Bookkeeper job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Some college, no degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$50,670

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (O*NET-SOC 43-3031.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes. importance 4.7 of 5
3. Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations. importance 4.6 of 5
4. Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Code documents according to company procedures. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Perform financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal. importance 4.3 of 5
8. Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records. importance 4.3 of 5
9. Perform general office duties, such as filing, answering telephones, and handling routine correspondence. importance 4.2 of 5
10. Access computerized financial information to answer general questions as well as those related to specific accounts. importance 4.2 of 5
11. Classify, record, and summarize numerical and financial data to compile and keep financial records, using journals and ledgers or computers. importance 4.2 of 5
12. Debit, credit, and total accounts on computer spreadsheets and databases, using specialized accounting software. importance 4.2 of 5
13. Match order forms with invoices, and record the necessary information. importance 4.1 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Working with Computers, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships and Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Prepare and process payroll information.
• Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to banks.
• Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments.
• Monitor status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date.
• Reconcile records of bank transactions.
• Compile budget data and documents, based on estimated revenues and expenses and previous budgets.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Administrative, Mathematics, English Language and Economics and Accounting.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, SAP software, Epic Systems. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists some college, no degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a bookkeeper.

The most common answer among bookkeepers surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (41%).

Job title: Bookkeeper
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Bookkeeper to compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Code documents according to company procedures.
- Perform financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal.
- Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records.
- Perform general office duties, such as filing, answering telephones, and handling routine correspondence.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists some college, no degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in mathematics, reading comprehension and active listening
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Administrative
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Intuit QuickBooks or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $50,670 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $24.36. BLS estimates about 1,373,680 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks to decline 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 144,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full bookkeeper salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real bookkeeper posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only bookkeeper work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (mathematics and reading comprehension); bookkeeper interview questions turns them into practice questions.