Online Bookkeeping Courses

Bookkeeping Training - Bookkeeping Basics

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This page is going to chat about:

... online bookkeeping courses ... some are free and/or have affordable fees, while others require an investment in yourself;

... study aids, bookkeeping test, and fun online bookkeeping quizzes; and

... how to become a bookkeeper by getting certified. But first let me introduce you to this website.

The Bookkeeping Essentials website is a series of casual chats geared to:

1. work from home small business owners who do
   their own books ... and
2. being a support resource for bookkeepers working
   from home.

It has bookkeeping basics ... some of which are not formally taught when you get a formal education ... because not all small business owners follow the rules!

You will find basic bookkeeping tools and free resources such as:

• common bookkeeping entries
• month end procedures
• accounting and bookkeeping checklists
• my five top bookkeeping tips
• basic bookkeeping training on how to:
• self assess your own bookkeeping accuracy; and
• read the financial statements you produce
• basic Canadian tax deductions and tax planning opportunities broken down to:
• what is tax deductible;
• what is not tax deducible; and
• what expenses have limitations.
• a community bookkeeping forum where you can ask your bookkeeping questions in a friendly, supportive environment.

In developing this site, I have tried to keep it casual ... but full of practical tips to help with your everyday bookkeeping dilemmas. So it assumes you know a little bit about bookkeeping.

... but what if you need more bookkeeping training than I offer here?

As I said, this chat will explore online bookkeeping courses that appeal to me. I've decided to use a question and answer format ... so warm up your cup of tea and let's take a look.

Some of the bookkeeping courses I found were not actually online ... but you sign up online ... and the bookkeeping course material is mailed to you ... and consists of CDs and/or binder with course notes.

Q: What online bookkeeping courses should you take as a business owner to learn more about bookkeeping and what it means for your business?

A: If you are a new business owner, CRA puts on live seminars in communities throughout Canada and offers online webinars on an ongoing basis ... all for free. The webinars have been archived for viewing at any time; just search for Small Business Information Webinars or look under Events and Seminars> Small Business Information Sessions> Webinars.

If you only have a dial-up internet connection, CRA says their webinars will still work for you. Go to http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/vnts/menu-eng.html for more information.

You may find that you need more formal bookkeeping training than what CRA offers ... or my site provides. Here is an affordable solution ... in terms of your time AND your money.

Real Life Accounting provides bookkeeping training for the business owner that has no financial background ... designed for the non-accountant. Two good courses are offered online ...

This 4 hour long introductory course includes 100 practice journal entries to build your confidence while ...

This 20 hour course lets you integrate what you have learned with hands on practice sessions and a management analysis session.

Read my review of both online bookkeeping courses ... or go directly to the website to view more details. Both courses are afforable.

If, upon completion of either course, you are not fully satisfied, John's site says your tuition fee is 100% refundable.

When you make your purchase through this site, Lakeshore Bookkeeping earns a portion of that sale. I realize making your purchase this way adds an additional step to the purchasing process ... but your efforts help me to continue publishing free articles to you.

If you go directly to the sight (instead of clicking a link from here) to make your purchase, Lakeshore Bookkeeping does NOT earn a commission.





AccountingCoach Pro has just introduced two online bookkeeping courses - Bookkeeping Basics (2 hours) and Understanding Financial Statements (2.3 hours).

The online courses are arranged in mini-sessions so you don't have to watch a video all at once. It also means you can go back and easily review sessions you are interested in again and again.

Click here to view more details. The series has a 90 day money back guarantee ... no questions asked.





Best Small Biz Help also offers an excellent, affordable online bookkeeping course. Small business owners who want to learn the numbers side of their business should take a look at The Solopreneur's Lifeline video series on basic accounting: understanding financial statements.

The videos are a series of micro courses in a condensed curriculum ... perfect for the busy entrepreneur. You will learn what you need to know about your financial statements to help you build a profitable business long term.

Each video is under 10 minutes. The introductory videos are free ... but you must enroll and pay a 30 day access subscription fee to view most of the videos. This enables you to learn at your own pace ... when you have time. There does not appear to be a return policy at this time.

The series does not include setting up the books, how to make entries, etc. ... but it will help you answer the question, "Are you making any money?".

Dawn Fotopulos, the founder of Best Small Biz Help says "the [course] content is worth hundreds of dollars if they had to take these courses elsewhere".

I have only viewed the introductory videos at this time ... but I will be adding this to my budget so I can view the entire course. Dawn Fotopulos is an engaging speaker and I look forward to being able to view this entire online bookkeeping course.

