Making a Career as a Professional Bookkeeper

You can also look at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants to find CPAs with skills in certain areas, such as employee benefits or personal finance. Hiring a small business accountant yields significant benefits. Here are some advantages to hiring an accountant over a bookkeeper. Accountants will professional bookkeeper either quote a client a fixed price for a specific service or charge a general hourly rate. Basic services could cost as little as $20 an hour, while advanced services could be $100 or more an hour. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for an accountant in 2020 was $73,560 per year, or $35.37 per hour.

Bookkeepers can retake CPB and CB certification exam sections as needed. Test-takers redoing the first or second part of the AIPB exam must wait 30 days between attempts. Qualified applicants receive an “authorization to test” letter and any study materials they purchase in the mail. Using the eligibility ID included in the letter, bookkeepers can schedule the first and second parts of their exam with Prometric. The first two parts of AIPB’s exams require in-person scheduling at Prometric testing centers. Test-takers complete their exam on a computer and receive a printout of their final score before leaving the center.

Become a Compelling Asset when Applying for a Job or Receiving a Raise

Every organization needs someone to record financial transactions accurately, but that’s just the start. Bookkeepers looking to make an impact within an organization and advance their careers need to demonstrate their value in many ways. The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education is committed to providing equal access to continuing education programs for students living with permanent or temporary disabilities. Learn more about the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education program accommodations. Right now, Wake Tech’s Propel program offers scholarships that cover the cost of registration, fees, books, course-specific supplies and credentialing exams. Collin College CE prepares aspiring professional Bookkeepers to become Certified Bookkeepers through the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers .

It’s a smart investment in professional development, and what’s more, it can be completed in less than one year. A bookkeeping certification is a professional designation that indicates a person’s skill level in bookkeeping subjects related to managing a company’s financial statements and transactions.

Accessibility (CTRL+M)

ICB has members in over 110 countries with 160,000 + members globally. ICBUSA is the baby of the family as the needs of the bookkeeper in the US have reached a critical point in time. We understand that technology & automation will take out a lot of the data entry positions. Now is the time we need to move to help raise the recognition of the work of the bookkeeper. Elevate the core accounting skills and marry that with the technology education to move our bookkeepers into the next generation.

Candidates can purchase access to each exam section directly from the NACPB website. Bookkeepers must schedule and complete each section online within one year of the original purchase date.

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting

Another difference to note between the CBP and CB credentials is cost. You must pay for each part of the required exam, along with any preparation courses you may take. As noted above, NACPB and AIPB both require annual fees as well to keep members’ credentials current. Requirements for CB certification are more extensive, as they ask for at least 3,000 hours of experience or two years of bookkeeping or accounting experience. Your bookkeeper should know what taxes must be paid and when and how to file those taxes correctly. If your bookkeeper is not aware of this, they could be filing your taxes incorrectly, resulting in money being owed to the government.

Chart of accounts in online bookkeeping software as per the double-entry system of accounting and accounting rules. Recording purchase invoices in accounting and bookkeeping software, processing payables report, and taking permission from management to pay bills.

Certification Exam

Bookkeeping is a direct record of all purchases and sales your business conducts, while accounting is a subjective look at what that data means for your business. Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., she has run a bookkeeping and accounting firm for the last 20-plus years, seven of which have been completely virtual with a focus on forward-thinking technology. Technology will continue to shift, but the underpinning basics of your core profession is what will separate the strong from the weak.

It is possible to take and pass the exam before you have obtained your 2 years of experience. Bookkeepers serve on the front lines of a person, company or organization’s financial health. Strong bookkeepers set up, deploy and manage systems that record the flow of funds into and out of an entity’s coffers. Using reporting tools and systems, bookkeepers help individuals and operational managers stay aware of and improve an entity’s financial status and performance. These workshops also give you an opportunity to meet like-minded professionals.