Best Online Bookkeeping Courses in 2022

Course marketplace Udemy has over 100 bookkeeping classes online, with 100,000+ students growing their skills.

What Is Udemy? 

Udemy is a massive learning community with hundreds of classes on all sorts of topics, from drawing to cloud hosting management. The Accounting & Bookkeeping category alone has over 800 courses, with 120+ classes on bookkeeping. 

Since Udemy is a teaching marketplace, courses vary by content and price. Some are geared toward beginners, helping you build a new career from the ground up. Others will teach you specific skills like statistical analysis or financial reporting (there’s even a CFA prep course). 

Udemy is an excellent place to start out or polish your skills to face new challenges at your job. 

Course Content 

Udemy has tons of bookkeeping and accounting classes online. How do you pick one? 

If you’re new to bookkeeping, we recommend the bestselling “Bookkeeping Basics” series by Ron Tucks. 

The instructor has been coaching small businesses and non-profits for over 20 years. He’s also worked as a Business Management adjunct instructor at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO, for the past 15 years. 

And you can see Tucks’ decades of practical experience in his teaching style. The course is to-the-point, no-fluff, and completely beginner-friendly. 

“Bookkeeping Basics” is a three-part course that takes you from ground zero to Quickbooks master in 13 hours of lecture time. 

The first part of this virtual bookkeeping training course covers:

• Revenue and income tracking
• Expense management
• Assets, liabilities, and equity
• Accounts receivables and accounts payables
• The fundamental accounting equation
• Reading financial statements (to actually understand them)

“Bookkeeping Basics” is an introductory course for beginner accountants, as well as business owners, interested in doing their own bookkeeping. 

The final section includes common mistakes and hands-on tips for small business owners and good bookkeeping.

Pricing

Most Udemy courses cost around $10 for а lifetime access to all materials. “Bookkeeping Basics” is $12.99 and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

This is supposedly a “New Year’s sale,” though we’ve rarely seen them at full price. Some more comprehensive or specialized courses are pricier. 

Udemy User Reviews

Udemy has a very large learning community since they offer such a wide range of topics. Their top online bookkeeping courses have hundreds (some thousands) of positive reviews, praising the high-quality content and efficient, progress-at-your-own-pace teaching. 

The good Redditors over at r/Accounting recommend Udemy as a great place to start. Whether you’re a business owner or an aspiring accountant, the Reddit community agrees Udemy has something for practically everyone.

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If you’re doing the “Bookkeeping Basics” course, make sure you do #2 and #3 after the first one. They’ll give you a rock-solid base and might even be the only virtual bookkeeping training you need for your business. 

We Recommend Udemy For

Udemy is a great place for beginners—the courses are affordable, high-value, and information-rich. The platform is equally useful for intermediate and even professional bookkeepers who want to polish specific skills or brush up on their knowledge by learning at their own pace.

Coursera is a massive open course provider that gives you classes and degree programs from the world’s top universities. But is it any good for bookkeeping?

What Is Coursera? 

Coursera has 300+ courses to help you learn accounting online. Coursera classes feature university-level instructions with lectures, class projects, and an extensive bibliography. Best of all, there is a free enrollment option, as well as financial aid for those who need the paid version but can’t afford the fee. 

Coursera offers courses, specializations (sets of courses), and degrees. Their certificates are shareable upon completion and well-recognized.

Coursera is the ideal place to further your career skills without going back to college. It has some of the best online accounting courses by top-rated university lecturers. This is one of the closest things to formal education you can get from the comfort of your own home (and it’s much cheaper). 

Course Content 

If you’re a beginner looking to grow your skills, one of the best courses to start with is the “Introduction to Finance and Accounting” specialization. 

It’s a real-application-focused introduction to corporate finance (from foundational concepts like the time value of money to theories like the basic financial model). Then, it moves on to accounting, introducing you to bookkeeping fundamentals, the language of accounting, and financial statements.

Besides lectures, you get a series of homework, quizzes, and an Excel spreadsheet to put your new knowledge into practice.

To complete the specialization, you’ll go through four finance and accounting training courses: 

Fundamentals of Finance

Professor Jessica Wachter based the content on the preterm qualifying courses for Wharton MBA students. You’ll start with the core concepts in finance and learn about the NPV framework. You’ll gradually move on to calculating risk and returns on investments and analyzing information to optimize results.

