finance · United States edition
It’s easy to be a Bookkeeper.
A US bookkeeper earns a median $50,670 a year (BLS, May 2025) recording day-to-day financial transactions for a business or several small clients. No degree or license is required, a high school diploma plus accounting-software fluency is the typical bar, but BLS projects a 6% employment decline through 2035 as software automates routine data entry, so long-term security depends on building client-facing and advisory skills.
Last verified Version 1By Editorial Team
Key facts
United States- Median salary (2025)
$50,670/yr
Range $36,000 – $74,550
- Time to qualify
0–2 years
Most people start doing paid bookkeeping work within a few months of learning the basics and a common accounting package. Earning a formal certification (CPB or CB) typically takes 1-2 years because both require supervised work experience before you can sit the exam.
- Cost to qualify
$0 – $1,500
Free to start for many roles (employers train on the job). A community-college bookkeeping certificate runs roughly $600-$1,200. NACPB's CPB exam costs $240-$300 (member/non-member); AIPB's CB exam costs about $479-$574. A QuickBooks Online subscription for freelance work runs $35-$75/month on top.
- Job outlook (2025-2035)
-6% growth
About 144,100 openings per year
All figures apply to United States. Salaries, licensing, and timelines differ by country — where other editions exist, switch between them at the top of the page.
Is it easy for you?
Tell us where you are now and get a personalized gap analysis for becoming a Bookkeeper — what you’ve already met, what’s left, and your likely remaining time. Computed from the sourced requirements on this page; nothing is stored unless you explicitly ask us to introduce you to a programme afterwards.
How to become a Bookkeeper — step by step
- 1
Learn double-entry bookkeeping fundamentals 4-12 weeks
A short community-college course, bootcamp, or self-study program covering the accounting equation, journals, ledgers and reconciliation.
- 2
Get fluent in accounting software 2-4 weeks
Learn QuickBooks Online or Xero hands-on — most job postings and small-business clients standardize on one of the two.
- 3
Build supervised experience 1-2 years
Work under an established bookkeeper or accountant, or take an entry-level accounting-clerk role, to accumulate the hours most certifications require.
- 4
Sit a certification exam 1-3 months to prepare and sit
Take the NACPB CPB exam (3 parts: bookkeeping, QuickBooks, payroll) or the AIPB CB exam (4 parts) once your experience hours are met.
- 5
Find clients or apply for staff roles ongoing
Many bookkeepers go freelance or part-time across several small-business clients rather than working for one employer full-time.
- 6
Maintain certification ongoing, annual
Keep your license current with continuing education — NACPB requires 24 CPE hours per year starting the year after you're licensed.
Requirements to be a Bookkeeper
- High school diploma or equivalenteducationRequired
BLS lists this as the typical entry education; some employers prefer some college or a bookkeeping/accounting certificate, but neither is a legal requirement.
- No state license requiredlicenseOptional
Bookkeeping is unlicensed in the US — anyone can use the title. Certification (below) is what signals competence, since the job title alone doesn't.
- Accounting software proficiency (QuickBooks Online, Xero)skillRequired
Nearly all small-business bookkeeping work runs through one of these platforms; employers and clients expect fluency from day one.
- Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) or Certified Bookkeeper (CB)certificationOptional
Optional. NACPB's CPB needs 1 year of supervised experience and passing 3 exams ($240-$300 total); AIPB's CB needs 2 years/3,000 hours and 4 exam parts (about $479-$574), completed within 3 years of a passing score.
A day in the life of a Bookkeeper
A bookkeeper's day is dominated by reconciling bank and credit-card feeds inside accounting software, coding transactions to the right account, chasing down missing receipts, running payroll, and preparing monthly reports for a business owner or manager. Freelance bookkeepers split their day across several small-business clients; in-house bookkeepers typically report to an office manager, controller, or the business owner directly.
Is it worth it to be a Bookkeeper?
Worth it if you want low-cost, low-barrier entry into finance work, don't need a four-year degree, and can tolerate a field that's shrinking overall (BLS projects a 6% decline through 2035) as software automates routine entry. It's a weak choice if you want long-term employment growth or a pay ceiling much above $75K without moving into accounting proper — even the top 10% of bookkeepers earn less than a typical accountant's median.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping software fluency — treating bookkeeping as a paper skill instead of learning QuickBooks Online or Xero first, which delays getting paid work.
- Chasing certification before experience — both NACPB and AIPB gate their exams behind 1-2 years of supervised hours, so studying for the exam too early wastes time.
- Underpricing freelance work — pricing purely by the hour instead of by client complexity, which caps income once software has automated away most manual entry.
- Ignoring the automation trend — not building the advisory skills (payroll review, cash-flow reporting, reconciliation oversight) that survive automation better than raw data entry.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a college degree to be a bookkeeper?
No. BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry requirement; software fluency matters more to employers than a degree.
What's the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?
Bookkeepers record and reconcile day-to-day transactions. Accountants interpret those records, prepare tax filings, and typically need a degree (often a CPA license) — which is part of why accountant pay is higher.
Is bookkeeping a shrinking career?
BLS projects a 6% employment decline from 2025 to 2035 as software automates routine entry, though about 144,100 openings a year are still expected from workers leaving the field, so hiring continues even as the total shrinks.
Can I work as a freelance or remote bookkeeper?
Yes — it's one of the most common remote-first finance roles. Many bookkeepers serve several small-business clients part-time instead of one employer.
Is bookkeeper certification worth getting?
It's optional, but it helps you charge more and win clients who otherwise have no way to verify your competence, since the job title itself carries no license.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these primary sources.
- 1Accounting.com — CPB vs. CB certification comparison — Accounting.com · accessed September 3, 2026
- 2BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed September 3, 2026
- 3NACPB — Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) License — National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers · accessed September 3, 2026
- 4O*NET OnLine — Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (43-3031.00) — O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor · accessed September 3, 2026