12200 Accounting technicians and bookkeepers

What this occupation covers

Accounting technicians and bookkeepers maintain complete sets of books, keep records of accounts, verify the procedures used for recording financial transactions, and provide personal bookkeeping services. They are employed throughout the private and public sectors, or they may be self-employed.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 6 main duties for this code.

• Keep financial records and establish, maintain and balance various accounts using manual and computerized bookkeeping systems
• Post journal entries and reconcile accounts, prepare trial balance of books, maintain general ledgers and prepare financial statements
• Calculate and prepare cheques for payrolls and for utility, tax and other bills
• Complete and submit tax remittance forms, workers' compensation forms, pension contribution forms and other government documents
• Prepare tax returns and perform other personal bookkeeping services
• Prepare other statistical, financial and accounting reports.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 6 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 14200 Accounting and related clerks
• 14201 Banking, insurance and other financial clerks
• 11100 Financial auditors and accountants
• 13102 Payroll administrators

Excluded from this code

• Accounting and related clerks (See 14200 Accounting and related clerks)
• Banking, insurance and other financial clerks (See 14201 Banking, insurance and other financial clerks)
• Financial auditors and accountants (See 11100 Financial auditors and accountants)
• Payroll administrators (See 13102 Payroll administrators)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

accounting bookkeeper · accounting technician · bookkeeper · bookkeeping clerk · budget officer · finance officer · finance technician · financial officer · financial services administrator - Canadian Armed Forces · senior bookkeeper

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Completion of a college program in accounting, bookkeeping or a related field or Completion of two years (first level) of a recognized professional accounting program (e.g., Chartered Accounting, Certified General Accounting) or Courses in accounting or bookkeeping combined with several years of experience as a financial or accounting clerk are required.