Accountant to bookkeeper
An accountant already meets 72% of what the bookkeeper role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
31.2/ 100
1 How much of what a bookkeeper is expected to do is already part of an accountant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the bookkeeper role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A bookkeeper role treats 14 of its required skills as things an accountant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting entries
- accounting techniques
- attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions
- bookkeeping regulations
- commercial law
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A bookkeeper role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an accountant background worth leading with.
- already held perform balance sheet operations management skills
- already held prepare trial accounting balances information skills
- already held depreciation business, administration and law
- already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions management skills
- already held identify accounting errors information skills
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
All 24 carried skills, including the 14 the bookkeeper role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn maintain financial records required
- still to learn manage the general ledger required
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held follow up accounts receivables optional
- still to learn use accounting systems required
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held manage cash desk optional
- optional, not held allocate bills optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held organise business documents optional
- still to learn company policies required
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a bookkeeper role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 company policies study this
- 02 maintain financial records practise this
- 03 manage the general ledger practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held depreciation knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held identify accounting errors skill
- already held perform balance sheet operations skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare trial accounting balances skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held manage payroll reports skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held support development of annual budget skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held manage cash desk optional
- optional, not held allocate bills optional
- optional, not held follow up accounts receivables optional
- optional, not held handle petty cash optional
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
- optional, not held organise business documents optional
33 held skills the bookkeeper role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role calculate production costs skill
- not needed by the target role check accounting records skill
- not needed by the target role check the production schedule skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
- not needed by the target role consult with production director skill
- not needed by the target role disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- not needed by the target role draft accounting procedures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate budgets skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role explain accounting records skill
- not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role fraud detection knowledge
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep track of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with auditors skill
- not needed by the target role liquidity management knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate bank accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage revenue skill
- not needed by the target role monitor after sales records skill
- not needed by the target role national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform dunning activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role resolve difficult account allocation cases skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn company policies required
- optional, not held labour legislation optional
Other moves recorded from accountant
- financial controller 68% covered · moderate
- accounting assistant 60% covered · moderate
- accounting manager 58% covered · moderate
- accounting analyst 57% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 50% covered · moderate
- financial fraud examiner 48% covered · moderate
- post-production supervisor 44% covered · moderate
- cost analyst 44% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an accountant become a bookkeeper?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An accountant already covers 72% of what a bookkeeper is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 14 of which the bookkeeper role treats as required.
What skills does an accountant need to become a bookkeeper?
4 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 3 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is company policies.
How hard is the move from accountant to bookkeeper?
Its learning distance is 31.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.