If you’re looking for a flexible stay-at-home job, you can become a bookkeeper with little to no experience or degree.
Nicole Gallicchio-Elz of New York is the COO of Virtual Assist USA, a company that regularly hires bookkeepers to assist its clients. She says that how much you make as a bookkeeper is largely dependent on your experience and whether you work as an employee, specialize in a specific type of bookkeeping, or run your own business.
She's seen pay ranges starting around $15/hour for entry-level bookkeeping jobs up to $60/hour for independent bookkeepers who set their own rates and work with multiple clients. Highly experienced bookkeepers with certifications may command as high as $126 per hour.
We’ve put together the best resources for finding full-time, part-time, and freelance bookkeeping jobs, including Bookkeeper Launch, an A+ BBB-rated course that offers:
- Training to help you build a website, market yourself, and get high-paying clients
- Access to an exclusive community of bookkeepers for networking and advice
Learn how to land your first client or bookkeeping gig with Bookkeeper Launch >>
4 places where you can find full-time, online bookkeeping jobs
If you're looking for a full-time bookkeeping job, start with these places:
Job boards
Job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter are free for job seekers to browse, and you can narrow your search by location, salary, and work schedule. If you want to work from home, you can set your location to “remote” on most job boards.
Online communities
Online communities and groups provide resources for bookkeepers to learn from one another, market themselves, and network with other bookkeepers.
For instance, Bookkeeper Launch offers an online community for members to ask questions and get support from other members. Members also frequently post job openings for other members to apply for:
Tatiana Tsoir is a CPA and business coach based in Mount Kisco, N.Y., who began her career as a bookkeeper. She now offers her own bookkeepers training course and has written a book about becoming your own boss.
She says online communities can be an excellent way to connect with people searching for bookkeepers.
The Dubsado Community, Virtual Assistant Savvies, and Virtual Bookkeepers are Facebook groups where people regularly post job openings. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit also have robust communities for bookkeeping professionals.
In these communities, you should try to be active in answering questions people post to establish a reputation and show you know what you’re talking about.
Company websites
Companies typically list open jobs on searchable career pages, so you can use the keyword ‘bookkeeping' to find them.
Accounting firms and small businesses, such as local retail shops, tax agencies, and solopreneurs, are good places to start.
FlexJobs lists these companies as some of the top employers of bookkeepers:
- 1-800Accountant
- Creative Financial Staffing (CFS)
- K-Coe Isom
- KeyBank
- Kforce
- Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH)
- ProLedge Bookkeeping Services
- Randstad
- Robert Half International
- Solomon Page
If you're going the direct-application route, Gallicchio-Elz recommends separately emailing the hiring manager or someone in upper management after you’ve applied.
She adds that writing a cover letter that's tailored specifically to that company rather than a one-size-fits-all letter can set you apart from other applicants.
Bookminders
Bookminders is an accounting service for small businesses and nonprofits that hires full-time and part-time accountants and bookkeepers. Their jobs are mostly remote, though you must be willing to occasionally travel to one of the following locations:
- Austin
- Pittsburgh
- Philadelphia
- Baltimore
- Cherry Hill, N.J.
Candidates can apply through the Bookminders careers page for positions in their nearest city. Fill out the form manually or use your saved Indeed information to complete the application.
A Bookminders recruiter will contact qualified candidates to attend an open house and complete an exam before calling shortlisted candidates for interviews.
6 places where you can find freelance, online bookkeeping jobs
Freelance bookkeepers tend to have more flexibility than part-time or full-time bookkeepers because they can choose which clients to work with, when to work, and how much to charge.
“The future of bookkeeping is virtual, fractional, and outsourced,” Gallicchio-Elz says. “Paperless receipts, online bookkeeping platforms, and the ability to outsource and not pay for the overhead of an employee is extremely beneficial for business owners.”
