Bookkeepers are responsible for a variety of tasks on a daily basis, some of which include determining which payments, if any, need to be remitted, then submitting the payments and entering them in the financial ledger. A significant number of bookkeepers also collect money from their clients, patients, or consumers. They are responsible for making the deposits at the financial institution that the firm uses and recording them in the financial ledger.

Communicate daily

Because it needs an exceptionally high level of accuracy throughout every financial transaction, keeping accurate financial records is typically time-consuming. Communicating with one’s coworkers or customers is essential to being accurate. Bookkeepers are responsible for the daily upkeep and balancing of financial records, including recording transactions involving employees. Keeping track of all of those everyday transactions without regular and clear communication may be difficult.

Bookkeepers frequently need to get receipts for corporate purchases made by coworkers, pay employees for expenses, produce travel vouchers, distribute petty cash, and maintain receipts for all transactions. Bookkeepers may also be responsible for distributing petty cash. It is possible to enhance communication lines by implementing a well-organized system to file receipts, repay expenditure accounts, and distribute funds. Organization and communication are key factors in ensuring that no transactions are overlooked, which in turn helps to keep the financial records up to date and correct.

Inventory and Budget Needs

A bookkeeper functions as a link between departments, therefore, frequent interactions with department heads to discuss inventory requirements are part of their job. If there is a shortage of inventory, products, or office supplies, the bookkeeper is responsible for placing additional orders. If there are no department heads or workers in the organisation who are responsible for managing and maintaining inventory, the bookkeeper may be responsible for recording these inventory levels.

A significant number of bookkeepers also meet with the departments’ managers to talk about budget demands and limits. Because keeping the accounts in balance is a crucial aspect of the work, the bookkeeper is responsible for ensuring sufficient money is set aside to cover all of the organization’s expenses.

Job Opportunities

Most of the time, larger businesses will employ one or more internal bookkeepers and accountants to take care of their financial records. If you work for a large company, you will most likely spend each day working as part of a group in the accounting department. Smaller businesses could only hire one person to handle everything when it comes to bookkeeping.

Another choice would be to launch your own bookkeeping business, in which you would serve a number of clients of a more modest scale. Some smaller businesses are unable to afford the cost of employing a bookkeeper on a full-time basis; as a result, they outsource the task to an independent bookkeeper. Working as a bookkeeper from home and working for various organisations allows you greater freedom in terms of the customers you can serve and how you can arrange your work. But working for a smaller firm means giving up the security and perks that come with working for a larger one.

Education and Salary

Bookkeepers are not obliged to receive certification from an organisation or institution in order to practise their profession. As a result, it’s possible to find work as a bookkeeper with just a high school certificate in some cases. Even yet, most companies would rather recruit bookkeepers with at least some postsecondary experience or a degree from an accredited college in finance, record-keeping, or business.

For their day-to-day bookkeeping needs, the vast majority of businesses rely on accounting software. Therefore, if a firm is looking to hire a bookkeeper, the fact that you have expertise with certain software applications will make you a more appealing candidate.

Bookkeepers earned a median yearly pay of $39,240 as of May 2017, according to PayScale.com. The median wage is the wage at which half of the bookkeepers make less money and half of the bookkeepers make more money than the median wage.

Duties and responsibilities of a Bookkeeper

The items on your daily “to make” list will most likely be organised in this manner:

• The process of balancing accounts commonly referred to as “double bookkeeping,”
• Invoicing customers, collecting payments, and processing payments
• submitting one’s VAT returns
• Putting together receipts and invoices for the Inland Revenue.
• Examining the financial accounts of the firm
• Putting the statements of cash flow back together.
• Taking care of the paperwork and filing required for finances

In addition, you will be tasked with assisting in preparing the profit and loss sheets for the yearly accounts.

If you work for a large corporation, the task will be distributed throughout a group of coworkers. If you work for a company that is not very large, it is possible that you will be responsible for all of those functions, in addition to certain payroll responsibilities.

Bookkeeper working hours

Because the position requires you to work from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, it provides a healthy balance between work and life. However, it’s possible that there may be times when things get frantic, and you’ll need to put in a few additional hours of work.

The majority of your time will be taken up by activities performed at your desk, such as responding to inquiries and processing requests.