Introduction to Corporate Finance

Instructor Michael R Roberts introduces you to the key concepts and applications in corporate finance. You’ll cover concepts like cash flow analysis, the risk-return tradeoff, asset valuation, mortgage financing and auto leasing, and more. 

Introduction to Financial Accounting

Professor Brian J Bushee's first course focuses on reading and analyzing financial statements and disclosures. 

You’ll master the three types of financial statements—income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows—and apply them to a business challenge. 

More Introduction to Financial Accounting

In the second course, professor Bushee teaches you to use financial information for decision making. It expands your financial accounting skills to understand the types of assets, liabilities, and stockholders’ equity in detail. 

Pricing 

If you don’t need a certificate, you can enroll in most Coursera classes for free and enjoy your new skills.

But besides being known for having some of the best online accounting courses, Coursera’s certificates are also widely recognized. More and more employers are learning about the platform, and a Coursera certificate can take you a long way when you're building a new career. 

If you want the completion certificate, you have two options: 

• One-time payment – some courses are available to purchase for 180 days. Prices range depending on your location and sales tax. 
• Coursera Plus is a subscription that gives you access to most courses on the platform and allows you to earn certificates.

You can subscribe to Coursera Plus for $399/year with a 14-day money-back guarantee or  $49/month after a 7-day free trial.

Since Coursera has multiple top online accounting courses, we recommend the yearly subscription (plus, it comes out way cheaper than the monthly membership). 

But if you only want to do one class or one specialization, consider the short-term subscription or a one-time purchase. 

Coursera User Reviews 

Coursera’s online accounting and bookkeeping courses offer some of the highest quality virtual training in the industry. While the learning is 100% online, the platform feels like a university campus and the skills you’ll acquire are at the university level.

Reddit accounting and learning communities highly recommend Coursera for people who are serious about their objectives and looking to further their career. 

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Once you’re done with the fundamentals, you can try the “Accounting Data Analytics” or “Financial Reporting” specializations by the University of Michigan. 

Coursera even offers full degrees, like the Online Master's of Accounting (iMSA) by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is one of the US’s top three accounting programs, and you’ll receive a recognized diploma, equivalent to an in-person degree. 

We Recommend Coursera For

Coursera is a sophisticated learning platform with university-level courses to kickstart your career. It’s practically an accounting school online with multiple well-recognized courses, specializations, and even online degrees.

A major massive open course provider, edX has 2000+ free courses, including two stellar accredited bookkeeping courses. 

What Is edX? 

EdX has three online bookkeeping classes, as well as many other accounting training options. There are also 18 accounting programs, including a Master’s Degree from Indiana University. 

So, if you’re looking to grow your skills, boost your CV, or even get into a new career path, edX is an excellent option for you. It offers high-quality, university-level learning for a fraction of the price of a college degree (and completed at your own pace).

Course Content 

If you’re specifically looking for online bookkeeping courses for beginners, we recommend starting with the “Introduction to Bookkeeping” by the ACAA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.)

It covers the fundamentals of business transactions and double-entry bookkeeping, as well as payroll, ledger accounts, reconciliation, and trial balance preparation.

It takes around six weeks to complete with 5-8 hours of effort per week. There’s no edX certificate at the end, but the course prepares you for the ACCA’s exam in Recording Financial Transactions (FA1). 

Pricing 

edX courses are completely free to attend. That’s the case for the “Introduction to Bookkeeping” course, as well as for most other accounting courses they have. 

For some subjects, you can choose a verified track and receive a certificate; prices range between $50 and $300. The bookkeeping and accounting classes, however, won’t give you an edX certificate. They prepare you for the ACCA’s exam instead. 

If you want an actual accountant online degree, consider the online Master’s program from Indiana University. It costs $21,000 and you get a Master of Science in Accounting—the exact equivalent of earning the degree in person for a fraction of the price. 

edX User Reviews 

edX is an incredibly popular program for serious online learning. It offers courses from world-renowned universities (even Harvard), and you can graduate at a lower price (and without compromising the quality of education). 

Redditors recommend edX courses to anyone looking for in-depth accounting courses online. 

Besides the obvious perk of free enrollment, reviewers also enjoyed the step-by-step approach that takes you from complete beginner to pro. While edX isn’t the cheapest online bookkeeping course if you want a certificate, it’s one of the better known and loved ones—by both students and employers.

