How to Become a Certified Bookkeeper

The certificate can be withdrawn if a person fails to meet the continuing professional education requirements. Earning a bookkeeping certification can provide a good return on investment. Although most employers don’t require certification for bookkeepers, earning a professional credential can help you qualify for higher-paying jobs. “A Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) earns between 10% to 24% more than a bookkeeper without this certification,” according to Kirkham. AIPB requires CB candidates to pass all six credentialing tests in no more than three years, so this is the maximum timeline for completing examination requirements. Your total timeline could extend to 5-6 years after factoring in AIPB’s two required years of professional experience, which you have three years to acquire.

AIPB vs NACPB: Which Professional Bookkeeping Certification is Right for You?

For full-time bookkeepers, a minimum of two years of work experience is necessary. If you work part-time or as a freelancer, you must complete a minimum of 3,000 hours of bookkeeping work. The two-page application is the initial step toward becoming AIPB-certified. Basic information such as your name, address, date of birth, and information about your present employer will be provided. You must also state whether or not you have the required job experience (which we will discuss next). Qualifications and requirements vary depending on the state you live in.

Bookkeeping License vs. Certification: Which Do You Need?

Many accounting firms prefer candidates without a CPA certification if they have at least three years of experience as an accountant. The best way to determine whether or not your career choice is right for you is talking with recruiters and accountants who can help pick what type of training would be best suited for your needs. To earn this certification, the AIPB requires candidates to obtain two years of experience either before taking the exam or immediately following completion of the exam. CB candidates must also agree to abide by bookkeeping codes of ethics.

How long do I have to pass the certification exams?

While this course is given by UCLA in Westwood, California, courses are available both online and on-campus. To become AIPB Law Firm Accounts Receivable Management certified, you must successfully complete a total of five phases. You must fill out an application, have the appropriate job experience, pass a four-part certification test, agree to and sign a code of ethics, and keep up with the needed continuing education units.

NACPB offers a Certified Public Bookkeeper License Bundle that includes all required courses, certification exams and certificates for $1,078 (members) or $1,347 (nonmembers). Both can definitely make you look more professional to potential employers, and that’s a good thing. Think about your own experience level the CPB might be a bit easier to get into if you’re newer to bookkeeping, needing just one year of experience compared to the CB’s two.

You qualify to register for the CPB exam after completing NACPB’s required prep courses. As of 2024, NACPB requires candidates to earn a cumulative score of at least 75% on the CPB exam to qualify for certification. Examinees have their tests scored electronically QuickBooks immediately after completion and receive the results immediately. To become a CB, AIPB mandates that you must have two years of full-time professional experience or 3,000 hours of part-time or freelance experience working as a bookkeeper. However, you can accrue these hours before or after you pass the CB credentialing exam.

• This process involves completing at least 60 CPE hours every three years, except for the initial certification cycle.
• All exams are open-book exams; they require a 75% (37 out of 50 questions for each part) passing grade before you can attain the CPB license.
• You may also become certified by taking classes at a local or online institution.
• There are two significant ways of getting a bookkeeping license or certification in the USA.
• You will receive the exam via email 24 hours before your scheduled exam time.

Preparing For Your Chosen Certification

However, unlike the first and second parts of the AIPB certification which you must take at a Prometric center, all four parts of the CPB certification exam are CBT and can be taken in your house. Various preparation programs grant you access to seasoned instructors to teach the topics in the curriculum and to answer questions that need clarification. AIPB makes preparing for the exam easier by providing workbooks on each of the topics to be tested. Quizzes are introduced at the end of each section to ease your preparation and to ensure you have mastered all the parts of the curriculum. You can also take advantage of the practice exam included in each workbook to be familiar with the format of the final exam.

How long does it take to become a certified bookkeeper?

However, there are certain situations in which you may want to consider getting a bookkeeping certification, or at least taking a course to buff up your skills. Bookkeeping forms the backbone of every organization’s need to carefully account for its financial activities. It accounts for sales, purchases, and payments that flow through an entity. Bookkeepers are crucial to every organization and certified bookkeepers are the elite of their profession.

• Strong bookkeepers set up, deploy and manage systems that record the flow of funds into and out of an entity’s coffers.
• Basic information such as your name, address, date of birth, and information about your present employer will be provided.
• That’s over $32,000 more per year than the median wage for bookkeepers of $49,210.
• The Entries Adjustment and Accounting Errors workbook both cost $39 each for AIPB members and $49 each for Non-members.
• Each element of this program is also available separately, and qualifying equivalent courses can be substituted for NACPB courses.

However, AIPB recommends that candidates develop their knowledge of various bookkeeping proficiencies. According to AIPB, more than 1,000 postsecondary institutions offer courses that prepare students for the CB exam. It can take anywhere from four months to more than two years to become a certified bookkeeper, depending on which certification you pursue and how quickly you complete its requirements. To maintain the credential, CPBs must apply for renewal and complete 24 hours of continuing professional education each year. Forbes Advisor’s education editors are committed to aipb vs nacpb producing unbiased rankings and informative articles covering online colleges, tech bootcamps and career paths.