Bookkeeping Certification

The job of a bookkeeper is to maintain financial records of small or mid-sized companies. Whether you want to pursue a career as a professional career, or be able to manage the accounts of your company on your own, bookkeeping a highly delicate job that relies much on professional ethics and handling sensitive data. As such, attaining professional certification in bookkeeping increases your value in the job market with greater preference being given to such individuals for such a sensitive job. Attaining certification in bookkeeping does not take much time, as long as you fulfill certain important requirements beforehand. Discussed here is the process of going about attaining bookkeeping certification.

How to Attain Certification in Bookkeeping

The preparation to become a certified bookkeeper starts as early as high school. Though certification is not mandatory for you to work as a bookkeeper, it is definitely an added benefit that reflects well on your resume. Take a look at the steps you should follow to become a certified bookkeeper.

Step 1: Complete High School
Possessing a high school diploma or a GED is the first important step that needs to be completed before taking the next step. In high school, you should focus on subjects such as Mathematics and Accounts if you have already decided to pursue bookkeeping in the future. Even if you decide to take up a bookkeeping course later in life, as long as you have a high school diploma or a GED, you should do fine. Some colleges may or may not require you to provide an SAT or ACT score along with your high school scores.

Step 2: Pursue a Certificate in Bookkeeping
A certificate offered by various community colleges in bookkeeping is different from the certification we are talking about. The certification is attained at a later stage. For now, you ought to get into a college that offers a certificate in bookkeeping, the duration of which is usually one and a half years. Here you are taught all about the basics of accounting, payroll taxes, and the use of a computerized accounting program. This is most important because companies now maintain records on computers using accounting software. This allows for easy maintenance and checking of accounts.

Step 3: Get Some Work Experience
After completing your certificate course, it is mandatory for you to get at least 2 years of work experience before you become eligible for bookkeeping certification. You must also indicate an understanding of the ethics involved in bookkeeping so that you can be eligible for the test administered to provide certification. It is possible that you may want to attain certification before you complete this necessary work experience. While you are allowed to give the test necessary to certify you as a bookkeeper, you cannot be certified unless you provide evidence that you have attained 2 years of full-time work experience, or 3,000 hours of part-time work experience.

Step 4: Attain Certification
Certification for bookkeeping is provided by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB). The following are the steps necessary to attain certification.

• You are required to complete a 4 part national certification exam that consists of multiple choice questions in parts 1 and 2. Parts 3 and 4 are open book examinations. Several colleges offer courses that allow you to prepare for this exam and master it. You are required to pass in all sections (attain a minimum of 75% in sections 1 and 2, and 70% in sections 3 and 4) to attain certification. If you fail in any section, you can give the exam for the one section again.
• Once you complete the exam, you will be made to sign the AIPB code of ethics (that mentions the ethical responsibilities of bookkeeping).
• You are then awarded the title of Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB).
• Every three years after attaining certification, you are required to obtain 60 hours of continuing education credits to maintain certification.

Getting a bookkeeping certification is essential because it adds credibility to your profession. As CPB, you will not only be entitled to higher salaries, you will also be capable of starting your own bookkeeping firm after attaining necessary experience. Certification also entitles you to go ahead and specialize in accounting, should you desire to do so at a later stage.