Is Bookkeeping Certification Worth It? Salary And Job Growth

Discover the role and responsibilities of a certified bookkeeper, and find out why you may need to hire one to ensure your company’s finances run smoothly. Most remote QuickBooks Live bookkeepers work from home which means you need a reliable hard-wired internet connection and a landline phone. Intuit will provide a laptop with all the technology and software required to meet your responsibilities. Intuit will also provide a webcam, headset, USB hub, Ethernet cable, backdrop, and VPN token. Some provide free and low-cost resources, while others may be more expensive but provide more knowledge.

Educational Requirements

Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Good Housekeeping, MSN, Yahoo and more. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, Borst is a lifelong runner and general fitness enthusiast who is passionate about the physical and mental benefits of sleep and self-care. AIPB suggests taking parts one and two in order, but test-takers can complete each section in any order they’d like. Candidates must pass at least one section within one year of registering and pass all sections within three years of registering. NACPB supports members performing bookkeeping and payroll using QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Online Payroll. Meghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist.

Bookkeeping Certification

A bookkeeping certification not only adds value to your skill set but also helps you stay on top of the latest trends and technological advances in the industry. Read on to learn what you need to know about becoming a certified bookkeeper. Because of these factors, advancing your bookkeeping career to a role in accounting can be advantageous.

North Central State College

• Membership also gives you access to resources that can help you prepare to become a CPB.
• These professionals use problem-solving, analytical, and detail-oriented skills while working closely with numbers and bookkeeping software.
• Make sure to bring proper identification and any required materials on exam day.
• In other words, a certificate may help you meet the educational requirements you need to qualify for certification.
• You will learn how to record costs, value inventory, calculate depreciation, analyze financial statements, and use software programs.

In general, bookkeeping programs emphasize practical skills and core essentials. Meanwhile, many accounting certificate programs assume that students have some familiarity with fundamentals. As such, they may focus more on technical and targeted uses for those skills, or on how they can be used to help businesses make decisions. The program has an open admissions process, but learners must maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.0 to receive credit.

Backed by a leading national accounting company, Consortia Small Business Accountants, NACPB produces America’s most qualified bookkeepers. Moreover, both the CB and CPB credentials are respected in the bookkeeping field and can help you stand out to employers. Note that NACPB’s bookkeeping certification is different from its CPB license. If you purchase these materials as a bundle, they cost $1,276 in total for members, and $1,596 for nonmembers.

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Additionally, the options outlined in the table below can be completed online, and many are self-paced, meaning you can work on them around your other responsibilities. These often take a few weeks to a few months to complete, and cover fundamental knowledge and skills so you can get started in the field. The process of maintaining certification can help you keep your skills sharp over time as well. To renew your certification, you must complete continuing coursework, attend professional development programs and take part in training workshops. While these requirements may sound tedious, they could benefit your career in the long term.

Whether you study on campus or online, you may face additional costs beyond tuition. For instance, you may need to purchase subscriptions or software licenses for one or more accounting software packages. Harper College requires each certificate applicant to submit official high school or college transcripts and pay a $25 application fee.

After approving an application, AIPB grants each applicant a testing identification number to schedule their exams. A candidate can schedule an exam on a date of their choice, but at least one business day before an exam on Tuesday through Friday. While NACPB allows exams on holidays, bookkeepers must schedule at least two business days before the holiday. Retakes for each section are available for $40 for members and $50 for non-members. Each of the CPB’s four exams requires a passing score of 75%, which amounts to 37 correct responses out of 50. The online testing center scores the exam electronically, with results provided immediately after completion.

The school offers Student Success Guides for online learners to help them find resources, manage time, and learn how to participate in online classes. Once you’ve identified what matters most out of a bookkeeping certification program or a bookkeeping certificate, start researching which options align most closely with your priorities. According to Payscale, people in the US with a bookkeeping certification can earn, on average, $55,000 per year 2. As a bookkeeper, your income level may vary based on your location, experience and employer. If you work in a competitive job certified bookkeeper market, certification can give you a leg up when discussing salary potential with prospective employers. If you’re just launching your bookkeeping career, a professional certification can set you apart from the competition.