Full Course—Digital Bookkeeper & Payroll Administrator | Foundation Stage
The Digital Bookkeeper & Payroll Administrator foundation stage 170-hour course prepares you to perform the role of a digital bookkeeper and payroll administrator. This is especially ideal for students and professionals. You will learn this job role through theory and hands-on practice. It will help you become a certified digital bookkeeper and payroll administrator.
By learning through theory and practical application, you will gain skills for accurately computing financial transactions and bookkeeping practices. Also, theoretical knowledge and practical work will develop an understanding of basic accounting concepts. It includes debits, credits, double-entry bookkeeping, and proficiency with banking procedures.
Also, the certified digital bookkeepers and payroll administrators programme focuses on country-specific compliance. It ensures you knowthe rules of relevant tax authorities in their countries like HMRC, IRD, CRA, FBR FTA, and Revenue Commissioners. It enhances your qualification's value, making it an ideal choice for those seeking comprehensive digital bookkeeping and payroll administration.
Entry requirements
This foundation stage course is accessible to learners from all backgrounds without specific entry requirements, promoting inclusivity and welcoming a diverse range of individuals.
Course overview
The Digital Bookkeeper & Payroll Administrator foundation stage, a 170-hour course, has 4-6 months of completion time. You can achieve this qualification through Online, Classroom, or Blended modes, offering flexibility to diverse learning preferences. The programme has the following four mandatory units:
- Organisational structure
- Bookkeeping
- Payroll
- Costing and spreadsheet fundamentals
- Bookkeeping: This unit covers bookkeeping principles through theory and practical application. It ensures a thorough understanding of bookkeeping fundamentals, including debits, credits, and double-entry bookkeeping.
- Payroll: You will gain expertise in payroll processes, mastering legal requirements, tax calculations, and compliance. Additionally, you'll develop skills using payroll software, preparing you for real-world payroll management scenarios.
- Organisation structure: This unit focuses on understanding how different organisational structures work, including the levels of roles and responsibilities. You'll learn how these setups affect financial tasks and processes. It gives you a clearer view of how various parts of an organisation and how they interact with each other.
- Fundamentals of costing and spreadsheets: This unit highlights the importance of costing in financial decision-making. It introduces costing methodologies with practical applications using spreadsheet software. You will learn theoretical cost analysis, budgeting, and financial planning skills.
- Bookkeeping: This course covers all the essential bookkeeping practices and VAT rules, using Sage 50, QuickBooks, Xero, and Excel. Key topics include setting up companies on all VAT schemes such as Standard VAT, Cash Accounting, Flat Rate, and Marginal VAT Schemes, and customising a suitable chart of accounts.
- Topics: This includes double-entry accounting, sales and purchase ledgers, setting up customer and supplier accounts, and processing invoices and credit notes. Key reports are generated on aged debtors and creditors to enhance the efficiency of credit control, as well as CIS deductions and the reverse charge mechanism.
- Cash and Bank Management: Skills will be developed including allocating payments, reconciliations, and matching payments to invoices. Additionally, learners will study VAT calculations for mixed sales, prepare and reconcile VAT returns, submit them to HMRC, and handle HMRC queries.
- VAT and Compliance: Topics include VAT registration and deregistration, VAT periods and tax points, implications of imports and exports, and advanced concepts like the VAT fuel scale charge. Participants will also learn about VAT deadlines and penalties, providing a comprehensive understanding of practical bookkeeping and VAT compliance. The course duration is six to eight weeks, including quizzes, a final project, and a completion certificate.
- Payroll: This module provides a comprehensive overview of payroll processes using Sage Payroll 50 or BrightPay. It covers payroll basics, data backup and restoration, company settings, and UK payroll legislation, including employer registration, the PAYE system, NIC classes and rates, and income tax bands.
- Payroll Software Skills: You will learn to add employees to payroll software, create pay elements, and understand year-to-date values. Key skills include processing employee payments, generating payslips, and producing pre-update reports. Topics cover departmental analysis, statutory payments such as Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, and Statutory Paternity Pay, as well as absence recording.
- Payroll Compliance: Additional skills include updating records for leavers and joiners, processing BACS payments, and completing year-end procedures. Key reporting skills include printing payslips, generating RTI reports, FPS, and EPS. The course also includes submitting PAYE to HMRC, issuing P45 when an employee leaves, and providing P60 at the end of each tax year, equipping participants with essential payroll management and HMRC compliance skills.
KBM will equip you with key skills and certification in important accounting and payroll software. It comprises of:
- Sage 50 Accounts: Teaches how to keep financial records, prepare reports, and perform bookkeeping.
- QuickBooks: Provides an understanding of QuickBooks' features to carry out efficient financial management in invoicing, expense tracking, and reporting.
- Excel: Develops advanced spreadsheet skills to analyze data, model finances, and report for the accounting professional.
- Sage 50 Payroll: Provides proficiency in handling payroll, maintaining employee records, and generating reports for HMRC.
- Xero: Familiarizes users with applying Xero as a cloud accounting tool; managing invoices and expenses, and creating financial reports.
The end of the course will furnish all the certifications related to one type of software to bring more employability and enhance work skills in accountancy and payroll fields.
- Bookkeeper
- Accounts Payable
- Sales Ledger Clerk
- Payroll Administrator
- Accounts Receivable
- Purchase Ledger Clerk