Jackie Rockwell

Are Bookkeepers Accountants?

Hi there!
This is a really great question that we really love to dive into.
Short answer: almost never

Long answer: Bookkeepers and Accountants are two different professions that a company uses to ensure accuracy in their financial reports. 

Bookkeepers follow standard practices to produce reliable financial reports. Bookkeepers are usually responsible for the data entry and often in charge of things like payroll taxes and reconciling the balance sheet. 
You may also think of the role of a bookkeeper as someone who is "prepping" the books for the accountant.  

An Accountant has a very specific role for a company, which does not involve bookkeeping at all. 
Accountants s are most often used by a business for their expertise in advising and filing taxes. Accountants are a great resource for tax planning and projections. 

Shouldn't I just get a degree in accounting?

well, you COULD.... but it’s really not necessary and we’d still recommend coming back to take Bookkeeping Foundations when you’re done.
Let us explain…
Most accounting courses teach very high-level thinking. They spend a lot of time teaching accounting concepts.
But there is so much information that is not taught in a typical college course setting.
Bookkeeping Foundations covers topics such as:
- software integrations that are useful and affordable for the business owner
- day-to-day operations which are rarely (if ever!) taught in a traditional classroom setting
- how to best work with a business owner so they not only understand but VALUE what it is you do
Bookkeeping is NOT accounting.
Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE our local accountants! But the services and skill-set we provide our clients differs from theirs.
Bookkeeping does not require a degree.
Bookkeeping requires that you have a basic understanding of accounting concepts, but ultimately what you’re doing is utilizing software to get the books ready for the CPA to work their magic.
A good bookkeeper is simply someone who likes to solve problems. Someone who isn’t afraid to dive in and get things done.
You don’t need to shell out tens of thousands of dollars and spend the next 2-4 years getting another degree.

If you’re interested in making a career shift, bookkeeping can be a very easy one to make.
We have over 25 years of bookkeeping and accounting experience. We KNOW how it all ties together (the accounting part) AND how to confidently get everything organized within the software (the bookkeeping piece). 

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Who we are

Our mission is to educate people to become highly skilled bookkeepers and to connect companies to highly qualified bookkeepers. 

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  • PO Box 158
    Corvallis, OR, 97333, US
  • jackier@brassjacks.com
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