Bookkeeping associations are founded to provide support and standards for the bookkeeping industry. This is achieved by creating common standards for the industry that bookkeepers can work towards and that allow the users of bookkeepers to know what level of knowledge a bookkeeper they hire has.

The definition of a bookkeeper is broad and wide and open to interpretation. Each country can have its own standards and anyone can call themselves a bookkeeper while not having any qualifications or knowledge of the industry. The method of obtaining a bookkeeping qualification vary. A person can to pay a fee and not have to sit exams, obtain a qualification based on your experience, sit examinations without supervision, or sit examinations fully supervised in an exam hall or in a computer environment training exam centre. In many countries there are competing bookkeeper associations, but their qualifications are achieved in different ways and their knowledge levels can be different.

Bookkeeping associations can provide help on bookkeeping issues, tax issues, legal issues and professional development for their members. They can also lobby on behalf of their members to help promote their interests. They can as a body promote the standards of bookkeeping and market the benefits of using a qualified bookkeeper.

List of bookkeeping associations from around the world


Country Body By Unsupervised Exam By Supervised Exam By Experience By Licence
Australia Association of Accounting Technicians (Australia)[1] Yes Yes Yes No
Australia Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (Australia)[2] Yes Yes Yes No
Canada Canadian Bookkeepers Association[3] No Yes Yes No
Canada Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada[4] No Yes Yes No
Denmark Foreningen Freelance Bogholdere[5] No No Yes No
India Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (India)[6] No Yes Yes No
Ireland Institute of Certified Bookkeepers[7] Yes Yes Yes No
Ireland Irish Bookkeepers Association[8] No Yes Yes No
Israel Israel Bookkeepers Association[9] No Yes Yes No
New Zealand NZ Qualified Bookkeepers Association[10] Yes No Yes No
New Zealand NZ Bookkeepers Association Inc[11] Yes No No No
Nigeria Association of Bookkeepers Nigeria[12] No Yes Yes Yes
Norway Norwegian Association of Authorised Accountants[13] No Yes No No
South Africa Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (South Africa)[14]
UK Association of Accounting Technicians[15] No Yes Yes No
UK International Association of Book-keepers[16] No Yes Yes No
UK Institute of Certified Bookkeepers[17] Yes Yes Yes No
USA Institute of Certified Bookkeepers[18] Yes Yes Yes No
USA American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers[19] No Yes Yes No

Explanation of table headings

Country
The country the bookkeeping association represents. Where a bookkeeping association is represented in more than one country, there should be a separate entry for each country it represents.
Body
The full registered name of the bookkeeping association
By Unsupervised Exam
An exam where no independent verification is made that the exam was taken without help.
By Supervised Exam
An exam is taken and supervised by independent personnel
By Experience
The qualification is issued based on the experience of the person and no exam is taken. That person has provided the required evidence of their experience.
By Licence
The person buys the right to use a title identifying them as a bookkeeper but no evidence of experience or examinations is requested or required.

References

  1. ↑ Association of Accounting Technicians
  2. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  3. ↑ The Canadian Bookkeepers Association
  4. ↑ Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada
  5. ↑ Foreningen Freelance Bogholdere
  6. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  7. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  8. ↑ Irish Bookkeepers Association
  9. ↑ Israel Bookkeepers Association
  10. ↑ "New Zealand Qualified Bookkeepers Association". New Zealand Qualified Bookkeepers Association. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  11. ↑ "New Zealand Bookkeepers Association". New Zealand Bookkeepers Association. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  12. ↑ Association of Bookkeepers Nigeria
  13. ↑ "The Norwegian Association of Authorised Accountants". Archived from the original on 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  14. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  15. ↑ Association of Accounting Technicians
  16. ↑ International Associations of Book-keepers
  17. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  18. ↑ Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
  19. ↑ The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers
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