There are options available for those interested in working less hours or sharing their jobs. Additionally, there are frequently opportunities for temporary jobs. You might also consider working as a freelancer so that you can set your own hours.

There are openings in a diverse assortment of businesses, so it is in your best advantage to zero in on a sector that piques your interest – for instance, the charitable sector, the public sector, or the health industry. There will be more prospects for advancement inside your organisation in proportion to its size. You might choose to work for yourself if you have the necessary expertise and credentials, providing help to a number of different tiny firms. Suppose you are seeking for chances that will last for a longer period of time. In that case, financial clerks have the ability to easily advance into payroll administration or, with more education, accountancy.

Reasons for becoming a Bookkeeper

Because of the standard work hours of 9 to 5, you are able to maintain a busy social life after work and finally catch up with friends on weeknights.

The most challenging part of being a Bookkeeper

When you first start out as a bookkeeper, you shouldn’t expect to be swimming in money because the income isn’t very high.

What qualifications do you need to be a Bookkeeper?

Even though there are no required minimums to enter, having GCSEs, particularly in the subjects of English and mathematics, will be beneficial. Any computer experience you can highlight will look good on your resume.

Beginning as a junior employee increases the likelihood that the majority of your talents will be acquired on the job. Computer skills, common office processes, and other relevant topics will be taught to you by more experienced coworkers. In addition to this, you should be required to attend an in-house training programme or be strongly encouraged to pursue professional certifications in a part-time, day release, or even online capacity.

You will be able to work as a qualified accounting technician once you have completed NVQ Level 4 or the Technician level of the AAT. This indicates that you will be able to prepare financial reports and provide assistance to accountants during audits.

Employers can tell whether or not an applicant is serious about pursuing a career in bookkeeping based on whether or not they possess certain key qualities. These include SQA National Units in accounting, LCCI Practical Bookkeeping, NVQs/SVQs or specialist qualifications from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), specialist courses from The International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB), and NVQs/SVQs or specialist qualifications from Pitman in bookkeeping, accounts, and computerised accounts.

Skills needed to be a Bookkeeper

Other than having a natural talent with numbers, the following are some of the other abilities that can help you become a successful accounts clerk:

• A capacity for both speed and accuracy in one’s job.
• Strong focus, an eye for detail, and the capacity to meet commitments within prescribed timeframes
• Competence in using computers (especially with databases and financial software)
• to be truthful while maintaining one’s privacy and trustworthiness.

When I talk to different business owners, I find that many of them are confused about the distinctions between a bookkeeper and an accountant, as well as how these two professionals may work together to assist you in staying on top of your finances company. Therefore, I reasoned that now would be a good opportunity to throw some light on the distinctions between the two, given that we have recently started our accounting arm.

Bookkeepers are equally as important as accountants when it comes to maintaining order in your business’s financial affairs. The distinction between a bookkeeper and an accountant may be summarised as follows: And how exactly might a bookkeeper assist you in the management of your company?

As a small business owner, you are probably used to juggling several different responsibilities at once. You are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business, as well as the generation of money, the satisfaction of your customers, and the management of financial information. However, keeping tabs on the finances may be time-consuming, and one of the most important considerations you can have is who you should recruit to assist you with your accounting needs. Do you require the services of a bookkeeper, an accountant, or both? Let’s take the mystery out of this.

The duties and responsibilities of bookkeepers and accountants are not interchangeable. An accountant’s basic responsibilities include preparing and filing statutory returns, providing advice on legal entity formations, and providing general business and financial advice.

Most accounting firms need their employees to be members of a professional group. Therefore, depending on the nation in which they are employed, qualified and registered accountants may refer to themselves as CPAs (Certified Public Accountants), CAs (Chartered Accountants), or other titles.

Bookkeepers are capable of juggling a wide variety of tasks and duties within a small company. The organisation, the recording and reporting of financial transactions as an integral part of the daily life of a small business, however, is the primary emphasis of this discussion.

In more recent times, some bookkeepers have expanded their range of duties to include the following: 

• training clients to use accounting software implementation of document management and inventory control processes to create efficiencies within the business implementation of POS (point of sale) systems that capture the daily transactions in a retail environment training clients to use accounting software implementation of POS systems that capture the daily transactions in a retail environment
• Processes should be developed, implemented, maintained, and reviewed inside the company.