These are some of the best places to find virtual bookkeeping clients for a bookkeeping business:
Bookkeeper Launch
Bookkeeper Launch walks you through the process of landing your first client and shows you how to build a business based on referrals. Ben Robinson, the site’s founder, encourages members to begin building a portfolio of clients even before they’ve finished the course.
Members also regularly post about potential clients in the Bookkeeper Launch online community.
Social media
Tsoir uses social media to build her network and foster relationships with other entrepreneurs. She posts thought-provoking LinkedIn and Instagram content to talk about her clients' pain points and her solutions for those pain points to spread awareness for her services.
Following and commenting on potential clients' content can also put you on their radar.
Bookkeepers can use hashtags like #freelanceopps or #hiringbookkeeper on Twitter and Instagram to find relevant posts from people or companies that want to hire bookkeepers.
Freelance marketplaces
Freelance marketplaces connect clients with freelancers in various areas, including bookkeeping. Bookkeepers can sign up for these marketplaces to market their services and search for posted bookkeeping jobs.
Bookkeepers on Reddit suggest finding freelance gigs through sites like Upwork and Craigslist:
Some people even said they hired a bookkeeper through Reddit:
From a hiring perspective, Gallicchio-Elz notes that Upwork is especially helpful in finding bookkeepers with specific skills, like Quickbooks or some accounting experience.
Freelancer.com, Guru, and Fiverr are a few more popular marketplaces to find bookkeeping gigs.
Website leads
A website can act as an online resume for your virtual bookkeeping business. Add SEO-optimized pages and blog content to your website to draw potential clients to your site to learn more about you and your bookkeeping services. Hubspot offers a free SEO certification course to get started.
Part of the Bookkeeper Launch course is creating your own website. Robinson will walk you through the process of building a successful website and securing high-paying clients through it. Read our full Bookkeeper Launch review to learn more about the course and other class offerings.
Referrals
In addition to finding bookkeeping work in online communities and job boards, Tsoir says referrals from past clients and people in your sphere of influence (family, friends, acquaintances, etc.) can send people to your business.
Referrals can happen naturally when you consistently deliver quality work to your clients. However, you can also reach out to past clients or relevant people in your network to ask them to pass on your information to others who might be interested.
Build rapport with people in your sphere by sending birthday and holiday cards, sending an email to occasionally check in, and referring people you know back to their business.
Belay
Belay is a company that offers virtual assistant services, including bookkeeping, to clients all over the world. The company hires both freelance and full-time bookkeepers to provide virtual bookkeeping services to its clients.
5 places where you can find part-time, online bookkeeping jobs
Part-time work is beneficial for bookkeepers who have a few hours each day to devote to bookkeeping, like when their kids are in school. You can find part-time virtual bookkeeping jobs in the following places:
FlexJobs
Gallicchio-Elz recommends FlexJobs to find part-time bookkeeping jobs because of its focus on flexible, remote, and hybrid jobs. As previously mentioned, you do have to sign up for a Flexjobs account to see and apply for available jobs, starting at $9.95 for one week.
With your subscription, you can also access a career advice Q&A library and register for virtual webinars and events. You can also speak with a career coach starting at $89 for 30 minutes or order a resume review for $179.
Or, get a free resume review >>
QuickBooks
Having a QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor certification could boost your marketability as a bookkeeper. In addition to helping you find bookkeeping jobs or clients, QuickBooks also looks for people holding its certification to fill its internal bookkeeping positions.
QuickBooks offers full-time and part-time positions, and workers can choose a schedule that works best for them. Aside from holding the certification, you'll also need at least one year of experience with QuickBooks, strong technical proficiency, and three years of experience as a bookkeeper.
Google search
Google curates jobs from various job postings all over the web to show them in one convenient spot in Google's search results. Simply search for “part-time bookkeeping jobs” or “part-time virtual bookkeeping jobs” to find matching results.
Recruiting agencies
Recruiting agencies match companies with bookkeepers and vice versa, similar to how Gallicchio-Elz's Virtual Assist USA looks for bookkeepers to meet its clients' needs.
