Certified Bookkeeper (80 hours)

Course Overview/Description

Course Overview/Description

This online course for professional bookkeepers leads to national certification with the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB). The AIPB certification is a high professional standard and the only national standard for bookkeepers. Becoming a Certified Bookkeeper (CB) can increase earning potential, enhance professional status, and offer a decisive edge in any job market. This course was created by the AIPB to prepare experienced bookkeepers for the certification exam at any Prometric Test Center. Certified Bookkeepers (CB's) are to bookkeeping what CPA's are to accounting: the elite of the profession.

Click here to read the AIPB's Code of Ethics for Certified Bookkeepers.

The web-based format allows students to move at their own pace from any web-enabled computer. The program consists of six separate subject areas:
    1. Adjusting entries
    2. Correction of accounting errors (including the bank reconciliation)
    3. Book and tax depreciation
    4. Basic payroll
    5. Merchandise inventory
    6. Internal controls and fraud prevention AIPB provides students with a set of five workbooks that prepares them for each of the exams. 80 hours. You will need Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for this course.

Upon registering, you are given an initial six months to complete the program. Should you need more time, you may request a 6-month extension at no additional charge.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to do the following:

• Describe the benefits, eligibility requirements, code of ethics, and maintenance requirements for the Certified Bookkeeper.
• Apply the concepts of accrual accounting to transactions that span fiscal periods.
• Trace the effect of accrual and deferral transactions to financial statements.
• Apply accounting concepts and the basic tools of financial analysis in identifying and correcting errors.
• Apply accounting principles in reconciling bank accounts.
• Apply accounting concepts in preparing payroll transactions, from paying wages to depositing and reporting taxes.
• Apply accounting concepts to depreciation transactions including various methods of calculating depreciation for book and tax purposes.
• Apply accounting concepts to valuing inventory, recording costs, making entries, and reporting inventory on financial statements.
• Help your company or client use basic internal controls to prevent theft, embezzlement or check and credit card fraud by employees, customers or vendors.

Course Outline

• Certified Bookkeeper Program
  1. Eligibility Requirements
  2. Testing Program
  3. Code of Ethics
  4. Maintenance of Certification
  
  
• Accruals, Deferrals, and the Adjusted Trail Balance
  1. Why Accruals, Deferrals, and Other Adjustments are Made
  2. Accruing Revenues and Expenses
  3. Recognizing Revenues Collected in Advance
  4. Recognizing Expenses After a Prepayment
  5. Other Adjusted Entries
  6. Unadjusting Trial Balance Through the Adjusted Trial Balance
  
  
• Correction of Accounting Errors and the Bank Reconciliation
  1. When and Where Accounting Errors Occur and How They are Discovered
  2. Performing the Bank Reconciliation
  3. Finding and Correcting Errors on the Unadjusted Trial Balance
  4. Correcting Current-Period Accrual and Deferral Errors
  
  
• Payroll
  1. How to Pay Different Types of Employees
  2. Federal and State Wage-Hour Law
  3. Paying Employees Under Federal Law
  4. Employment Records and Payroll Recordkeeping
  5. Form W-4 and Comparable State Forms
  6. Withholding and Depositing Federal Taxes
  7. Federal Employment Reporting Forms and Due Dates
  8. When Wages Become Taxable
  9. Other Reporting Rules
  10. Payroll Register and Journal Entries
  
  
• Depreciation
  1. The Difference Between Book and Tax Depreciation
  2. Depreciation under GAAP
  3. Computing and Allocation Depreciation
  4. Depreciation Under Federal Tax Depreciation Rules
  5. Tax Depreciation of Vehicles
  
  
• Inventory
  1. General Concepts of Accounting for Inventory
  2. The Perpetual Method
  3. The Periodic Method
  4. Weighted-Average and Moving-Average Methods
  5. First-In, First-Out (FIFO) Method
  6. Last-In, Last-Out (LIFO) Method
  7. Lower of Cost or Market LCM Rule
  
  
• Internal Controls and Fraud Depreciation
  1. How to prevent, or spot, theft of inventory and other non-cash assets by employees
  2. Preventing employee theft, embezzlement or fraud by hiring the right personnel
  3. Insuring the company against theft.
  4. How to prevent, or spot, customer check fraud
  5. Signs that may indicate pay-roll fraud
  6. How to prevent, or spot, customer credit-card fraud.
  7. Recommended rules for company credit cards
  8. Preventing vendors from cheating the company

Prerequisites/Audience

The Certified Bookkeeper Program is designed for experienced bookkeepers who want to prepare for national certification. In order to sit for the AIPB Certification exam, persons must be able to submit proof of at least two years full-time or 3,000 hours part-time experience. Click here for a list of Frequently Answered Questions about requirements for the AIPB Certification exam.

PC Requirements/Materials Included

This course is compatible with Windows Vista Operating System.

This course can be taken on either a PC or a Mac; however, Microsoft Word and Excel are required.

The AIPB provides the six workbooks that are required for this program.

Instructor Bio

Wade Lindenberger is a CPA with 20 years of financial, accounting and management experience in public accounting and private industry. He is currently Director of the Corporate Governance service line for RoseRyan, Inc., a regional professional services firm. Before his current position, Wade was Director of the Finance and Accounting service line for the San Diego office of a global, publicly held professional services firm.

Before becoming a consultant, Wade was Divisional Controller for one of the leading health and fitness club chains in the world. He has also been Internal Audit Manager and Divisional Controller for a division of a Fortune 500 global energy project management company. He began his career with Coopers & Lybrand, one of the "Big Four" CPA firms.

Wade is the author of the Certified Bookkeeper course as well as the instructor. He has previously served as an instructor for courses at Coopers & Lybrand and, more recently, at the University of California at San Diego for the Extension Program. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Bookkeepers' Advisory Board, the American Institute of CPAs and the California Society of CPAs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I register?
Click on the register button at the top of the page and follow the directions. It is important that you type all your information in the boxes, then print it out to sign.  Payment and sending instructions are in the bottom right corner of the form.

2. How much do the courses cost?
The fee is in the pink box at the top of the page.

3. Can I register for courses if I live outside the United States?
Yes you can!

4. Do I ever have go to the school I register with?
All of our courses are delivered entirely online, so you never have to go to a class or travel to the school.

5. How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

6. Do I have to buy additional materials?
All materials are included. The cost of materials is covered by your tuition. GES ships all materials via UPS ground service upon registration.

7. Can I get financial aid?
GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses.

• GES provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information on this loan program.

8. What happens when I complete the course?
Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from the school with which you registered. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

9. Am I guaranteed a job?
GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Instructors will also be available to use as a professional reference upon completion of the course. Potential students should always do research on the job market in their area before registering.

10. Who will be my instructor?
Each student is paired with a facilitator for one-on-one interaction. The facilitator will be available (via email or phone) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of our facilitators are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach.

11. What do I have to have in order to take an online course, and what are the system requirements?
In order to take our online courses, you must have access to a computer and the Internet (a normal dial-up connection is fine). You can access the course contents from any Web-enabled computer. There are no necessary plug-ins. You do not have to use the same computer to log-in to the course every time. We recommend that you have a word-processing program (Microsoft Word is best) and the latest version of Internet Explorer.

12. Can this course be taken on a Mac?
Yes.

13. How can I get more information on the course?
All of the information we have is available online under our course catalog (www.gatlineducation.com). If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to email us at courseinfo@gatlineducation.com or call 817-870-2870. We will answer your questions promptly.

14. When can I start the course?
Our courses are all open enrollment. You can register and start the course as soon as you are ready.