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If you did the “Introduction to Bookkeeping” course, we suggest you continue with “Intermediate Bookkeeping” and “Financial Accounting.” These courses will equip you to take the Maintaining Financial Records (FA2) bookkeeping certificate and the Financial Accounting (FA) exam, respectively. 

We Recommend edX For

Since the courses themselves are free, edX is a wonderful resource for business owners and aspiring bookkeepers and accountants alike. The classes can prepare you for accountant certification programs or simply give you a solid background for running your own finances.

YouTube’s most advertised learning community teaches more than quirky hand lettering. 

Their bookkeeping and accounting online courses give an easy-access introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about finances. 

What Is SkillShare? 

Skillshare has 21 bookkeeping-related courses in total, all of them geared toward beginners. 

The platform can also help you with classes for learning bookkeeping in a specific niche. For instance, their most popular course is “Bookkeeping for Freelancers'' by Bench. 

Another popular course, Brett Philips’ “How to Start a Bookkeeping Business,” deals with the business side of things – from setting up a company to getting your first client.  

Course Content 

If you need to learn bookkeeping for a specific purpose, SkillShare is the best place for you. “Bookkeeping for Freelancers” and “Accounting for Creatives” are two great, niche-specific online bookkeeping courses for beginners. 

For a more general overview, try Chris Benjamin’s “The Complete Introductory Course To Finance & Accounting,” which takes you from understanding the language and grammar of accounting to budgeting, raising capital, exit strategies, and even going public. It's equally useful for entrepreneurs and aspiring bookkeepers who want a solid foundation in business. 

If you’re looking to start a bookkeeping business, we recommend the “How to Start a Bookkeeping Business” class, a to-the-point, application-oriented introduction for complete beginners. Brett will teach you everything you need to know about software, training, marketing, meeting with clients, and scaling your business to grow revenue. 

This can also be used as a stepping stone to more advanced business accounting classes.

Pricing 

You can get all SkillShare courses with the premium membership. This plan’s price depends on the region; for the US, it costs $39/month or $13.99/month with the annual subscription. There is a free trial, too. It used to be 14 days, but now it’s only seven. 

Some SkillShare classes are open to all and you can access them with a basic free account. To find free classes, just go to All Classes > Filters and click Free. SkillShare pushes their premium plan a lot, but there is a surprising amount of high-quality free classes!

SkillShare User Reviews 

SkillShare is a household name at this point, but it’s mostly known for creative courses like design, drawing, or even music. Most of the skills you’ll learn are pretty basic, too. 

Redditors and other reviewers agree that SkillShare is a great place to get an introduction to bookkeeping and accounting. 

If you need a more rigorous course or you're looking for a recognized bookkeeping certification online, you’d have to look for other advanced options.  

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Some of the SkillShare courses come in several parts. 

For example, “The Complete Introductory Course To Finance & Accounting” works best when followed by “The Complete Advanced Course To Finance & Accounting” by the same instructor. 

If you’re looking to go beyond what you learned on SkillShare, Coursera and edX have higher-level classes.

We Recommend SkillShare For 

SkillShare is a handy resource for accounting and bookkeeping training online, especially for freelancers, creatives, and small business owners.

The courses on SkillShare won’t make you a professional bookkeeper, but they’re a practical introduction that teaches you everything you need to know about DIY accounting. 

The ultimate accounting-specific resource on the Internet—and a lot of it is free!

What Is Accounting Coach?

Accounting Coach is a huge library of free accounting and bookkeeping training online. It also covers managerial topics evaluating investments, improving profits, and calculating overhead costs.

Accounting Coach is a comprehensive accounting class, perfect for business owners, aspiring bookkeepers, and accounting students.

Course Content 

The Accounting Coach course covers three main topic areas—bookkeeping, financial, and managerial. 

Right from the get-go, you see the topics on the left-hand side, so you can easily choose where to begin. You don’t need an account or a premium membership – you can just start learning.

Click on each topic to see the topic outline. Usually, there is a short explanation text, a video, and practice exercises.

While using Accounting Coach is free, some of the materials (mostly the videos) are only included in the premium plans. 

The default view includes all topics, and they work as one complete accounting online course. The class takes you through the basics of accounting and financial statements to more advanced topics like accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll accounting. 

In the managerial section of topics, you’ll find ways to apply what you learned. This is a great practice, even if you’re not planning on becoming a bookkeeper.

