What Is Bookkeeping? Duties, Pay, and How to Become a Bookkeeper

Accountants advise leadership on how to make more strategic financial changes that save the company money or generate more profit. For some of the businesses that they do, accountants also need to be registered certified public accountants (CPAs). An accountant needs strong and accurate bookkeeping to do their work.

A (very) brief history of bookkeepers

Being proficient with accounting software allows a bookkeeper to stand out from the others. Bookkeepers are individuals who manage all financial data for companies. Without bookkeepers, companies would not be aware of their current financial position, as well as the transactions that occur within the company. A small business can likely do all its own bookkeeping using accounting software.

What is the best bookkeeping software for small businesses?

Bookkeepers may also assist in running payroll and generating invoices for your company. The person in an organisation who is employed to perform bookkeeping functions is usually called the bookkeeper (or book-keeper). Thereafter, an accountant can create financial reports from the information recorded by the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper brings the books to the trial balance stage, from which an accountant may prepare financial reports for the organisation, such as the income statement and balance sheet. Transactions include purchases, sales, receipts and payments by an individual person or an organization/corporation.

Access to detailed records of all transactions

Bookkeepers can also deliver reports on your business’s financial standing. But what do all of these figures mean, and where do you go from there? Each one of these is designed to track specific types of business transactions. For example, there’s cash basis accounting and accrual basis accounting. You need to decide which accounting method you will use for your company. Either way, it’s critical to have an accurate balance sheet and income statements.

• Many of the operations are automated in the software, making it easy to get accurate debits and credits entered.
• Bookkeeping is the ongoing recording and organization of the daily financial transactions of a business and is part of a business’s overall accounting processes.
• With bookkeepers, there are a lot of minutiae involved, and keen attention to detail is paramount.
• With proper bookkeeping, companies are able to track all information on its books to make key operating, investing, and financing decisions.
• A bookkeeper is responsible for maintaining and recording financial transactions for a business or organization.

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, bookkeeper meaning and fact… Here’s an example of how you’d enter a transaction in the Intuit software.

Why Is Bookkeeping Important for a Business?

They are vital to managing a business’s finances by documenting transactions, generating reports, and assisting with accounting efforts. 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. If you opt for bookkeeping software—like Quickbooks—keep in mind the time commitment required to learn how to properly use the program. While these programs are cost effective, you are paying with your time. And at a certain point, your time is better spent building your business than navigating DIY tutorial videos.

Keep your personal and business finances separate

You don’t need any special training to be a bookkeeper—you don’t even need a bachelor’s degree. Kelly Main is a Marketing Editor and Writer specializing in digital marketing, online advertising and web design and development. 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. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University.

Do you need a bookkeeper if you use account software?