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Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is keeping business records accurate and organised, including recording transactions, reconciling bank accounts and tracking invoices. You can work in-house or offer bookkeeping services to small businesses, but in the UK you should check whether anti-money-laundering supervision applies before taking on clients.
Open the interactive guide (checklist, video, read-aloud) →In plain words
- Bookkeepers organise business money records.
- You record sales, costs, bills and payments.
- You compare bank records with business records.
- Practise with made-up records before helping clients.
- Check the rules before you take paid work.
Who it suits
Suits careful, organised people who enjoy working with numbers and records. It can suit beginners willing to practise with sample records and learn bookkeeping software before handling client accounts.
Small businesses need clear records to understand what they have earned, spent and still need to pay. They may pay for reliable help with recording transactions, checking bank records and keeping invoices organised.
Step by step
- Choose the bookkeeping tasks you will offer. Pick specific services, such as recording transactions, reconciling bank accounts, tracking invoices or preparing monthly reports. Write down what is outside your experience so you can decline it or refer the client to an appropriately qualified professional. About 30-60 minutes.
- Learn the basic bookkeeping workflow. Practise organising source documents, entering transactions, reconciling the bank account, tracking invoices and preparing regular reports. These are among the bookkeeping topics described by Xero UK. About 1-2 weeks of short practice sessions.
- Practise with fictional records. Create a simple chart of accounts and enter a few made-up transactions. Compare the records with a fictional bank statement and check that the balances and reports make sense. About 1-2 hours.
- Choose a bookkeeping tool and practise using it. Try the basic functions before offering to use a tool for a client. Compare tools, then agree with the client how records and account access will be handled; the QuickBooks UK guide and Xero UK guide describe bookkeeping software and tasks. About 1-3 days.
- Keep your own business records separate. Record business income and costs in a separate set of records. Avoid mixing personal spending with business transactions; the QuickBooks UK guide advises keeping business and personal expenses separate. About 30-60 minutes to set up, then a short weekly check.
- Check whether anti-money-laundering supervision applies. Before taking UK bookkeeping clients, check whether your exact work needs supervision. HMRC includes businesses supplying bookkeeping services among accountancy service provider examples, but also describes limited exceptions; check with HMRC or an appropriate professional body supervisor using the HMRC guidance. About Allow 1-3 days to read and ask questions.
- Make a sample portfolio with fictional information. Prepare a reconciled sample bank statement, an invoice tracker and a simple monthly report. Clearly mark them as fictional and do not use real client information without permission. About Half a day.
- Find possible clients through trusted contacts. Ask local business networks, referrals or small businesses you already know whether they need help. In Northern Ireland, Go Succeed offers free start-up advice. About 1-2 hours to make a first list.
- Agree the work and document-sharing plan in writing. Before starting, agree what you will do, when it is due, how documents will be shared and what the client must provide. Keep a list of questions and unresolved items rather than guessing. About 30-60 minutes per new client.
Your first 15 minutes
Practise reconciling a fictional month of bank transactions and create a sample invoice tracker and monthly report.
The money
Set a price that reflects the agreed tasks, the time they take, your experience and your costs. You could charge by the hour or agree a fixed fee for a clearly defined recurring service; review it if the work changes.
Example only: UK — 6 hours of work at £20 an hour = £120 income; subtract £10 for software and supplies = £110 before tax. Ireland — 6 hours at €20 an hour = €120 income; subtract €10 for software and supplies = €110 before tax. These are sample figures, not suggested market rates.
The rules
There is no blanket licence or AML-registration requirement for every bookkeeper in the UK or Ireland. Whether you need AML supervision depends on the services you provide, the rules that apply and any supervision you already have. Check with the relevant supervisor before taking clients.
UK and Northern Ireland
- Trading income and tax. The first £1,000 a year of your trading income is covered by the UK trading allowance. This is your gross income before expenses. You should report income above that amount to HMRC. If you need to register for Self Assessment, the deadline is 5 October after the end of the tax year. GOV.UK Tax Help for Hustles GOV.UK
- AML supervision. Not every bookkeeper must register for AML supervision. Whether you need to register depends on the work you do and the rules that apply. If your business carries on an activity in a covered sector, it must register with the appropriate supervisor unless an exception applies or another relevant authority supervises it. Carrying on a covered activity without required registration is against the law. If HMRC supervises your business, register through HMRC’s online service. You must register for each relevant sector. Check which rules and supervisor apply to your work before you start. GOV.UK HMRC
- Client data and ICO fee. Handle your clients’ financial records carefully. Check the ICO guidance or self-assessment tool to see whether you need to pay a data protection fee. The ICO’s finance and insurance guidance lists processing personal information for accountancy services as an example where a fee is required. This does not decide whether every bookkeeper needs to pay. ICO ICO
- Insurance and client terms. Consider suitable professional indemnity and cyber insurance. Check your cover with an insurer or broker. Agree the work, deadlines, document-sharing method and fees in writing. If you work for private consumers, check which consumer terms apply.
- Age and working hours. If you are under 18, check the rules where you live before you start work. In Northern Ireland, 16- and 17-year-olds usually have limits of 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. They cannot work from 10pm to 6am. nidirect
Ireland
- Income tax and returns. If you are a PAYE worker, register for self-assessment using Form 11 if your taxable non-PAYE income is over €5,000 or your gross non-PAYE income is over €30,000. Below those limits, declare your income on Form 12 through myAccount. Check your own position with Revenue or a tax adviser. Revenue
- VAT threshold. The VAT registration threshold for services is €42,500. Check with Revenue how the rules apply to your business before you reach the threshold. Revenue
- AML supervision. Bookkeeping and accounting services may be subject to AMLCU supervision if you are not already supervised for AML purposes by a designated competent authority. If you are a designated person, you must take steps to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. These include business risk assessments, customer due diligence and procedures. You must report suspicious transactions to An Garda Síochána (the Financial Intelligence Unit) and Revenue as soon as practicable after the relevant knowledge, suspicion or reasonable grounds arise. Check your position with AMLCU or your relevant professional body. AML Compliance Citizens Information
- Trading name. If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with the CRO. The online fee is €20. CRO
- Age and working hours. If you are under 18, check the rules before you start work. The rules restrict when and how much 14- and 15-year-olds can work. Contact Citizens Information for advice about your circumstances. Citizens Information
- Insurance and client terms. Consider suitable professional indemnity and cyber insurance. Check your cover with an insurer or broker. Agree the work, deadlines, document-sharing method and fees in writing. If you work for private consumers, check which consumer terms apply.
Checked against official sources: 22 October 2026. Not yet reviewed by a qualified tax or legal adviser. General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official link beside each point before you start.
Common mistakes
- Taking on work that is beyond your training or agreed service.
- Guessing when records are missing instead of asking the client.
- Mixing personal and business spending in your own records.
- Starting client work before agreeing the scope and document-sharing method.
- Assuming AML supervision or an ICO fee either always applies or never applies.
AI-made demonstration: this module has a 20-second street-chat video in the interactive guide. The presenter and the people in it are computer-generated, not real people.