What Does a Bookkeeper Do?

First, you’ll need to earn your high school diploma or equivalent. If you’re still in high school, take accounting or business math courses to set yourself up for success.

Next, you’ll need some postsecondary education or hands-on training to get into this career. That can take the form of a certificate, an associate degree or on-the-job training. 

Bookkeeping training will cover accounting basics and techniques, such as double-entry bookkeeping. (This term means transactions are entered twice, once as a debit or cost and once as a credit or income. This method ensures the books are balanced.)

Finally, bookkeeping certification is a smart step. It isn’t typically required, but it’s proof to employers that you have the skills they need, especially if you trained in the job but don’t have any postsecondary education.

Some certification options include the Certified Bookkeeper (CB) designation from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and the Certified Public Bookkeeper designation from the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers. Both certifications require experience and passing an exam.

With experience and/or continuing education, you can grow to become an office manager, auditor or accountant.

If you want to be a freelance bookkeeper who helps several clients, a driver’s license will make it easy to get to and from appointments. This is less necessary if you work for a single entity or if you do the work remotely. 

A certificate program may take from six months to a year. An associate degree will take two years. Many certification designations such as the ones mentioned above have an experience requirement of about two years. 

Continuing education is ongoing. 

These titles are often used interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. 

An accountant may also be a bookkeeper, but the opposite is not true. An accountant may have earned a bachelor’s degree and have more advanced skills, such as assessing finances and creating budgets. 

An accountant often oversees a bookkeeper’s work, especially when the bookkeeper is new to the profession. And as described earlier, a bookkeeper may learn enough of these advanced skills to take on some of the duties of an accountant, such as influencing business decisions.

Yes, even though growth of employment is slowing, there is still a great need. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts about 197,600 openings for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks each year from 2021 to 2031. 

Technology is also changing the job, says the BLS. There is less need for routine tasks because those can be automated, but it creates more time for analysis, a more valuable skill. 

Successful bookkeepers tend to share these traits: 

• Good attention to detail
• Organized
• Great with numbers
• Honest
• Able to learn new computer programs easily

This career has a moderate impact from AI since many routine tasks can be automated. Businesses will still need human expertise for oversight and decision-making. AI frees bookkeepers to focus on strategy and financial guidance.