Difference Between Bookkeeper vs Accountant vs Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Bookkeeper Education Bookkeepers are required to have between two and four years of experience or an associate degree. Responsibilities - Issuing invoices to customers - Recording invoices from suppliers - Recording cash receipts from customers - Paying suppliers - Recording changes in inventory - Processing payroll - Processing petty cash transactions Accountant Education Accountants have a four-year college degree. Responsibilities - Accruing or deferring expenses - Accruing or deferring - Creating the chart of accounts - Setting up the general ledger - Designing the financial statements - Issuing customized management reports to address specific issues - Altering the classification or recordation of transactions to meet certain accounting standards - Creating a budget and comparing it to actual results - Compiling tax returns from the financial information - Creating a set of controls within which the financial system operates - Designing a record keeping, archiving, and document destruction system revenue Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Education Certified public accountants have a focused education in accounting and must pass the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. Responsibilities - CPAs perform auditing, tax and financial services for individuals, corporations and other business or nonprofit organizations. - Public sector companies must file annual reports with the Securities Exchange Commission, which require a CPA audit and review of the financials before compiling and submitting the annual report.