Monday, March 7, 2011

Becoming a Bookkeeper - Accounting

If you are interested in becoming a bookkeeper, it takes more than just the love of numbers to become one.
If you want to become a bookkeeper, you will need the right education for it and some basic experience in accounting. What bookkeeper services provide is the maintenance of the accounting records for small to medium sized companies. If the bookkeeper worked in a medium sized company, they will usually need to report to a certified public accountant; while in smaller companies, they may be the only person whose duty is to do accounting for the company. Nevertheless, they are responsible for the daily business activities of a company, ranging from banking, reconciliation, accounts payable and receivable, and payroll. However, when it comes to creating annual financial statements, it is the duty of an accountant to do it as bookkeepers are not certified to create them, only to process the transactions.
To become a bookkeeper, a person will need to attain a certificate in bookkeeping from a local college or university. Some of the courses that they will need to complete are such as payroll processing and reporting, journal entries, accounts payable and receivable, and courses on a form of accounting software. Apart from that, bookkeepers need to have the ability to process accounting transactions, so they should have certificates as evidence they can do the task at hand. They should attain certificates with work experience component so their clients will know that they are not just all talk. This allows them to have education and experience together. You can start off with becoming a bookkeeper for a small firm so you can practice your skills and improve your resume before any plans of providing any bookkeeper services on your own.
After having worked as a bookkeeper for at least two years, you are eligible to become a certified bookkeeper. With a minimum of two years working experience and successfully completing a national exam that has four parts, they can receive their certification. They will also be required to sign a code of ethics and are encouraged to continue with education credits. Getting your certification opens many doors of opportunities.