Become a Certified Bookkeeper
If you want to advance your bookkeeping career, earning a Certified Bookkeeper credential from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) is a crucial step. This 100% online course will fully prepare you for the AIPB Certified Bookkeeper exam. You will also learn advanced bookkeeping techniques with Microsoft Excel and be ready to pass the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Expert exam for Excel 2019.
Job Outlook for Bookkeepers
- According to PayScale.com, bookkeepers earn on average $17.37 per hour. Top bookkeepers’ earnings exceed $56,900.
- com cites bookkeeping skills as highly transferable to financial supervisory, analysis or managerial roles. The site calls bookkeeper an “ideal choice” for those who are motivated to keep organizations on track with regard to their finances.
- Technology is highly relevant to the bookkeeper’s role. Mastery of bookkeeping software applications is the key to matching bookkeeping skills with expanding requirements for analysis, visual data presentation and reporting that provides value-added to the traditional bookkeeper’s duties.
Certified Bookkeeper FAQs
WHAT DOES THE BOOKKEEPER ROLE INVOLVE?
Bookkeepers serve on the front lines of a person, company or organization’s financial health. Strong bookkeepers set up, deploy and manage systems that record the flow of funds into and out of an entity’s coffers. Using reporting tools and systems, bookkeepers help individuals and operational managers stay aware of and improve an entity’s financial status and performance.
HASN’T TECHNOLOGY REPLACED BOOKKEEPERS?
Technology has had a huge impact on the bookkeeping field. However, the bookkeeper’s underlying organizational skills and precise attention to detail are as valuable as ever to their employers and clients. Programs like Microsoft Excel have widely replaced the manual entry functions of traditional bookkeeping. However, the organization, reporting and use of financial data still rely heavily on human input and processing.
IS CERTIFICATION IMPORTANT FOR BOOKKEEPERS?
Certification in any profession signals to employers, colleagues and clients that a professional is committed to the highest standards of excellence and accountability. Certified bookkeepers meet the AIPB’s highest standards for financial accounting, business practices and ethical conduct.
HOW DO I BECOME A CERTIFIED BOOKKEEPER?
To earn your AIPB Certified Bookkeeper designation, you must pass the AIPB certification exam and be able to submit proof of at least two years of full-time or 3,000 hours of part-time experience.
IS BOOKKEEPING A GOOD OPTION FOR REMOTE WORK?
Because bookkeeping relies heavily on technology and can be done almost entirely using digital tools, it is considered an excellent prospect for remote, contract and work-at-home career opportunities.
Course Objectives 
- Prepare to take and pass the Certified Bookkeeper (CB) exam, offered by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers
- Prepare to take and pass the Microsoft Office Specialist Expert exam for Excel 2019 (MO-201)
- Understand eligibility requirements, code of ethics, and maintenance requirements for bookkeeper certification
- Apply the concepts of accrual accounting to transactions that span fiscal periods and trace the effect of accrual and deferral transactions
- Record book and tax depreciation, using various methods of calculating depreciation
- Perform basic payroll duties, including paying wages, handling payroll deposits and reporting taxes
- Know how to value inventory, record costs, make entries and report inventory on financial statements
Prerequisites
This course is designed for experienced bookkeepers with at least two years of work experience in bookkeeping or accounting.
Curriculum
Certified Bookkeeper
- BECOMING A CERTIFIED BOOKKEEPER
- Eligibility requirements, code of ethics and certification maintenance
- ACCRUALS, DEFERRALS AND THE ADJUSTED TRIAL BALANCE
- Why accruals, deferrals and other adjustments are made; recognizing revenues collected in advance and expenses after a prepayment
- CORRECTION OF ACCOUNTING ERRORS AND THE BANK RECONCILIATION
- When and where accounting errors occur and how they are discovered; finding and correcting errors on the unadjusted trial balance
- PAYROLL
- How to pay different types of employees; federal and state wage-hour law
- DEPRECIATION
- The difference between book and tax depreciation; depreciation under GAAP
- INVENTORY
- General concepts of accounting for inventory; the perpetual, periodic, FIFO and LIFO methods
- INTERNAL CONTROLS AND FRAUD DEPRECIATION
- How to prevent or spot theft of inventory and other non-cash assets by employees; preventing employee theft, embezzlement or fraud by hiring the right personnel
Microsoft Excel 2019
- INTRODUCTION TO MICROSOFT EXCEL 2019
- Creating a Microsoft Excel workbook, using formulas in Microsoft Excel and working with rows and columns
- INTERMEDIATE MICROSOFT EXCEL 2019
- Advanced formulas, working with lists, tables and illustrations, visualizing your data
- ADVANCED MICROSOFT EXCEL 2019
- Using pivot tables, auditing worksheets and data tools
Instructors
Wade Lindenberger
Wade Lindenberger is a CPA with over 20 years of financial accounting and management experience in public accounting and private industry. He is currently Director of Finance and Administration for New Children’s Museum. Before his current position, he worked as the National Finance and Accounting Service Line Leader for Premier Alliance Group, a national professional services firm. Wade was also Director of the Finance and Accounting service line for the San Diego office of a global, publicly held professional services firm. He has previously served as an instructor for courses at Coopers & Lybrand and at the University of California at San Diego for the Extension Course and is currently an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Business.
Helene K. Liatsos
Helene K. Liatsos is business advisor and QuickBooks Certified Advisor with more than 25 years of experience. She consults for a range of companies, from travel agencies to startups. Her company Home Office Management Experts was awarded the 2004 Home-Based Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Helene holds a Bachelor of Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Tracy Berry
Tracy Berry has been a programmer and technical consultant since 1993. She has been involved in several large corporate software rollouts and helped many organizations optimize and streamline data solutions. Tracy is a CTT (Certified Technical Trainer) and specializes in reporting and productivity applications, graphics, desktop publishing and web design.
Registration and Enrollment
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.