It is common for a bookkeeper to have a particular area of expertise; therefore, it is a good idea to enquire further about this area of expertise when you are considering using a bookkeeper for their services.

What do bookkeepers do? 

The following are some of the responsibilities of a bookkeeper that will contribute to the efficient operation of your company:

• Keeping a record of the day’s financial dealings
• The recording of day-to-day financial transactions is one of the responsibilities that fall within the purview of a bookkeeper. Your bookkeeper will find this to be a very helpful tool if the accounting software you use incorporates daily automated bank feeds into its functionality. When the lines from your bank statement are loaded into your accounting software, it is much simpler to monitor cash flow and saves time that would have been spent entering data manually.
• Creating and sending out invoices, as well as keeping the ledger for accounts receivable
• In most cases, the job of preparing bills and sending them out to customers falls on the bookkeeper. In addition, a bookkeeper’s responsibilities often include managing the accounts receivable ledger and pursuing overdue payments as necessary.
• Keeping track of the ledger for accounts due
• In most businesses, the bookkeepers are the ones who are authorised to make payments on behalf of the company up to a certain cash amount. This covers the payment of bills for the company’s suppliers, costs, and petty cash.
• Keeping a close check on the flow of funds
• One of the bookkeeper’s most important responsibilities is ensuring that the business has sufficient funds for its day-to-day operations. They are able to accomplish this by carefully monitoring the proportion of income to expenditures. Then, if it seems that the firm need additional quick cash, they will be able to take action or provide recommendations.
• Getting the books ready for the accountant to look through.
• The bookkeeper’s responsibility is to guarantee that the accounting records, when requested by the accountant, are accurate and up to date. Because of this, the accountant is able to put their talents and experience to use by providing suggestions to the board of directors, completing tax returns for the firm, and making business recommendations.

In a nutshell, the bookkeeper is the one who is responsible for the day-to-day job, while the accountant is the one who is responsible for the strategic financial operations. Therefore, bookkeepers play a crucial part since accountants are unable to conduct their tasks properly in the absence of bookkeepers.

What Does a Bookkeeper Do?

Are you tired of doing your books?

Try Bench.

It doesn’t matter if you make your living providing legal counsel, corporate software, or handcrafted alpaca socks; there are two things that are certain to be true about your company: you make money, and you spend it. Bookkeepers are the individuals who will assist you in keeping track of all of that information.

If you have been putting all of your mental energy into getting your business off the ground, it is possible that you do not have a complete understanding of what a bookkeeper performs. This tutorial explains the day-to-day responsibilities of the bookkeeper as well as the reasons why it is important to retain a competent one.

Bookkeepers, defined

A person who prepares your accounts and records the everyday financial activities that take place is called a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping is not the oldest occupation, but it is pretty darn close to being the oldest profession there is. Bookkeepers have been around as long back as 2600 BC when records were tracked using a stylus on slabs of clay.

A (very) brief history of bookkeepers

Bookkeepers in colonial America used something called a “trash book” to record transactions. This book got its name from the fact that the information would eventually be entered into an official ledger. So it was decided to throw away the first edition of the book.

In today’s world, keeping track of accounts requires using some software platform, and every bookkeeper worth their beans employs it. However, similar to the days of the trash book, bookkeepers often pass over their clients’ information to an accountant when it comes time to file taxes or when significant choices need to be made.

Bookkeepers vs. Accountants

Bookkeepers aren’t always ready to handle all of the financial responsibilities that come their way, and that’s when accountants come in. Bookkeepers are responsible for keeping a record of daily transactions, while accountants are responsible for developing financial models based on the information accumulated by bookkeepers. Bookkeeping is straightforward and focused on transactions, whereas accounting is more subjective and requires skilled interpretation. For example, an accountant can help you understand when it is the right time to incorporate your business and file your taxes so that you get the highest possible return.

Bookkeepers provide a clear depiction of your current financial status, whereas accountants help you acquire a holistic perspective on the trajectory of your company and the greater framework in which it functions. Bookkeepers and accountants both play an important role in every successful business.

