Bookkeeper vs Accountant: Comparing Careers and Growth

A large number of openings in an occupation experiencing a decline may indicate a high need to replace existing workers who are separating, for example, due to retirement. As the aging population of bookkeepers prepares for retirement, opportunities to enter the occupation should be plentiful despite the projected decline in overall employment. Bookkeepers deal with an organization’s granular financial data. The bookkeeper job description entails maintaining the general ledger and accounts, recording transactions, posting debits and credits, running payroll and creating invoices. To become a bookkeeper, you need a background in accounting and specialized knowledge in payroll and taxation. You can gain this knowledge through a course or on-the-job training in an accounting department or working underneath an experienced bookkeeper.

This guide will provide a detailed breakdown of what separates bookkeepers from accountants, so you can understand which accounting role is the best fit for your career aspirations now and in the future. There will likely be an increasing demand for skilled workers able to understand new technologies and operate new systems. In order to ensure competitiveness in this new bookkeeper job market, a person should specialize in a particular industry, such as scientific services, technical services, and construction. I like to call this step “learn to do back flips inside a bookkeeping software” – and don’t be fooled.

CPA salaries outpace bookkeepers’ median earnings, which the BLS reports as $42,410 per year. Some bookkeepers use their knowledge and experience to pursue accountant careers. Certified public accountants are one of the most popular such paths. After meeting the qualifications to be a bookkeeper, you can focus on the job hunt. If you earned a certificate or degree, check with your school’s career services department. The BLS projects a 3% decline in the number of bookkeeping jobs between 2020 and 2030.

Experience Required for Bookkeeping

The Certified Bookkeeper course is designed for experienced bookkeepers who want to prepare for national certification. To succeed in this course, you must have at least two years of experience as a bookkeeper before enrolling. Accountants generally have achieved higher levels of education and are responsible for interpreting financial information to make business decisions, in addition to other responsibilities. Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11k and 1 year off their undergraduate degree with University of Phoenix. We have a list of jobs that pay well and do not require a degree.

Accountants, on the other hand, tend to use the bookkeeper’s inputs to create financial statements and periodically review and analyze the financial information recorded by bookkeepers. We’ve listed some of the key differences when it comes to the requirements and job market for each. As an accountant, you may work for a company or yourself, and there are opportunities for accountants in many industries like law, insurance and health, small business, and, of course, tax accounting firms. Accountants work with numbers and financial details all day long. Therefore, those who do not like math, get confused easily when making simple calculations, or are generally opposed to number crunching should not apply. Some of the key tasks for accountants include tax return preparation, conducting routine reviews of various financial statements, and performing account analysis.

Payroll

Researchers from Ladders, a career site for jobs that pay $100,000 or more, project that 25% of all jobs in the U.S. will be remote by the end of 2023. Certified Internal Auditor is a certification offered to accountants who conduct internal audits. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy.

Initially, notes receivable and accountants take the same foundational accounting courses. However, accountants go on for further training and education, which results in differences in their roles, earnings expectations and career growth. The projected shift in accounting jobs and functions can be seen in Table 1.

BookkeepingBookkeeping is the day-to-day documentation of a company’s financial transactions. These transactions include purchases, sales, receipts, and payments. It’s important to keep up with the technology trends and to be knowledgeable in the bookkeeping field.

What should you look for in an education/coaching program?

You will get a high-level review of basic accounting concepts to prepare you to sit for and pass all four exams for the AIPB Certified Bookkeeper certification. The salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of University of Phoenix. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. University of Phoenix does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement.

In many cases, schools hold career fairs designed specifically to connect employers to graduates. Providing paid internships is an especially cost-effective way for SMEs to try out new candidates before hiring them permanently. The bottom line is that small companies—those defined by the SBA as having fewer than 500 employees—will still need bookkeepers, particularly in the short term, and a lot of them. According to the BLS, occupational openings represent the sum of net employment change and separations. Workers who change jobs within the same field don’t generate openings since there’s no net change from this movement.

