Bookkeeper Career Guide

A career as a bookkeeper is a great fit for anyone who enjoys working with numbers and excels at organizing important figures and documents.

A bookkeeper is responsible for maintaining and tracking a businesses financial records. They must ensure that financial reports and figures are accurate. To become one, some sort of postsecondary education is typically required.

If the idea of serving as a company’s financial guardian appeals to you, consider learning more about this career. Read the career profiles we’ve gathered below to get a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a bookkeeper. Through one-on-one interviews with experienced bookkeepers, we give you the inside scoop.

Bookkeeper Career Ratings

(What these ratings mean)

Income

Career
Growth

Personal Growth

Contribution

Influence

Job Profiles

Real-Life Bookkeeper Job Profiles

Below is a list of links to anonymous job profiles of REAL PEOPLE who have filled out our survey and offered to share their insights with our users about their job in the Bookkeeper field.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33916	Accounting Specialist	Female	43	$31,000	Mason, OH	01/01/2010
33930	Financial Secretary	Female	37	$24,000	Oxford, MS	01/01/2010
33903	Accounting	Female	22	$21,000	El Portal, NY	01/01/2010
33883	Self-Employed Bookkeeper	Female	37	$80,000	Roosevelt, NY	01/01/2010
33765	Bookkeeper	Female	33	$55,000	BOLINGBROOK, IL	01/01/2010

Overview

What a bookkeeper does

The success or failure of a company depends on its financial health. Businesses of all sizes rely on bookkeepers to maintain and track their financial records. As a bookkeeper, you are typically required to spend many hours working on a computer to check the accuracy of financial reports and figures. You’ll need to track every single cent that goes in and out of the company, and you do this by creating and receiving invoices and filing receipts. Bookkeepers also work on the annual budget for companies and help with taxes.

In order to ensure that a company’s financial health remains adequate, bookkeepers have the typical duties and responsibilities include:

Using bookkeeping software, spreadsheets, and databases
Entering (post) financial transactions into computer software
Receiving and recording cash, checks, and vouchers
Inputting costs (debits) and income (credits) into the software
Checking for accuracy in figures, postings, and reports
Reconciling or noting and reporting any differences they find in the records

Why they are needed

Bookkeepers are valuable to every single business. They help businesses with many things, such as:

Helping maintain a budget accurately
Keeping them prepared for tax
Maintaining and organizing records
Making business targets easier to see and work towards
Meeting government regulations
Ensuring business know the bookkeeping and tax process

Pros and cons of a career as a Bookkeeper

Pros:

There is a clear and stable career path
You will have the flexibility to live anywhere
There is lots of potential for professional growth
For those who are mathematically minded, the work is interesting and engaging
Bookkeepers are often paid a high salary
Technology is making it easier

Cons:

The work can be very dull and boring
You will have a busy schedule, which can be stressful and draining
It can be a very competitive field
Overtime is common and the hours can be very long
Ongoing education is a must

Employability

Job Market

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of bookkeepers is projected to decline 6 percent from 2019 to 2029. This decline in employment is expected because of technological changes, that will reduce the demand for bookkeepers. As software continue to become more and more innovative, many of the tasks performed by bookkeepers will become automated. As a result, the same amount of bookkeeping can be done by fewer people, and therefore reducing the demand!

As a result of this advancement in technology, bookkeepers are expected to take on a more analytical and advisory role over the decade. For example, their focus will shift away from entering data by hand to focusing on their clients books and pointing out potential areas for efficiency gains.

Career paths

In general, bookkeepers are required to have some form of postsecondary education and to have completed some coursework in accounting. However, in some circumstances, bookkeepers can be hired with just a high school diploma.

Once hired, bookkeepers will usually receive on-the-job training. Under the guidance of a supervisor, or another experienced employee, they will learn how to do their tasks, such as double-entry bookkeeping. On top of this, some formal classroom training also may be necessary, such as training in specialized computer software. This on-the-job training typically takes around 6 months.

After completing the relevant education and training, some bookkeepers may progress to become an accountant!

Example Job Titles for Bookkeeper

Below is a list of common job titles in the Bookkeeper field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for bookkeepers in the United States was $42,410 n 2020. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,050 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $63,900.

The top paying industry for bookkeepers was the professional, scientific and technical services, where the median annual salary was $44,420. This was followed by the finance and insurance industry ($44,140), then the wholesale trade ($43,370), healthcare and social assistance ($41,100) and finally, the retail trade ($37,230).

Autonomy and flexibility

Bookkeepers don’t have a huge amount of autonomy and flexibility. Often, they are working under the instruction of accountants or business executives and have little control over the decisions surrounding the organization. On top of this, flexibility is low too, as bookkeepers have to work their schedule around the organization they work for.

Locations and commute

According to Zippia, the best states to be a bookkeeper based on average annual salary and number of jobs available, are:

Delaware, where the average annual salary is $43,531
New York, where the average annual salary is $43,987
Connecticut, where the average annual salary is $43,125
Massachusetts, where the average annual salary is $42,182
New Jersey, where the average annual salary is $43,345

The worst states to be a bookkeeper, according to Zippia, are Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi.

