Certificate in Accounting Fundamentals

Everything from the accounting equation to a set of year-end accounts. You start with debits, credits and your first trial balance, then work through source documents, day books, VAT, the bank reconciliation, control accounts and error correction on a bookshop's books. The later modules take it to year end for a sole trader and a limited company, and you finish by running a childrenswear company's year end on your own.

Yes. You don't need any accounting or maths background: if you can add, subtract and use a calculator, you're ready. Everything else is explained from first principles, and the OBA Tutor is there in every lesson when something doesn't click.

No. You build your own ledger in Excel or the free Google Sheets, which is how you learn what accounting software is doing behind the screen. Xero and Sage are shown so you'll recognise the same ledger at work, and our Xero and QuickBooks courses teach the software properly when you're ready.

Bookkeeping records the transactions; accounting adjusts, summarises and explains them as a set of accounts. This course teaches the principles under both, right through to year-end accounts. If day-to-day processing, VAT returns and payroll are what you want, Bookkeeping & Payroll is the more direct route.

No. You keep the books for a fictional Durham bookshop through its first year, then run a year end for a childrenswear company, so every mistake you make costs nothing. If you have a business of your own, the skills carry straight over to it.

It gives you the foundations every accounts role relies on, and a full set of books to show for it. It doesn't count towards a professional qualification such as AAT, so check whether the roles you want ask for one. If they do, you'll start it with the foundations already in place. Add Bookkeeping & Payroll if you also want VAT returns and payroll.

It's self-paced, so that's up to you. Short sessions a few times a week work well, the spreadsheet tasks take longer than the lessons, and lifetime access means there's no deadline.

Yes. Complete the course and pass its final assessment and you get an OBA certificate of completion that an employer can verify online. It isn't a professional qualification such as AAT or ACCA. The year-end accounts you prepare along the way are the other half of the proof.

Download the free info pack first. It walks you through every module, what you'll build and what you need before you start, so you can enrol knowing exactly what you're getting. If you'd like to talk it through, get in touch and we'll help you choose.