Founded in 1987, The American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers is the bookkeeping profession’s national association. The AIPB’s mission is to achieve recognition of bookkeepers as accounting professionals, keep bookkeepers up to date on changes in bookkeeping, accounting and tax, answer bookkeepers’ everyday bookkeeping and accounting questions, and to certify bookkeepers who meet high, national standards.

Nearly all of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers’ 30,000 members have at least one or two skills—some bookkeepers understand worker classification (employees v. independent contractors), others, depreciation, still others taxable v. nontaxable benefits or which expenses must be depreciated v. written off. The Certified Bookkeeper (CB) knows all of these areas. AIPB can certify that because every CB has passed three, two-hour national exams at one of 300 Prometric test centers in the U.S. (or the 200 or more Prometric test centers worldwide), and have at least 2 years experience.

Find below a short list that outlines the benefits of choosing a Professional Bookkeeper.

Professional Bookkeepers Code of Ethics

Professional Bookkeepers Have the Following Obligations:

Obligations to Clients:
1. To provide clients with high quality professional services.
2. To remain current and up to date on matters relating to the bookkeeping profession. Only by being up to date can the Professional Bookkeeper provide the client with high quality professional services.
3. To protect the confidence of all aspects of the client’s business or, in the case of a no business entity, of all matters relating to the client.
4. To be loyal to the client and work in the best interests of the client.
5. Not to engage in any activity that is in conflict with the client’s interest.
6. If ask by the client to do something not in accordance with the Professional Bookkeeper’s professional standards, to attempt first to resolve the issue with the client or, if unable to resolve the situation, to resign from the engagement and, if necessary, seek legal counsel. At no time should the Professional Bookkeeper report this situation to an outside group or agency unless required to by law.

Obligations to Society:
1. Professional Bookkeepers engaged as public bookkeepers should at all times conduct themselves with integrity.
2. Professional Bookkeepers engaged as public bookkeepers should, when requested or required, provide government agencies or bodies with information that, to the best of their knowledge, is correct.
3. Professional Bookkeepers engaged as public bookkeepers should be objective in their professional judgments, actions and interpretations.

Obligations to the Bookkeeping and Accounting Professions:
1. Professional Bookkeepers engaged as public bookkeepers should not engage in any act that would bring discredit to the bookkeeping or accounting profession.
2. Professional Bookkeepers engaged as public bookkeepers should share new, general, nonproprietary developments in accounting with other members of the bookkeeping and accounting professions.