Accounting internship vs bookkeeper

The differences between accounting interns and bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounting internship and a bookkeeper. Additionally, a bookkeeper has an average salary of $40,337, which is higher than the $30,642 average annual salary of an accounting internship.

The top three skills for an accounting internship include reconciliations, data entry and payroll. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Accounting internship vs bookkeeper overview

	Accounting Internship	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$30,642	$40,337
Hourly rate	$14.73	$19.39
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	80,299	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounting internship do?

An accounting internship is a trainee who reports to an organization's accountant in order to learn about the accounting field, complete financial projects and files taxes, and financial reports. An intern should be a graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting and should have an aptitude for mathematics and proficiency with computers. In order to prepare financial reports, an intern should possess knowledge with bookkeeping software. An intern must also know how to handle sensitive information with honesty and integrity.

What does a bookkeeper do?

Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.

Accounting internship vs bookkeeper salary

Accounting interns and bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Internship	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$30,642	$40,337
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	BWX Technologies	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting internship and bookkeeper education

There are a few differences between an accounting internship and a bookkeeper in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Internship	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting internship vs bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between accounting interns' and bookkeepers' demographics:

	Accounting Internship	Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting internship and bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Accounting internship example responsibilities.

Acquire training on the automated ADP payroll system which lead to a recommendation for the payroll manager position.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Prepare and process accounts payable checks and ACH payments.
Code diagnosis and add appropriate modifiers to CPT codes.
Prepare and maintain monthly departmental reports to maintain SOX compliance.
Demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9 codes, and CPT codes.

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Bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform journal entries, balance ledger, perform bank reconciliations, control inventory, coordinate proper guest accommodation.
Post and update of daily sales and purchases into QuickBooks system.
Execute monthly collection of Medicaid surplus funds from clients on a monthly basis.
Post resident receipts, Medicaid remittance, and process adjusting entries to the A/R detail.
Work closely with QC personnel for the planning of tooling and the flow process of PWB's.

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Accounting internship vs bookkeeper skills

Common accounting internship skills

Reconciliations, 14%
Data Entry, 7%
Payroll, 6%
First Hand, 6%
Work Ethic, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

Common bookkeeper skills

Payroll Tax Returns, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Reconciliations, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Financial Transactions, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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