When you sign up with a recruiting agency, you work directly with a recruiter who alerts you when a job opening fits your skills, scheduling, and other criteria.
Consult with other professionals in your industry through online communities to find a reliable staffing agency, or search job boards and social media.
Local offices
Even if you're looking strictly for online work, use your local community as a guide. Tsoir says that reaching out to local accounting or tax preparation firms that hire CPAs or EAs could lead to some overflow work for you. Although she admits they may not pay as much as full-time bookkeeping jobs, they're ideal for adding experience to your resume.
When contacting an office, mention that you're specifically interested in part-time, remote work.
FAQs about being an online or virtual bookkeeper
Exploring a career as an online bookkeeper? Here are some answers to common questions you might have:
What are the different types of online bookkeeping jobs?
A virtual bookkeeper can find full-time, part-time, or freelance jobs. These are some of the online positions a bookkeeper can apply for:
- General bookkeepers – General bookkeepers perform basic bookkeeping functions for one or multiple companies. Duties might include entering revenue and expenses into a ledger, creating invoices, submitting financial statements, and verifying receipts.
- Full-charge bookkeepers – Full-charge bookkeepers have similar duties as general bookkeepers, except that they spearhead a company's accounting. Therefore, they tend to have more managerial responsibilities and are expected to report directly to a financial manager or owner of the company.
- Auditing – Auditing clerks are responsible for checking the accuracy of financial statements, receipts, invoices, and other financial records. They may oversee the work of other bookkeepers and accountants.
- Tax preparation – Bookkeepers with tax preparation skills can prepare and file taxes for individuals or companies. In addition to typical bookkeeping duties, these bookkeepers organize tax-related documents, help clients find tax deductions, and review tax forms for accuracy.
- Payroll specialists – Bookkeepers sometimes double as payroll specialists for small businesses, tracking hours and issuing paychecks to employees.
10 quick job certifications that pay well
Are there any virtual bookkeeping jobs with no experience?
Yes, you can find virtual bookkeeping jobs without experience. Gallicchio-Elz says that her virtual assisting company is open to hiring bookkeepers with certifications or degrees, even if they have no prior experience.
Consider reaching out to a recruiting agency or browsing job sites to match with companies hiring entry-level bookkeepers.
Likewise, having a certification through a reputable program like Bookkeeper Launch can help you get your foot in the door without any experience.
Is online bookkeeping a good job?
Yes, online bookkeeping can be an excellent job for people looking for a flexible and potentially high-paying career. According to Ziprecruiter, the average bookkeeper salary is $42,562 as of January 2023.
Freelance bookkeepers working with multiple clients who set their own rates or highly experienced bookkeepers with certifications may command as high as $126 per hour.
Check out this video from Bookkeepers Launch about why bookkeeping is a great career for stay-at-home parents:
If you want to launch a successful bookkeeping business, we recommend taking a course through Bookkeepers Launch because:
- A+ Better Business Bureau rating
- Thousands of people have started successful bookkeeping businesses and learned to attract high-paying clients, often earning $100,000+ per year
- Payment plans available
- Money-back guarantee
Bookkeeping not for you? Check out these other jobs:
- Graphic designer
- Coder
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- Recession-proof jobs
A virtual bookkeeper can find full-time, part-time, or freelance jobs. These are some of the online positions a bookkeeper can apply for: general bookkeeper, full-charge bookkeeper, auditing, tax preparation, and payroll specialist.
Yes, you can find virtual bookkeeping jobs without experience. Nicole Gallicchio-Elz of New York, COO of Virtual Assist USA, says that her virtual assisting company is open to hiring bookkeepers with certifications or degrees, even if they have no prior experience.
Yes, online bookkeeping can be an excellent job for people looking for a flexible and potentially high-paying career. According to Ziprecruiter, the average bookkeeper salary is $42,562 as of January 2023.
