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April 9, 2025
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How to Become a Bookkeeper in 2025: A Step-by-Step Guide
Bookkeepers keep the finances in order. A bookkeeper’s job is to keep track of and record all of a business’s financial events. These include payments, invoices, purchases, and costs. Bookkeepers are a useful addition to most businesses. Owing to their absolute importance, bookkeeping is a smart career choice. So, to choose, it is vital to know how to become a bookkeeper.
What does a bookkeeper do?
Some of the jobs that bookkeepers do are
- Entering data
- Posting financial transactions
- Tracking of credits and debits
- Creating financial reports
- Monitoring records
- Producing invoices
Get in touch with bookkeepers at sterling cooper for these jobs.
“Bookkeeping is made up of the identification of transactions, classifications, summarisation, storage, protection, reportage, and maintenance of financial records for the preparation and presentation of financial accounts”.
Vincent Adela
Here is a step by step guide to know how to become a bookkeeper in the UK.
Step 1: Get the Qualifications
Education
If you are wondering how to become a bookkeeper, you need basic qualifications first. You might not need the typical advanced degrees. A high school diploma is enough to start the job.
You might have an edge over other jobseekers if you know more about accounting. This includes how to do taxes, report finances, and use accounting tools.
A degree in business or accounting can be helpful.
It is not always mandatory but can be useful.
| Type | Degree | Importance level |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Qualifications | High school diploma | Mandatory |
| Advanced qualifications | Associate Degree in Business | Optional |
| Associate Degree in Accounting | Optional |
Certifications
Another thing that can enhance your chances is certifications. Employers may be able to tell from your skills that you know a lot about the job. If you are looking for how to become a bookkeeper in the UK, you can get
The Association of Accounting Technicians.(AAT) Licensed Bookkeeper:
There are three levels. You get awards and certificates based on these levels.
AATQB status:
This is the membership of the AAT organizations. It has increases the chances of getting hired by 11%.
For someone wondering how long to become a bookkeeper, it depends on the lengths of these courses.
Software
You can always learn the software, tools, and processes on your own. This can be beneficial to proceed in the process. Learning accounting software can be useful.
These are
Sage:
A software made for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It simplifies accounting processes.
Quickbooks:
Software designed for medium and small businesses. It manages finance of the business
Xero:
A software marketed for bookkeepers and accountants. Also used by small businesses and sole traders
Step 2: Get the skills
Besides, having relevant education, there are other keys to success. If you have to learn how to become a bookkeeper, here are some skills.
- Math Skills
Basic math skills are a great skill to have. Computers do most of the math. Still having basic skills is an advantage.
- Customer Service
A lot of the job of bookkeepers involves customer service. They have to schedule consultations and manage operations.
- Communication
Bookkeepers have to explain difficult concepts to clients. The clients may not know finance. So, bookkeepers have to simplify and translate.
- Integrity
You need to keep the data of the company private. So, if you want to know how to become a bookkeeper in the UK, you need to have integrity.
- Problem-solving
When wondering how to become a bookkeeper, you should look for problem-solving. There might be numbers to untangle. You should be able to spot them without panic.
So how long does it take to become a bookkeeper? The mixture of skills and qualification tells that.
Step 3: Evaluate the Salary of Bookkeeper
The salary of bookkeepers varies by experience.
Starters
It is important to know what you will earn in the start when you learn how to become a bookkeeper.
The average salary of starter bookkeepers is £18,000 per annum according to the government of the UK.
Experienced:
The salary for experienced bookkeepers is £35,000 per annum.
Other factors affecting salary
Some of the factors that affect salary are:
- Industry demands
- Qualifications
- Track record
Step 4: Know Timings for a bookkeeper
Bookkeepers usually work a 37–39-hour week. The usual time is 8 am to 6 pm. They might need to spend a few extra hours if there is more load. Sometimes, bookkeepers work on weekends too.
Unlike some other finance jobs, bookkeepers do not need to work very long hours. Pulling a night’s worth of work is unlikely,
Long hours, thus, are not your worry if you are learning how to become a bookkeeper.
Step 5: Know the Difference in Accountant and Bookkeeper
It is the job of a bookkeeper to enter deals into the system. This is an important part of accounting in general.
The trial balance is often given to an accountant by a bookkeeper. It is a compilation of all the general ledger accounts.
The accountant utilises this information to create the Balance Sheet and Income Statement. The Statement of Cash Flows is also prepared by this.
The foundation for accountants’ analysis is laid by bookkeepers, to put it one way.
Bookkeepers use built-in data processing tools to help prepare financial statements.
They also preset transaction classification to increase the speed of transaction recording.
Accountants use this data for analysis.
Step 6: Explore Careers and Jobs for Bookkeeping
Once you have the right qualifications, skills and information, you’ll have many opportunities.
You can be a:
- Freelance Bookkeeper: You can work periodically.
- Virtual Bookkeeper: Work remotely using online services.
- Agency Bookkeeper: Work with a bookkeeping agency. Large businesses hire them.
- In-house Bookkeeper: A business may hire you as this for their bookkeeping.
- Specialized Bookkeeper: You can work with a particular business or model.
Most financial firms offer bookkeeping services. They help their clients keep track of their transactions. They are also useful for organizing information such as payroll, reports, etc. So, you can make your career with them.
Get Expert Bookkeeping Services with Sterling Cooper Consultants
Sterling cooper consultants limited offers the best bookkeeping services for your business. Our bookkeepers cater to your needs. Make an informed decision and contact us now.
Struggling to Keep Your Finances in Order? Let the Experts Handle It!
At Sterling Cooper Consultants Ltd, our certified bookkeepers offer precise, HMRC-compliant bookkeeping solutions tailored to your business needs.
FAQs
Pursue a high school degree. Obtain relevant courses and experiences for better chances.
You need to put in time to thoroughly and accurately complete all the tasks.
College courses take 1-2 years. Online courses are a lot quicker.
Bookkeepers work around 40 hours a week. They align with a standard full-time schedule.
Industries like retail, manufacturing, and construction that have complex transactions need bookkeepers.
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