Best Online Bookkeeping Classes of 2024
- Best Overall: Skillshare
- Best Free Course Materials: AccountingCoach, LLC
- Best for Fundamentals: LinkedIn Learning
- Best for Discounts: Udemy
- Best for Self-Paced Education: Financial Edge
- Best for Small Businesses: Coursera
- Best for University Education: Harvard Business School
- Best for a Career in Bookkeeping: Penn Foster College
- Best for Certification: U.S. Career Institute
Best Overall : Skillshare
- Cost: $167.88/year
- Trial: 1-month free trial
- Accreditation/certification: No
- Take our favorite Skillshare bookkeeping course and others for free for one month
- Highly rated class and well-liked teacher
- One affordable membership includes access to hundreds of classes
- Can’t buy individual classes
- Must maintain Skillshare membership to access course
Best Free Course Materials : AccountingCoach, LLC
- Cost: $49–$99
- Trial: No
- Accreditation/certification: Achievement certificate with Pro Plus
- Free materials and courses
- Upgrade to paid classes that include video lessons and assessments
- Certain features are only available with paid classes
AccountingCoach, LLC is a web-based educational platform founded in 2003 by Harold Averkamp. Averkamp is a certified public accountant (CPA) who holds a masters in business administration (MBA) and has more than 25 years of experience in the accounting field. The company offers a great variety of accounting courses, covering accounting basics, bookkeeping, financial statements, and more—all completely free. You can even take practice quizzes and solve puzzles as another way to learn, also at no cost.
Students have the option to upgrade to two paid options. PRO Access costs $49 and provides additional video courses, quick assessments, business forms, and more. Its features include study flashcards and tests with coaching included. The higher-tier PRO Plus includes certificates of achievement for debits and credits, adjusting entries, financial statements, balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, payroll, and more, all for $99. The costs include lifetime access to all of the materials.Best for Fundamentals : LinkedIn Learning
- Cost: $34.99 (one-time fee), or $239.88/year or $39.99/month
- Trial: 1-month free trial
- Accreditation/certification: LinkedIn Learning Certificate, 2.8 CPE credits
- Great for beginners
- Accessible on mobile, tablet, and desktop
- Complete a final exam to earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits
- Need to sign up for a LinkedIn account
The class packs in a lot of expert advice; you'll get a quick overview of how bookkeeping works, with access to quizzes too. Then you'll learn to create balance sheets and income statements, define journal entries, and get an understanding of how financial statements work, to mention just a few topics.
This class is taught by Earl Stice and Jim Stice, both accounting professors at Brigham Young University (BYU). It's the first in a six-course path called "Getting Started in Finance & Bookkeeping." You can register for the class on its own for a one-time cost of $34.99, or sign up for a monthly LinkedIn Learning membership starting at $39.99 per month, with a one-month free trial. Or, if you prefer, you can get an annual LinkedIn Learning membership to lower the cost to $19.99 a month.Best for Discounts : Udemy
- Cost: $89.99
- Trial: Free bookkeeping-related courses
- Accreditation/certification: Completion certificate, 7.0 NASBA CPE credits
- Experienced instructor
- Mobile app available
- Affordable
- Focused more on basic and foundational concepts for beginners
Best for Self-Paced Education : Financial Edge
- Cost: $119
- Trial: No
- Accreditation/certification: Completion certificate
- 73 practical Excel exercises
- Direct help from instructor
- Lifetime access
- No discussion of specific accounting software (according to the syllabus)
- Few customer reviews online
Accounting Essentials begins with an explanation of balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements. You’ll learn to calculate EBIT and EBITDA, and how to judge an organization’s profitability compared to similar companies. There are even sections on due diligence and how to identify when a company is manipulating its sales data.
The class continues with more advanced topics, like how to analyze the capital structure of a company and determine various accounting ratios (leverage ratios, profitability ratios, asset ratios, etc.). When you’re finished you should have a solid foundation in bookkeeping for small businesses, and you’ll have a completion certificate to show for it. If you like Financial Edge and you’re looking for something more comprehensive, consider . It includes the Accounting Essentials class along with two others (Financial Accounting Review and M&A Accounting), and you’ll earn a skills certificate when you’re done.Best for Small Businesses : Coursera
- Cost: Free
- Trial: Free paid learning program
- Accreditation/certification: Completion certificate
- Taught by a top educational institution
- Financial aid available
- Seven-day free trial
- $59 monthly fee beyond the trial period
Offered by the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, this Coursera class is taught by top-ranked faculty and is specifically tailored to help small business owners understand their finances.
Coursera is an education platform founded in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, both computer science professors at Stanford, with all courses taught by experienced professionals from top universities or companies. Over 110 million people have signed up for courses and over 125,000 students have enrolled in this specific bookkeeping course. Our pick as best for small businesses, the "Financial Accounting Fundamentals" class is designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners keep track of their finances more effectively, from bookkeeping to preparing financial statements. This is a 13-hour video course that includes quizzes for each section to check your knowledge. You can complete everything on your own time and you don't need prior experience in accounting.The class is taught by Luann J. Lynch, a professor of business administration at Darden with an MBA from Duke University and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina. You can get academic and technical support through the Coursera support team or the Coursera community.
