How To Become A General Ledger Bookkeeper: What It Is and Career Path

What is a general ledger bookkeeper and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

A general ledger bookkeeper plays a pivotal role in the running of a business. They are responsible for recording and maintaining data regarding the business' accounting cycle. They store financial data like purchases, payments, invoices, expenses, and sales revenue. This data is recorded in general ledgers, useful in produce the balance sheet and income statement. The general ledger bookkeeper prepares financial reports through data collection, analysis, and summarization.

To be a general ledger bookkeeper, employers require you to have a bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or any related discipline. You are also required to have a minimum of three years of experience. A general ledger bookkeeper must possess communication skills, organization skills, and attention to detail. They must also be proficient in QuickBooks and Microsoft Excel. At the end of the year, a general ledger bookkeeper ends up with an average of $48,586 as their salary; which is about $23 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a general ledger bookkeeper?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

It was a great time to be entering the accounting industry, before the pandemic. Our students were serving in internships in huge numbers and our graduates were enjoying 100% placement, usually with multiple offers. The entry-level professionals were entering a profession marked by emerging and evolving technologies that made even the entry-level duties especially interesting. Further, our tech-comfortable young professionals were experiencing quick advancement because of their ability to employ the new technologies.

Most of the above remains true so the only open question is job availability. It would be unrealistic to say things are great. However, it seems that job prospects for accounting majors will be better than for those of virtually every other entry-level profession during difficult times. I have been speaking with firm leaders across the spectrum of firms and most do intend to be on campus in the fall recruiting season. Of course, they have a lot of time to learn more about the economy over the next few months, but we are cautiously optimistic. Again, I am confident that whatever the state of job availability for young CPAs-to-be, prospects will be better for accounting graduates than virtually any other profession.

They will be entering the profession at a fascinating moment in time. Of course, the technological advances assure this regardless of economic conditions. However, there are business disruption-related issues that will provide rich opportunities for making a difference. For example, audit staff will be working with clients to see them through these troubling times. Lamentably, I fear that these young professionals will learn more about the going concern determination than they desire to know. Tax staff will help clients to optimally use the tax loss carrybacks and carryforwards that are arising by the day. Entry level professionals in corporate accounting will get a day-to-day front row seat in business management through crisis. While lamentable times, these are times when young professionals can make a difference that saves jobs.

ScoreGeneral Ledger BookkeeperUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,940

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.64%

Black or African American 6.92%

Hispanic or Latino 14.69%

Unknown 3.97%

White 67.14%

Gender

female 71.66%

male 28.34%

Age - 53

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 53

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a general ledger bookkeeper

Explore general ledger bookkeeper education requirements

Most common general ledger bookkeeper degrees

Bachelor's

60.7 %

Associate

24.2 %

High School Diploma

6.6 %

Start to develop specific general ledger bookkeeper skills

Skills	Percentages
Reconciliations	16.25%
General Ledger Accounts	12.45%
CPA	6.24%
Bank Statements	4.35%
Payroll Taxes	4.07%

Complete relevant general ledger bookkeeper training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New general ledger bookkeepers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a general ledger bookkeeper based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real general ledger bookkeeper resumes.

Research general ledger bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Report to owner and outside CPA.
Prepare cross reference work papers to substantiate journal entries according to GAAP.
Organize and maintain bills, receipts, and vehicle logs to send to CPA.

Get general ledger bookkeeper experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a general ledger bookkeeper. The most common roles before becoming a general ledger bookkeeper include accounts payable clerk, bookkeeper team lead and staff accountant.

Prepare your general ledger bookkeeper resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general ledger bookkeeper resume.

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