How to become a bookkeeper (no experience needed!) in 2023

It also allows you to include the “C.B.” designation after your name, signifying that you have met the demanding requirements to earn this credential. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are a lot of jobs for bookkeepers, and the job outlook is expected to remain relatively constant through 2026. Understanding how to efficiently use bookkeeping software like QuickBooks will make you a more desirable candidate as more and more businesses turn to technology to perform basic accounting tasks. Accounting careers may offer flexibilityand opportunities across a wide range of sectors. Accountants can specialize in government or nonprofit accounting, consulting or freelance, or work in areas like forensic accounting, auditing or education. All these career paths often start with the same type of education, with many accountants pursuing aBachelor of Science in Accounting degree.

Both are free to enroll in, making them a great free way to gain exposure to bookkeeping. When a bookkeeper wants to leap to being an accountant, they will need to take the CPA exam, plus earn a bachelor’s degree , if they do not have one already. Fifty states plus the District of Columbia require accountants to earn 150 credit hours of college education before taking the national four-part Uniform CPA exam. Bookkeepers who are interested in switching jobs but do not have a college degree might consider becoming an EA after a stint with the IRS. This job doesn’t require a college degree, only five years of tax experience with the IRS. All EAs must have 72 hours of continuing education every 36 months.

Find a group of the kind of people that you resonate with and that you know will motivate you the most. Would you rather be with people your own age or the same gender? If you want a large seven-figure firm, then don’t invest in a course that is full of people who are content with small solo-practices who are serving just a handful of clients. The people you interact with will affect the direction your life takes. Most experts place the blame on technological change for the expected drop in employment growth for bookkeepers. Software innovations, such as cloud computing, have automated many of the tasks these individuals used to perform.

Another key responsibility for accountants includes conducting routine audits to ensure that statements and the books are following ethical and industry standards. An undergraduate degree will take 2-4 years and can pursue higher-paying positions in the field than those without a credential. Professionals who learn through on-the-job training can grasp essentials after about six months in entry-level roles. Candidates looking at how to be a bookkeeper without a degree can follow several paths. Enrolling in a certificate or degree program offers an education-based option.

Bookkeepers are hired by every single kind of business, non-profit and government agency. Many accountants, CPAs and tax preparers also work with bookkeepers to help support their clients. Coursera is an online learning platform that hosts courses about a range of subjects, including bookkeeping. This content is typically created from other educators, who are passionate or knowledgeable about the area of focus.

You will handle expenses, receipts, payables, and accounts receivable. In addition, you may also help with payroll, purchasing, and outstanding accounts. As pioneers in online higher education since 1989, University of Phoenix is an accredited online university for working adults.

Typically, a bookkeeper can handle 20 to 30 clients on their own. But when you’re approaching or exceeding 50 clients, it’s time to hire some help. Hiring help will allow you to maintain more clients, generate more revenue, and keep your customers happy. Selling an accounting practice to another business can mean the end of your firm, as you knew it.

That will be the quickest way to learn to do those “backflips.” If you dabble in several programs, you won’t get exposed to enough of the use-cases or tricks nearly as quickly. There are currently an estimated 1,730,500 bookkeepers in the United States. The bookkeeper job market is expected to shrink by -1.5% between 2016 and 2026. In our sample, the average age of the bookkeeping staff was 54 years old—which classifies them as Baby Boomers—and all of our respondents said they utilize automated accounting to at least some extent.

The price of this certification includes the cost of enrollment, workbooks and the four-part national certification exam. After passing the AIPB’s certification exam, you will be recognized as a certified bookkeeper. A virtual bookkeeper handles your bookkeeping remotely—they may not be in your town or even your time zone. All communication and financial document storage is handled within bookkeeping software. Your virtual bookkeeper categorizes your transactions and prepares financial statements for your business. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median bookkeeper salary is $45,560 annually.

• The challenge is to identify a qualified individual whose hours are flexible or whose duties can be shared—or ultimately assumed—by someone else in the company.
• Would you rather be with people your own age or the same gender?
• You can also bundle courses to save 36% as a member and 20% as a nonmember.
• If you plan on working and learning virtually, remember that the fellow students in any course are going to be sort of like your “colleagues.” Connect with those potential colleagues ahead of time.

If you are already a CPA, you can act as an enrolled agent without passing the exam. However, bookkeeping and accounting clerk jobs are expected to decline, with the BLS projecting a 5% fall in jobs over the same period. The BLS notes that job growth for accountants should track fairly closely with the broader economy. However, bookkeepers will face pressure from automation and technology that will reduce the demand for such workers. With bookkeepers, there are a lot of minutiae involved, and keen attention to detail is paramount.