Bookkeeper to accounting manager
A bookkeeper already meets 31% of what the accounting manager role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.6/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting manager is expected to do is already part of a bookkeeper’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 accounting manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accounting manager role treats 11 of its required skills as things a bookkeeper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting entries
- depreciation
- ensure compliance with accounting conventions
- financial department processes
- financial statements
What stands in the way is 22 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An accounting manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bookkeeper background worth leading with.
- already held depreciation business, administration and law
- already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions management skills
- already held manage the general ledger information skills
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
- already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
All 18 carried skills, including the 11 the accounting manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 44 missing skills fall into 6 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 create a financial plan required
- still to learn enforce financial policies required
- still to learn evaluate budgets required
- still to learn explain accounting records required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- still to learn supervise accounting operations required
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn identify if a company is a going concern required
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn check accounting records required
- still to learn ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- still to learn draft accounting procedures required
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- still to learn fraud detection required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accounting manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 identify if a company is a going concern practise this
- 03 analyse financial performance of a company 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held depreciation knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- already held financial department processes knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow the statutory obligations skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held support development of annual budget skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held manage the general ledger skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held statistics knowledge
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
18 held skills the accounting manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role allocate bills skill
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow up accounts receivables skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
- not needed by the target role identify accounting errors skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage cash desk skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
- not needed by the target role perform balance sheet operations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare trial accounting balances skill
- not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill
10 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 corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn fraud detection required
- still to learn international financial reporting standards required
- still to learn national generally accepted accounting principles required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
Other moves recorded from bookkeeper
- accounting assistant 72% covered · moderate
- accountant 60% covered · moderate
- billing clerk 46% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 41% covered · substantial
- financial controller 39% covered · substantial
- tax inspector 29% covered · substantial
- accounting analyst 29% covered · substantial
- budget manager 24% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a bookkeeper become an accounting manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A bookkeeper already covers 31% of what an accounting manager is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 11 of which the accounting manager role treats as required.
What skills does a bookkeeper need to become an accounting manager?
22 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from bookkeeper to accounting manager?
Its learning distance is 74.6 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.