While exchanging e-mails with Dawn, she let me know that "we just got named as one of the top ten small business websites by CommuniquePR out of Seattle. We're pretty excited about that ...".

I am also happy to announce that Bookkeeping-Essentials.com has been listed as a small biz resource. Dawn explained that "we don't list everyone, just for the record. Your niche is important and there are few people really doing the job as you are."

Find out a bit more about Best Small Biz Help in the U.S. section of "The Bookkeeping Resources".

Smith Young University's School of Bookkeeping has free webinars / webcasts. They are broken down into three categories of training:

... Thursdays are for bookkeeping employees sponsored by NBA;

... Wednesdays and Fridays are for bookkeeping professionals sponsored by NACP;

... Tuesdays are for tax professionals training; and

... Cash management is presented each month that has a Thursday fall in the 5th week.

You may find these online bookkeeping courses to be your cup of tea ... the price is certainly right! You must register but only the first 25 participants get to attend the live session. If you aren't one of the first 25 to sign in, you will still be able to view a recording of the session.

I have attended three sessions so far ... two under bookkeeping employees ... and one under bookkeeping professionals. I did have some trouble getting the webcast recorded session to work initially. I find the audio is not great as the presenter's voice fades in and out ... but maybe it's just my computer. The live sessions worked fine with no problems.

As the sessions are free, be prepared to hear information about the presenter's firm and services. The three series are a marketing tool meant to introduce you to their services and generate interest in their study program.

Each session gives you a general executive overview of the topic. There is some repetition between sessions ... but if you are just learning the concepts, it assists in reinforcing what you heard in a previous session.

Live sessions have Q&A at the end where the speaker takes time to speak with each attendee.

You can find the online bookkeeping course curriculum(s) at www.smithyounguniversity.com > Training> Free Training.

Principles of Accounting.com is not really an online bookkeeping course. It is a bit more formal and more like an online introductory accounting course.

It is a free online textbook that covers financial and managerial accounting. It is very comprehensive and if you take the time to work through it, it would be similar to taking an accounting course at university.

Each chapter has 3 study guides which tests for goal achievement ... fill in the blank ... multiple choice. There are also problems, checklists of key concepts and key terms.

Some chapters have a link to preview the global edition. I'm guessing this would be the textbook revised to reflect IFRS instead of U.S. GAAP ... but I'm not sure as I couldn't find any notes as to what was different about this edition.

Each chapter has a video you can play to hear a free lecture on the topic by the author Larry Walther, Ph.D., CPA, CMA.

You can also download and print the pdf files for your own individual use ... so you can work away from the computer. WOW is all I have to say!!!





Gabrielle Fontaine, PB has created an online training program that shows bookkeepers how to take their bookkeeping practice virtual. She has over twenty years experience and has started two bookkeeping businesses from the ground up.

This online bookkeeping course does NOT teach you bookkeeping, but how to run a virtual online bookkeeping business.

Her training manual includes the ideal business model, your services, the tools you need to work virtually, how to set your rates and market on a shoestring budget, how to setup your internal business systems, a 30 day action plan and more.

It has a 60 day money back guarantee.





Q: What resources are available to study for a bookkeeping certification exam or to improve your bookkeeping training?

A: If you are a studying to take your bookkeeping certification, I found two sources that may help you achieve your goal. Both of these sites have online bookkeeping courses and/or training.

I like both of them because they have fun quizzes and great practice exams you can take to self-test your knowledge. Taking them helped me determine where my bookkeeping training weaknesses were ... so I could devote more study time to those areas.

The other thing I like about these online bookkeeping courses, is that I can study at my leisure from home.

Here are my two favorites sites for practice bookkeeping tests:



Interactive Bookkeeping Tests and Games

Dave Marshall's website, The Bean Counter uses interactive tests and games to keep the learning fun and light hearted. This U.S. website even offers a tutorial on Basic Canadian Payroll.

Visit my Online Bookkeeping Shoppe to find my review of this awesome, fun bookkeeping website ... or

Click here to go directly to The Bean Counter website.

The Accounting Coach has free word scrambles and quizzes that I really enjoyed. But what I found really useful was the 300 question Bookkeeper's Proficiency Exam. There are also financial accounting exams that cover 16 financial topics. Each of these exams has 40 questions.

Visit my Online Bookkeeping Shoppe to find my review of this practical, well written accounting website ... or

Click here to go directly to The Accounting Coach website.

