Bookkeeping association

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	Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
Canada	The Canadian Bookkeepers Association
Canada	Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada
India	Institute of Certified Bookkeepers	No	Yes	Yes	No
Ireland	Irish Bookkeepers Association	No	Yes	Yes	No
Norway	The Norwegian Association of Authorised Accountants	No	Yes	No	No
South Africa	Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
UK	Institute for Accounting with Free Software	No	Yes	Yes	No
UK	Institute of Certified Bookkeepers	No	Yes	Yes	No
UK	The International Association of Book-keepers	No	Yes	Yes	No
USA	The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers	No	Yes	Yes	No
USA	National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers	Yes	No	Yes	No
USA	National Bookkeepers Association

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.