroll and generating invoices for your company. All small-business owners should consider hiring a professional accountant to handle their tax returns, at the least.

Let us walk you through everything you need to know about the basics of bookkeeping. An accountant is great to use at any point throughout your business journey. If you’re a detail-oriented individual who enjoys working with numbers, then you might consider a career as a bookkeeper. Most people would be hard-pressed to describe the difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper. Find an accountant or bookkeeper who knows your niche, speaks your language, or is close by—whatever works best for you.