How to become a Bookkeeper

Also called: Accounting bookkeeper, General ledger bookkeeper, Senior bookkeeper, Ÿ General ledger bookkeeper

Bookkeeper keeps a set of records of financial transactions of an organisation. He/she verifies the accuracy of documents and clerical records relating to payments, receipts and other financial transactions, and makes and checks entries in ledgers. He/she also balances books, and compiles reports at regular intervals to show receipts, expenditures, accounts payable and receivable, profit or loss and other financial information pertinent to the running of the business. He/she prepares financial statements and statements of accounts for customers and performs a variety of other tasks related to bookkeeping.

Main tasks

• Checking figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes
• Operating computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyse information
• Classifying, recording, and summarising numerical and financial data to compile and keep financial records, using journals and ledgers or computers
• Calculating, preparing, and issuing bills, invoices, account statements, and other financial statements according to established procedures
• Compiling statistical, financial, accounting or auditing reports and tables pertaining to such matters as cash receipts, expenditures, accounts payable and receivable, and profits and losses

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Accountancy. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
• Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Accounting. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Accountancy (Ngee Ann Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $38,400 a year. The middle half earn $21,504 to $69,456 a year.
• Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Ledger/Accounts clerk
• Audit clerk
• Payroll/Wages clerk
• Billing clerk
• Procurement/Purchasing clerk

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Bookkeeper?

Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Polytechnic diploma; Work-study diploma.

How much does a Bookkeeper earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $38,400 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $21,504 to $69,456.

Will AI change the work of a Bookkeeper?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026