What is the difference between a CA, and accountant and bookkeeper?

Question

What is the difference between the 3?

Answer 1

Dwali has summed up pretty well, I can't add much to what he has stated.

These days anyone who knows how to post a journal labels himself or herself as a bookkeeper, there are no formal education or training requirements, as for accountants, I only regard Certified Financial Accountants as genuine accountants and CA's are generally auditors or management accountants, they have little to do with financial statement preparation which is the basis of accounting work and the responsibility of formal accountants.

Answer 2

Chartered Accountant (CA) is the title used by members of certain professional accountancy associations in the British Commonwealth countries and Ireland.

Chartered Accountants work in all fields of business and finance. Some are engaged in public practice work, others work in the private sector and some are employed by government bodies.

Contents

An accountant is a certified accountancy and financial expert in the jurisdiction of many countries. Such as other legally-restricted professions including medical doctors and lawyers, different countries have their own training and examination systems to maintain the practice quality and restrict the number of qualified accountants in their jurisdictions.

Bookkeeping (what a bookkeeper does) is the recording of all financial transactions undertaken by an individual or organization. The organization may be a business, a charitable organization or even a local sports club. Bookkeeping is "keeping records of what is bought, sold, owed, and owned; what money comes in, what goes out, and what is left." A financial transaction is any event that involves money.

Individual and family bookkeeping involves keeping track of income and expenses in a cash account record, checking account register, or savings account passbook. Individuals who borrow or lend money track how much they owe to others or are owed from others.

Answer 3

Well since the others gave you a whole lot of information i am just going to put it in simple language. I am studying to be a CA (the first guy that said articles is only 2 years is wrong, it takes 3 - 5 years)

1. The bookkeeper usually just does the recording of the financial transactions into the books. Not a great job, not a great pay either. Anybody can do this.

2. Accountants deal with the financial information of the company. They tell the managers, directors, shareholders etc. what is going on in their company. Average pay.

CA is a more qualified accountant with much more knowledge. Becoming a CA is hard work but it is worthwhile.

After you receive your qualification you are able to do many different jobs. For instance a Chief Financial Officer. This is a job with great pay.

Answer 4

To be a CA you have to have a post graduate degree, do two year's of articles (learning the ropes) under a CA and then write a very tough entrance exam. CA's commands as a group the hidghets salaries in SA.

An accountant is someone who has all the skills to persorm all accounting fucntions (Including the drawing up of financials etc), but have not done articles or written the entrance exam. Generally an ccountant would have an accounting qualification, but i do not think there is a legal requirement to do so. I can therefor call myself an accountant whether I know anything about accounting or not, and whether I am doing such work or not.

A bookeeper is someone who performs parts of the accounting work, and generally never past trial balance stage.  No legilative requirement for qualification or experience required. Many bookeepers are HIGHLY skilled individuals, but have never formally studied accounting.