For example, the break-even point lesson will show you how to use the product's contribution margin to determine how many sales you need to get to zero net income. 

Pricing 

You can go through the course for free since the essential explanations aren’t locked. But to get the best Accounting Coach experience, consider one of the premium plans. 

Pro

For $49, you get lifetime access to all additional resources like seminar videos, flashcards, tests, cheat sheets, PDF files, and business forms.

Pro Plus

The Pro Plus plan will set you back $99 for lifetime access, but it’s the only one with a bookkeeper certification.

You can get a certificate for virtually every topic the course covers: 

• Debits and credits 
• Adjusting entries 
• Financial statements 
• Balance sheet 
• Income statement 
• Cash flow statement 
• Working capital 
• Financial ratios 
• Bank reconciliation 
• Payroll accounting 

You need at least 70% on their 40-question, multiple-choice exam to pass. You can download the document in PDF or display your bookkeeping certificate online, adding it to your LinkedIn profile. 

Accounting Coach User Reviews 

Accounting Coach is a fairly popular way to learn bookkeeping online. Reddit and other review sites agree the resources are very handy for learning the ropes of bookkeeping and accounting or brushing up on lost skills.

But, do you need the certification? Redditors are torn. 

Most freelance bookkeepers agree clients don’t ask for a certification, provided you can do the job well. However, a bookkeeping certification course can help you stand out from other candidates at a job interview or even as a freelancer.

If you’re already running your own business, the Accounting Coach free or Pro plans are enough. They have the resources and you don’t need to pay extra for a document nobody cares about.

But if you’re only just trying to get into the profession, bookkeeping certification programs are a way to show you know your stuff, even if you don’t have a lot of experience. 

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Once you’re done with the Accounting Coach course, try advanced courses on edX or Coursera. You could even start prepping for the ACCA exams with their accounting certificate programs.

We Recommend Accounting Coach For 

Accounting Coach is a stellar resource for business owners, aspiring bookkeepers, and even accounting students who need additional help. It’s also one of the best ways to become a certified bookkeeper with an online course – and the cost is very affordable.

Didn’t know that LinkedIn was offering courses and certifications? You’re missing out!

What Is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn’s online course platform has classes on everything from graphic design to bookkeeping. 

LinkedIn Learning is a fairly new feature, but we firmly believe its online bookkeeping courses will grow in value in 2022. 

Why? 

Because, at this point, LinkedIn is the new CV. 

Employers go to LinkedIn to see what kind of person you are, the skills you have, the experience you’ve gained. 

Most learning platforms have a LinkedIn integration for that exact reason – they know people want to display their certificates on LinkedIn; otherwise, they lose their value.

With LinkedIn Learning, you can get certification directly from the platform. Plus, LinkedIn is trying to push the feature right now—and making sure the certificates have value and help people get jobs is the way to do that.   

That’s the short explanation of why LinkedIn has one of the best online bookkeeping courses at the moment (and some of the best courses on a bunch of other topics). But what will you learn? 

Course Content 

If you want to get the most out of LinkedIn Learning, we suggest the “Become a Bookkeeper” learning path. It includes six courses that teach you the fundamentals of accounting and help you get started with QuickBooks, one of the most popular bookkeeping programs.

At the end of the path, you’ll get a certificate of completion to display on your profile. 

Pricing 

The first month of LinkedIn Learning is free and you get to keep all the certificates you earned during that period.

After the trial, LinkedIn Learning costs $29.99/month or $299.88/year. For this price, you get access to all courses on the platform, plus LinkedIn Premium with advanced search functions, InMail messaging, and increased visibility.

LinkedIn User Reviews 

LinkedIn Learning wasn’t an instant success, but it’s gaining traction. Quality-wise, reviewers agree it’s one of the better bookkeeping programs online. 

Plus, access to the learning platform includes LinkedIn Premium, which also helps with job hunting. Overall, users love LinkedIn Learning and consider it one of the best ways to get an employer-friendly certificate in bookkeeping.

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Once you’re done with the fundamentals course, look into the niche-specific classes. For example, if you’re looking for clients in the music industry, check out the Music Law course. 

You can also try a more advanced accounting and bookkeeping class on edX or Coursera. 

We Recommend LinkedIn For

If you’re looking to switch careers, LinkedIn Learning is one of the best bookkeeper certification options. Content-wise, it sets you up with everything you need to know. And having a LinkedIn certificate will help you stand out, making it a great resume booster.