Work environment

The largest employer of bookkeepers in the United States was the professional, scientific and technical services industry, which employed 13% of all bookkeepers in the United States. This was followed by retail trade (8%), wholesale trade (8%), healthcare and social assistants (7%) and, finally, finance and insurance (6%).

Most bookkeepers will work in offices. Bookkeepers who work for multiple firms may visit their clients’ places of business. They often work alone, however sometimes they collaborate with accountants, managers, and auditing clerks from other departments.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Bookkeeper careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Bookkeeper career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Bookkeeper.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

INTJ
ISTJ

Big Five (OCEAN)

Conscientiousness

DISC

Enneagram

None

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Personality types

Like many other financial and numerically-focused careers, it is likely that bookkeepers will present the INTJ personality type. INTJ’s, or sometimes called ‘The Mastermind’, excel in careers where they can use logic to solve problems and implement effective solutions. They also hold facts to high standards and seek consistency. All of these traits are required to be a successful bookkeepers, who must work in a logical manner and pay attention to detail.

Accomplishment and mastery

Bookkeepers are unlikely to have a huge sense of accomplishment and mastery. Typically, they will follow the instructions of accountants or business executives. It doesn’t take much training to become a bookkeeper and, as a result, they are unlikely to feel very accomplished and mastered when they land the job as a bookkeeper.

Meaning and contribution

Like all jobs, there will be some mundane tasks that do not feel like they are filled with meaning or contribution.

However, in the grand scheme of things, accountants work to save business time and money, which can have a huge impact on thousands of peoples lives. Due to this, there is often a high sense of meaning and contribution in an accountancy career.

Life fit

Most bookkeepers will work full time. However, on occasion, bookkeepers may have to work longer days to meet deadlines, such as for quarterly audits or during tax season.

Who will thrive?

Anyone can thrive as a bookkeeper. However, to be exceptional at the job, it will be helpful to have traits such as:

A strong mathematical, analytical and statistical mindset
Strong attention to detail
Consistency
Pride in all aspect of their work
Strong communication skills
Interpersonal skills

Who will struggle?

Individuals will struggle as a bookkeeper if they are not naturally gifted in mathematics or analytically minded. Similarly, you may struggle as a bookkeeper if you are not naturally business or productivity minded – as bookkeepers must be able to help businesses have a smooth financial operation.

Requirements

Quick Glance

Skills

Skills and talents

As well as completing the relevant education and experience, a bookkeeper needs skills and talents such as:

Mathematics Skills, as bookkeepers must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures
Computer skills, as bookkeepers need to use computer spreadsheets and bookkeeping software
Communication skills, as bookkeepers will need to work as part of a team
Organizational skills, as bookkeepers will work on a wide range of different documents at the same time and need to keep them organized and separate
Detail-orientation, as bookkeepers must pay attention to detail so that they can produce accurate documents and avoid making errors

Education

Bookkeepers are typically required to have some form of postsecondary education and to have completed some coursework in accounting. However, in some circumstances, bookkeepers can be hired with just a high school diploma. Once hired, bookkeepers will usually receive on-the-job training.

Certifications for Bookkeeper

Some bookkeepers need to become certified. For those who do not have postsecondary education, certification is a particularly useful way to gain expertise in the field. The Certified Bookkeeper (CB) designation, awarded by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, shows that those who have earned it have the skills and knowledge needed to carry out all bookkeeping tasks, including overseeing payroll and balancing accounts, according to accepted accounting procedures.

For certification, candidates must have at least 2 years of full-time bookkeeping experience or equivalent part-time work, pass a four-part exam, and adhere to a code of ethics.

The National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers offers the Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) certification. To obtain the certification, candidates must pass the four-part Uniform Bookkeeper Certification Examination.

How to Become

Businesses of all sizes rely on bookkeepers to maintain and track thei financial records. As a bookkeeper, you are typically required to spend many hours working on a computer to check the accuracy of financial reports and figures. You’ll need to track every single cent that goes in and out of the company, and you do this by creating and receiving invoices and filing receipts.

Although a career in bookkeeping is an excellent career choice for those who loves working with numbers and excels at organizing important figures and documents. It is important to remember, however, that it is a declining progression due to the advancement in social media.

Immediate action

If a career as a bookkeeper is something you’re interested in, then great! One of the first things you can do is to decide what postsecondary training you would like to take. It would also be useful to get some experience in a lower level position, such as an auditing clerk.

Education and learning

Skill development

Bookkeepers will learn all the skills they need through their on-the-job training. They will also have to complete an exam to become licensed. This means that there is a lot of skill development and learning for bookkeepers.

FAQs

Ask a Question

Have a question about Bookkeeper careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.

ID	Job Title	Gender	Age	Earnings	City & State	Date
33916	Accounting Specialist	Female	43	$31,000	Mason, OH	01/01/2010
33930	Financial Secretary	Female	37	$24,000	Oxford, MS	01/01/2010
33903	Accounting	Female	22	$21,000	El Portal, NY	01/01/2010
33883	Self-Employed Bookkeeper	Female	37	$80,000	Roosevelt, NY	01/01/2010
33765	Bookkeeper	Female	33	$55,000	BOLINGBROOK, IL	01/01/2010

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