As you may know, the number of people with home-based businesses is growing rapidly. Technology has made it possible for people to work from home, and still communicate effectively with clients and employers. People that never thought of themselves as entrepreneurial are now working at home as independent contractors.

Many of these people are more familiar with a corporate structure and do not know the first thing about accounting or bookkeeping. They need someone to help them keep track of business expenses, balance their books, and prepare their taxes. This has created many job openings for bookkeepers that can work from home.

As a bookkeeper, you will perform basic accounting procedures, data entry, accounts receivable and payable, payroll, tax assistance, and keeping inventory records up to date. These job functions will vary with different employers that you work with.

Since bookkeepers primarily deal with numbers, a love of math is recommended for bookkeepers. Good bookkeepers are also very accurate, have an eye for detail, and like to solve problems. You do not need to type at a high speed, but there will be a lot of typing and data entry. As long as you can type accurately at a moderate speed, you should be just fine.

Bookkeepers will definitely need a computer, and it is recommended that you have high speed internet access. Many of your clients may feel comfortable communicating via email, but they should also be able to contact you via phone.

Some employers may give you specialized software to use for their accounting practices; however, the majority will probably want you to use Quickbooks. It will be helpful to also have Microsoft Office, as one of your clients may want you to keep track of some information with Excel or Access.

You can find these types of jobs by searching online job boards, online job agencies, forums, freelance websites such as elance.com and by contacting potential employers directly. As always, be cautious when reading a listing found on a job board, as there are many work at home scams found online.

The pay for these jobs will vary, depending on the job functions and the employer. Bookkeeping is a specialized skill, however, so you can expect to earn more than someone who is performing basic office functions.

If you love numbers and have good data entry skills, you may want to consider pursing a business as a bookkeeper. Many business owners would rather pay you to take care of their accounting than attempt it their self.