The Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is one of the many tasks involved in accounting. The job of being a bookkeeper is frequently described to be designated at the lowest section of accountancy jobs. Despite this demeaning depiction for a bookkeeper, his or her role is nevertheless the most important in all systems of accounting. Additionally, much of a bookkeeper's work is similar to that of a CPA.



Based on statistics, bookkeepers along with accountants and accounting clerks comprise 2.1 million employments in almost all industries in 2008 alone. They are also employed in all agencies of the government. Unlike a certified public accountant or CPA who is required to undertake a degree in accountancy, the minimum education required of a bookkeeper is a high school certification followed by a post-secondary associate degree education in business or accounting. Bookkeepers also need to undergo OJTs and classes for record keeping procedures.



As a financial record custodian, a bookkeeper is responsible in updating and maintaining accounting records. His/her task also involves calculation of expenses, receipts, accounts payable and receivable plus profit and loss. Full charge bookkeepers uphold the entire company's books.



Bookkeepers employed in small businesses takes care of the general ledger where they record all transactions, post costs and income. Financial statements and reports are prepared by bookkeepers along with particular summaries needed by supervisors and managers. To prepare bank deposits, bookkeepers gather all necessary data from cashiers, verify and balance receipts then send the cash or check and other payment modes to the bank. Payrolls may also be dealt with by bookkeepers, they can execute required purchases, set up invoices and keep track some overdue accounts.



An office is the general work environment for bookkeepers where they are in constant use of computers. Common ailments experienced by bookkeepers are eye and muscle strain, backaches, headaches and recurring motion injuries due to extended work periods while reviewing detailed and correct data.



Full-time bookkeepers work for a 40 regular business hours per week, although some instances may require them to work occasionally on weekends and evenings. There is about one in every four clerks who are working part time. Particular instances when a bookkeeper may work overtime in order to meet deadlines are fiscal year-ends, tax times, or periods for monthly or yearly accounting audits. If a bookkeeper works for hotels, restaurants and shopping stores or malls, he or she will usually need to work overtime during peak holidays and vacation seasons.



There are two systems employed in bookkeeping. In a Single-entry system, a cash book is the primary bookkeeping record used that is like a checking account register. This cash book apportions income and expenses to appropriate accounts. Petty cash, accounts payable and receivable, and other relevant transactions such as inventory and travel expenses are kept in a separate record of accounts.



This system are nowadays done with DIY bookkeeping software which increases the speed of manual calculations. While in a double-entry bookkeeping system, a set of rules is followed in recording financial information. Debits and credits are now utilized to serve as a kind of error-detection system. An error is known and identified should the sum of debits be not equal with the sum of credits.

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