It is not necessary to have any type of specialised education or training in order to work as a bookkeeper; in fact, you do not even need a bachelor’s degree to do so.

On the other hand, in order to become certified public accountants, accountants need to complete a significant amount of additional coursework in addition to passing a series of standardised exams.

But what does a bookkeeper do all day?

The tasks of a bookkeeper will almost always entail a significant amount of data entering and the organisation of receipts. In addition, they are accountable for documenting every monetary transaction in your general ledger utilising the double-entry method of accounting, which is more commonly referred to as recording journal entries. This may sound like a complicated process, but in most cases, it just entails entering all of your transactions into accounting software.

Having said that, maintaining correct records takes more than merely inputting data into a spreadsheet format. In addition to this, it necessitates an in-depth examination as well as an adequate quantity of legal expertise. After all, bookkeepers will assist you in surviving an audit by ensuring that your records are in order and that any deductions you take are within the legal boundaries. Bookkeepers will also ensure that any deductions you take are within the legal boundaries.

Let’s look at it from a different angle. Bookkeepers are often responsible for creating four essential financial statements, which are as follows:

• An income statement, also commonly referred to as a profit and loss statement, is a type of financial record that provides information regarding a company’s earnings and expenses during a specific period of time.
• The balance sheet is a straightforward representation of the financial standing of your organisation at a particular point in time.
• The cash flow statement, also known as a statement of cash flows, is a record of the cash and cash equivalents that come into and leave your organisation.
• A statement of changes in equity, which is also known as a statement of retained earnings, is a document that illustrates, over the course of a particular accounting period, how your proportionate holdings of capital, reserves, and profits have changed. Another name for this document is a statement of retained earnings.

Some other essential things they can do to help your business run like a well-oiled machine:

• Assume responsibility for the management of both the accounts receivable and payable (make sure you get paid on time and pay your bills on time)
• It is imperative that sales taxes be collected and then handed over to the relevant governing bodies.
• Maintain a record of the amount that is owed and allocate the payment to the appropriate obligation when that obligation’s due date arrives.
• It is necessary to keep a record of any cash that is received before placing it in the bank.
• See to it that the monthly bank reconciliations are completed as expected.
• When it comes to filing your taxes, be sure your CPA has access to correct financial statements.
• Ensure that your annual budget is up to date.
• You are obligated to provide a report on any issues or deviations that arise.
• Manage the responsibilities of the payroll.

They are also typically able to handle part of the drafting of tax documents, so reducing the amount of work that has to be done by your accountant (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.

What a bookkeeper can do for your business

Why do you need a bookkeeper? If you have an excellent bookkeeper, you will be able to enjoy any or all of the following advantages:

• Improved decisions regarding budgeting, based on a full comprehension of the usage of each and every dollar
• You can take some time off to unwind now that you know your books are in order and that filing your taxes won’t be a stressful experience for you.
• A business that can withstand an audit because it maintains detailed documentation
• You will find that you have more time in the day to devote to working on your business
• Make sure you are familiar with the seasonal flow of your business
• Acquire an understanding of the fundamental characteristics that are relevant to your organisation, such as the sales, expenses, and profitability levels

If the management of your company’s accounts starts to get in the way of completing tasks for your customers, you should seriously consider hiring an accountant. This is a general rule that applies across the board. Alternately, you could find that working with an accountant during tax season or to tackle specific difficulties pertaining to your small business makes you feel more at ease. In the end, the decision is entirely up to you.

Recently, for reasons that are not quite clear, the term “bean counter” has come to be associated with a derogatory meaning. However, anyone who has tried to manage the income and expenditures of their own company is aware that bookkeepers are deserving of a great deal of regard. This is especially true for those who have succeeded in doing so.

You need to be naturally inquisitive and driven to find solutions to any unsolved questions in order to be effective in this role. Additionally, you need to be prepared to participate in some light sleuthing anytime the numbers don’t make sense. Additionally, trust is a necessary ingredient for the success of this endeavour. Not only are you providing your book-keeper with access to confidential information, but you are also placing your faith in their ability to accurately record financial transactions. A trustworthy book-keeper will never take short cuts, which is why they are such an invaluable tool to business owners who would rather spend their time growing their operations rather than managing them.