Bookkeeper
What the work is
Maintains and evaluates records of financial transactions in account books and computerised accounting systems. Ensures financial records comply with regulatory and legislative requirements. May prepare and lodge business activity statements on behalf of organisations.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Keeps financial records, including invoices, and maintains and balances accounts
- Verifies recorded transactions, and reports on irregularities and business tax entitlements
- Prepares and produces financial statements and budget and expenditure reports, and analyses ledgers and accounting software packages using account books
- Provides government authorities with tax file numbers, superannuation payments and business activity statements
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a freelance bookkeeping practice that works with tradies, cafes and small shops. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A client's year-end goes smoothly because you kept the books tidy all year
- You find a mistake that saves a client from a bigger one
- A business owner finally sees where their money is going
Hard days
- A client hands you a shoebox of receipts the day before a deadline
- A client asks you to label something in a way you know is not right
- Chasing one missing invoice for a week
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 542131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.