Best for University Education : Harvard Business School
- Cost: $1,750
- Trial: No
- Accreditation/certification: Completion certificate
- Taught by a prestigious university
- Comprehensive lessons and exercises
- Prepares you for an MBA or professional career
- Real-world examples and case studies
- Relatively expensive
- Only taught at certain times each year
- Application required
Best for a Career in Bookkeeping : Penn Foster College
- Cost: $989 (one-time fee) or $59/month
- Trial: No
- Accreditation/certification: DEAC accreditation, 26.6 CEUs
Includes one-year subscription to QuickBooks
- Support from student services
- Exams and projects to keep you on track
- Relatively expensive
The program covers topics such as payroll, wholesale accounting, revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, financial reports, tools used in the industry, and more. With this program, you'll get eight courses which feature 14 exams and three submitted projects. The program also offers experience working with popular software tools such as Excel and Quickbooks.
To help you launch your career, you can join other bookkeeping students through the college student community portal to get peer support. At the end of the program, students should expect to have a full understanding of the main tasks of a bookkeeper and can start applying for jobs in the field. The total cost of the program is $989, with options to pay the full amount upon registration, mail a monthly payment, or set up a monthly automatic payment. You can enroll directly on the website by simply filling out the registration form, providing a method of payment. If you have any questions, you can call the school's admissions hotline number from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. ET.Best for Certification : U.S. Career Institute
- Cost: $59/month or $589 in full
- Trial: No
- Accreditation/certification: DEAC accreditation
- Accredited by the DEAC
- Military and VA benefits
- A more expensive option
The U.S. Career Institute is our top pick for getting a bookkeeping certification because it's accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and offers personalized coaching and career support,
Final Verdict
The best online bookkeeping classes are easily accessible, taught by qualified instructors, and deliver high-quality lessons. That's what you'll get from our top pick, Bookkeeping for Freelancers: How to Handle Your Finances on Skillshare, which provides everything you need to get started within the one-month free trial.
Or, you may find a perfect fit among our other top picks. Check Udemy for discounted prices on in-depth classes taught by excellent instructors. Like Skillshare, it has a variety of classes to browse. A college-level course, like one offered through Coursera or the Harvard Business School, could be a good choice if you're more serious and want to take your skills to the next level.
Compare Classes
Class | Cost | Trial | Accreditation/Certification |
---|---|---|---|
Best Overall | $167.88/year | 1-month free trial | No |
Best Free Course Materials | $49–$99 | No | Achievement certificate with Pro Plus |
Best for Fundamentals | $34.99 (one-time fee), or $239.88/year or $39.99/month | 1-month free trial | LinkedIn Learning Certificate, 2.8 CPE credits |
Best for Discounts | $89.99 | Free bookkeeping-related courses | Completion certificate, 7.0 NASBA CPE credits |
Best for Self-Paced Education | $119 | No | Completion certificate |
Best for Small Businesses | Free | Free paid learning program | Completion certificate |
Best for University Education | $1,750 | No | Completion certificate |
Best for a Career in Bookkeeping | $989 (one-time fee) or $59/month | No | DEAC accreditation, 26.6 CEUs |
Best for Certification | $139/month | No | DEAC accreditation |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Basic Bookkeeping Skills?
The basic skills needed to be an effective bookkeeper include knowledge of math, being tech-savvy, and paying close attention to details, as you will be surrounded by numbers and financial reports all day long. Generally, employers are looking for someone with strong data entry skills who can keep their financial records in order, document all of their key transactions, and manage invoices.
What Does a Bookkeeping Class Include?
A bookkeeping class gives you an overview of the primary functions and concepts of bookkeeping, such as financial statements and journal entries, as well as how to record expenses, profits, revenues, losses, and much more. Some also cover how to use popular bookkeeping software and may even offer certifications upon course completion. The level of detail and length of the course will depend on whether it's designed for someone looking to launch a career or simply keep better track of their small business finances.
Do I Need a Bookkeeping Certification?
While most companies do not require a certification to be a bookkeeper, it does help if you want to launch a career in the accounting industry and would like to be considered for high-income opportunities. Getting your bookkeeping certification with one of the two main nationally recognized certifying bodies, either the National Association of Certified Bookkeepers or the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, is a good way to demonstrate your expertise and qualifications. There are a variety of other accounting certifications to choose from, as well.
How Much Do Bookkeeping Classes Cost?
Methodology
We know how important it is to find reliable online classes, so we researched more than 30 different sites offering online bookkeeping classes, from educational institutions to online learning platforms. We considered the reputations of the institutions offering the courses as well as those of the instructors. We also examined the types and costs of class materials, the availability of in-person support, and the success rates of students.