How to become a bookkeeper
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You can become a bookkeeper by studying part time and getting experience in an accounts team. The qualifications employers mention most come from AAT, the Association of Accounting Technicians, which covers bookkeeping too. You can start one as a complete beginner. The accounting software employers most commonly ask for are Xero, Sage and QuickBooks.
When you apply for bookkeeper jobs, a qualification helps, but experience counts most. If you have none yet, start as an accounts or finance assistant while you study. Or an accounting apprenticeship pays you to do both. Either way, the training takes about 9 to 18 months.
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Check what you can get freeIt takes about a minute. We will email you a link to confirm your account and save your results.Ways to become a bookkeeper
Take a bookkeeping course
A bookkeeping course teaches you the work from scratch, and you need no experience to start. AAT's bookkeeping courses go up in three levels, with Level 1 for complete beginners. Its accounting courses teach the bookkeeping and more besides, which helps if you might move into accountancy later. Most are taught at colleges and adult learning centres, in the day or the evening.
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Check what you can get freeTrain on an accounting apprenticeship
On an accounting apprenticeship, you're paid to work in an accounts team while you train, and the training costs you nothing. It gives you the experience bookkeeping employers look for. The accounts or finance assistant apprenticeship (Level 2) and the assistant accountant one (Level 3) both lead to bookkeeping jobs. Employers usually want GCSEs including English and maths, which you can take first if you need them.
Aged 19 or over without a grade 4 (C) in GCSE English or maths? You can study that subject free, whatever you earn.
Check what you can get freeStart in an accounts or payroll team
You can start as an admin assistant in an accounts or payroll team, perhaps part time or as a temp. You then take a bookkeeping qualification as you go and work your way up. With accounts experience from another job, you can apply for bookkeeping jobs straight away.
Bookkeeping qualifications
| Qualification | Level | How you take it | What it gets you | On JobYay | Cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAT Level 1 Award in Bookkeeping | 1 | Part time at a college or adult learning centre, about 12 to 15 weeks. A few online. | The basics from scratch, for jobs such as cashier, clerical assistant or trainee bookkeeping assistant. | 118 courses | Check what you can get free |
| AAT Level 2 Certificate in Bookkeeping | 2 | Part time, day or evening, at a college or adult learning centre, about 3 to 6 months. Some online. | The core bookkeeping skills, for jobs such as trainee bookkeeper, finance assistant or accounts administrator. | 123 courses | Check what you can get free |
| AAT Level 3 Certificate in Bookkeeping | 3 | Part time, about 6 to 12 months. Some colleges want Level 2 first. Some online. | After it you can join AAT as a bookkeeping member, with AATQB after your name. It's the Level 3 AAT asks for before you can apply for its licence to work for yourself. With experience, jobs such as professional or senior bookkeeper. | 85 courses | Check what you can get free |
| AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting | 2 | Part time, usually about a year. Some online. | Bookkeeping plus costing, for jobs such as accounts assistant or trainee accounting technician. | 176 courses | Check what you can get free |
| AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting | 3 | Part time, usually about a year. Some online. | You can join AAT as a bookkeeping member after it too (AATQB), and it's the usual step before AAT's Level 4. Jobs such as bookkeeper or assistant accountant. | 144 courses | Check what you can get free |
| ACCA Level 2 Diploma in Financial and Management Accounting | 2 | Part time in the day at a college in Rotherham, over 26 weeks. | ACCA's diploma in the books and costs. ACCA is ending this diploma, so you need to pass its exams by mid-July 2027. If you haven't by then, you move on to ACCA's Level 4, with credit for the exams you've passed. | 1 course | Check what you can get free |
| ACCA Level 3 Diploma in Financial and Management Accounting | 3 | Part time in the day at the same college in Rotherham. It starts with a check that the level suits you. | ACCA's Level 3 diploma in the books and costs. It's ending too, with its exams to pass by mid-July 2027. Otherwise you move on to ACCA's Level 4 with credit for what you've passed. | 1 course | Check what you can get free |
| Accounts or finance assistant apprenticeship | 2 | A paid job in an accounts or finance team, about 12 months, with an assessment at the end. Employers usually want some GCSEs, including English and maths. | The experience employers ask for, and jobs such as assistant bookkeeper. Some include an AAT qualification. | 18 vacancies | Nothing for the training |
| Assistant accountant apprenticeship | 3 | A paid job, about 15 months, with an assessment at the end. Employers usually want five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and maths. | The experience employers ask for, and jobs such as bookkeeper. | 30 vacancies | Nothing for the training |
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Check what you can get freeGetting on as a bookkeeper
What employers look for in a bookkeeper
Nearly every bookkeeping job asks for experience, and most say which software they use. Xero is named more than any other, then Sage and QuickBooks, so it's worth learning one of them. Only a small number insist on a qualification, and some of those want AAT Level 3 or higher. Most of the jobs include VAT returns, and many take in payroll too.