I also took the Real Life Accounting for Non-Accountants online bookkeeping course as preparation for my exam. (It was discussed earlier on this page.)

Please do NOT take these as recommended or endorsed study material by any association or educational facility. They are simply some of the online bookkeeping resources I found that I used to study for the Certified Professional Bookkeeper exam (I got 90%) ... and they are my recommendations for basic, informal, affordable bookkeeping and accounting training.

For more formal training materials, see the bookkeeping certification resource information that is coming up next.

Do you have a favorite study resource? Please write me a note and let me know why you recommend it. I'll publish your recommendation onto its very own web page ... with you as the author. :0)

I am a compensated affiliate and earn a commission if you purchase any of these products through The Online Bookkeeping Shoppe.

Purchasing these products through my website helps support this site and enables me to publish free articles for your business. That makes it a WIN-WIN-WIN for you, me, and them.

If you go directly to the sight (instead of clicking a link from here) to make your purchase, Lakeshore Bookkeeping does NOT earn a commission.

Q: What online bookkeeping courses could you take to achieve bookkeeping certification and/or improve your bookkeeping training?

A: I put together some information for both Canadian and US bookkeeping certification training.

Canadian Bookkeeper Training - Online Bookkeeping Courses

The bookkeeping industry in Canada is not regulated at this time. Therefore, I have gathered the following information about programs that help to professionalize and increase the quality of bookkeeping in Canada.

While many colleges throughout Canada have bookkeeping diploma programs ... some of which have online bookkeeping course offerings ... I will not be discussing them here.

• bookkeeping services speciality; or
• tax services speciality.

In my opinion, this online bookkeeping program differs from college based programs in that graduates must meet continuing professional development to maintain their licence. Most college programs have no further requirements upon completion of their program.

The Bookkeeping Forum has additional options after Bob asked about Becoming a Bookkeeper. Matt aslo asked about Starting a Career as a Bookkeeper. Add your favorite online bookkeeping courses to the posts.

Canadian Bookkeeper Certification Programs

• The Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (IPBC) has an exam you can write that results in the Certified Professional Bookkeeper (CPB) designation.

  IPBC provides the environment, knowledge, and resources its members need to develop excellence in bookkeeping, through education, networking, advocacy, information and research. The focus is to create member value and benefits that in turn contribute to creating a stronger trust relationship with Canadian business.

  The IPBC has online bookkeeping courses in the form of one hour webinars. They are held regularly to help bookkeepers develop their knowledge and stay current in their field. At this time, membership is not required to attend ... but it is useful to have some prior bookkeeping knowledge.

  The IPBC office is located in British Columbia (B.C.). (see footnote)






• Canadian Bookkeepers Association (CBA) has an exam you can write to obtain your Registered Professional Bookkeeper (RPB) designation.

  The CBA is a national not-for-profit organization that was founded in 2003 and is committed to the advancement of bookkeeping professionals in Canada and to furthering the Canadian bookkeeping industry as a whole.

  Membership in the CBA entitles the bookkeeping professional access to a knowledgeable and diverse group of colleagues through their Members Only Discussion Forum; discounts & benefits from different companies affiliated with the CBA; and the ability to be a part of history as they venture toward government approved industry recognition.

  I believe the CBA office is located in Ontario.



• The Canadian Payroll Association offers web seminars. This online training provides easy access to continuing your professional education. They also offer a certification program. You can choose between the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) or the Certified Payroll Manager (CPM).

If you have a public bookkeeping practice in Canada, become an Intuit QuickBooks ProAdvisor and save nearly 60% on QuickBooks software. This is my preferred software.

US Bookkeeper Certification Programs

While I provide the above as information for you about online bookkeeping courses and certification, I am not selecting my preferences. There are more organizations out there. These are just the ones that interest me ... I am even a member of a few of them.

Before you join any organization or educational institution, be sure you do your own due diligence to make sure it has a good reputation. Satisfy yourself that it is a good fit for you, will meet your needs, and matches your ethics.

If you know of another accounting or bookkeeping training organization that you have experience with or an online bookkeeping course you have taken, please write me a note and let me know why you recommend it. I'll publish your recommendation onto its very own web page ... with you as the author. :0) ... or add a post to the Becoming a Bookkeeper discussion.

During 2011, I work as a part-time employee for IPBC in Member Services. It gave me the opportunity to talk to bookkeepers all across Canada and assist in the transition to a new data base and web site platform.

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