As your business grows and you hire employees, you can consider whether to rent office space or keep working remotely. Once you’ve settled on a business name, you’ll need to register your business in the state in which you will do business. Bookkeepers are integral to ensuring that businesses keep their finances organized. If you’re considering a career as a bookkeeper, then you might consider taking a cost-effective, flexible course through Coursera.

After working in the field for at least a year, CPAs also need to take an exam. To meet the requirements for the CPA exam, some professionals enroll in master’s in accounting programs. Other bookkeepers finish their high school diplomas and then seek on-the-job training. To prove they possess certain skills, they may also complete one or both professional bookkeeping certificates available. Most bookkeepers hold high school diplomas and have completed postsecondary courses in relevant subjects, like accounting.

Become a Bookkeeper From Home

Some popular options include QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks and Zoho Books, among others. You can read more about our ratings for various business accounting software here. You should be familiar with more than one software as some of your clients may have a preference in terms of the accounting software that they’d like you to use.

• If your Live Bookkeeper makes an error that requires you to re-open your books for any month, we’ll correct the error in your books for the month that the error occurred at no additional charge.
• The first two parts of AIPB’s exams require in-person scheduling at Prometric testing centers.
• Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content.
• One of the great things about learning how to become a bookkeeper is that there are a couple of paths to paid work, and below is what you need to understand about each.

The responsibilities handled by a service will depend on the provider, so be sure to discuss the scope of work and compare options to find the right fit. At the same time, businesses need to make sure they pay their own bills on time to avoid late fees and maintain a solid reputation. These expenses that haven’t sales invoice been paid yet are categorized as accounts payable. Managing transactions is a big part of any daily bookkeeping routine. It includes importing and categorizing transactions properly, reconciling these transactions and making sure they’re recorded according to your entry system and accounting method.

Optional Certifications and Degrees

However, depending on a bookkeeper’s location, niche, and clients, they may command a higher salary, sometimes reaching $50,000 per year or above. The Talent Acquisition team is dedicated to connecting people with exciting career opportunities and partnership within Intuit. Now that you understand how to become a bookkeeper, you are ready to get started on your new path. Whether you are already in the bookkeeping field or just starting out, this guide can help you determine your next steps. You can work with other bookkeepers and tax experts to share and expand your knowledge. Your Intuit Certified Bookkeeping Professional badge can be used to show any employer or client that you have an understanding of bookkeeping and accounting.

Solo bookkeeping vs bookkeeping firm

Since bookkeepers aren’t required to have the same level of credentials as accountants, they are often cheaper to hire and can save your company money. If you’re racing to get your books prepared for tax season and you feel generally behind on your taxes, you may want to hire a bookkeeper to handle that for you. If you don’t have your books clean and your financial records organized, you’ll have a harder time filing your taxes. Candidates for CB certification must submit evidence of at least two years of full-time bookkeeping experience or 3,000 hours of part-time or freelance experience. Bookkeepers can complete this experience before taking the bookkeeping certification exam or up to three years after passing the exam.

How Can You Prepare for the CPB Exam?

If you purchase these materials as a bundle, they cost $1,276 in total for members, and $1,596 for nonmembers. Another difference to note between the CPB 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.

While you can’t expect a bookkeeper to have immediate total recall, it is a great advantage to employ one with an exceptional memory and an attention to detail. Let us know what type of degree you’re looking into, and we’ll find a list of the best programs to get you there. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Pass the Credentialing Exams

Bookkeepers also need to have a high level of integrity and transparency. You have to make the right choices if you spot fraud or misuse of funds. This is a very detail-oriented and important role, but it doesn’t require a college degree. We recommend taking the time to find a bookkeeper you can trust a great deal. They can also usually take care of some of the tax preparation so that your accountant has less to do (which is a good thing, because bookkeepers are less expensive than a CPA). But they won’t be able to help you with tax planning or handling your tax return.

The program includes self-teaching workbooks that prepare you to pass the CB exam. Someformal certifications include the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB) and the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB). Read more below to learn about bookkeeping, typical responsibilities, how to become a bookkeeper, and remote bookkeeping opportunities with Intuit working onQuickBooks Live in the U.S. 50 states. Then, kickstart your bookkeeping career by signing up for an  Intuit Bookkeeping Certification. Bookkeeping is a great place to start if you’re hoping for a way to break into the finance industry.

Many of the processes, policies, and procedures include detail-oriented tasks to ensure financial accuracy. Learn about bookkeeping, typical responsibilities, how to become a bookkeeper, and remote bookkeeping opportunities with Intuit’s QuickBooks Live in the U.S. For preparatory courses and workbooks, AIPB charges $254 for members and $314 for members. The final two parts of the exam are free and included in the workbooks. The cost to become a CPB includes four courses and their respective exams.

A bookkeeper provides a critical role in the data collection and data input of a business’ accounting cycle. When there is a proper system in place that avoids problems such as skimming fraud, the recorded financial data can provide valuable, actionable insight. A bookkeeper is responsible for recording transactions into the system, which is part of the wider and more general practice of accounting. A bookkeeper can expect to earn a salary in the range of $30,000-$60,000 a year in the US. However, compensation will widely vary depending on the employer, location, and candidate experience. Bigger companies tend to offer better compensation for bookkeepers; this is largely due to the increased volume of transactions and data.