Work for yourself
You can work for yourself, keeping the books for other businesses. Before you take on any clients, the law says you must register for money laundering checks. Either register with HMRC, or with AAT or ICB (the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) through their licence to practise. To get that licence, you pass their Level 3, join as a member and then apply.
Add payroll
Payroll is part of many bookkeeping jobs, so adding it means you can apply for more of them. You learn to work out people's pay, make their payslips and send the figures to HMRC.
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Check what you can get freeMove up to accounting technician or accountant
With experience and more training, you can become an accounting technician, handling more complex accounts, tax and reporting work. AAT's Level 4 is the qualification for that role. Or you can take a degree, or train with ACCA or CIMA, to become an accountant.
Questions people ask
What qualifications do you need to be a bookkeeper, and can you be one without?
You can be a bookkeeper without a qualification, though having one helps. When a job names one, it's usually AAT, and sometimes ICB, the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. You don't need a degree either.
How long does it take to become a bookkeeper?
Learning bookkeeping with AAT takes about 9 to 18 months part time, for Level 2 and Level 3 together. On its own, Level 2 takes about 3 to 6 months, and Level 1 for beginners about 12 to 15 weeks. An accounting apprenticeship takes about 12 to 15 months, and you're working the whole time.
How do you become a bookkeeper with no experience?
Look for an entry-level job such as accounts assistant, accounts administrator or trainee bookkeeper, or an accounting apprenticeship. Only a handful of bookkeeper jobs will take someone with no experience, so these are where you build it. Taking a bookkeeping course at the same time helps you move up.
How do you become a freelance or self-employed bookkeeper, and do you need a licence?
You can go freelance without a licence, but by law you must register for money laundering checks before you take on clients. AAT and ICB licences cover this for members with their Level 3, or you can register with HMRC.
For AAT's licence, you also pass its tests, get professional indemnity insurance and have a basic DBS check.
Can you learn bookkeeping online?
Yes, you can study AAT bookkeeping online from home, at Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. A few Sage and payroll courses run online too. Most of the courses here are taught in a classroom, at colleges and adult learning centres, in the day or the evening.
Are there free bookkeeping courses?
Yes, some bookkeeping courses can be free, depending on things such as your age, your income and the qualifications you already have. A few quick questions show what you could do free near you. On an apprenticeship, you don't pay for the training at all.
Is there a bookkeeping apprenticeship?
There's no apprenticeship called bookkeeper, but two accounting apprenticeships lead to bookkeeping jobs. The accounts or finance assistant apprenticeship is at Level 2 and lasts about 12 months. The assistant accountant apprenticeship is at Level 3 and lasts about 15 months.
See accounting apprenticeships
How much does a bookkeeper earn?
A bookkeeper starting out earns around £24,000 a year, rising to around £35,000 with experience. Many bookkeeping jobs advertised in October 2026 paid between £29,000 and £33,000. Part-time and temporary jobs paid roughly £13 to £21 an hour.
See bookkeeper pay in live jobs
Can you work as a bookkeeper part time or from home?
Yes, part-time bookkeeping jobs are common, and some fit around school hours. Some jobs let you work from home on some days, but fully remote bookkeeping jobs are rare.
What does a bookkeeper do?
A bookkeeper records the money a business takes in and pays out, and checks it against the bank statement. The work includes invoices, VAT returns, wages and expenses, and helping get the yearly accounts ready, nearly all on accounting software. You might work in one business's office, at an accountancy firm doing the books for lots of small businesses, or for yourself.
Related jobs
- How to become an accounting technician
- How to become a payroll administrator
- How to become an accounts assistant
- How to become an assistant accountant
- How to become a management accountant