Bookkeeping focuses on recording daily financial transactions and maintaining accurate records. It involves data entry, bank reconciliation, and account management. In contrast, accounting deals with interpreting, classifying, and analysing financial data to prepare financial statements, tax returns, and offer financial insights.
While bookkeeping is concerned with accurate and organised financial data, accounting encompasses a broader range of activities, including preparing financial statements, tax planning, and providing strategic financial advice. Bookkeeping is an ongoing process that handles current transactions, whereas accounting reviews and analyses past transactions to generate reports, conduct audits, and assess financial performance.
The main goal of bookkeeping is to keep financial records accurate and up-to-date, which accounting teams then use to produce comprehensive reports and help the business make informed business decisions. Bookkeeping typically employs accounting software for record-keeping, while accounting relies on more advanced tools and techniques for financial analysis, budgeting, and strategic planning.