Bookkeeping is a transactional and administrative role that handles the day-to-day tasks of recording financial transactions, including purchases, receipts, sales and payments. Accounting is more subjective, providing business owners with financial insights based on information gleaned from their bookkeeping data.

Bookkeeping is a foundation/base of accounting. Accounting uses the information provided by bookkeeping to prepare financial reports and statements. Bookkeeping is one segment of the whole accounting system. Accounting starts where the bookkeeping ends and has a broader scope than bookkeeping.

Single-entry system of bookkeeping It maintains only the purchases, cash receipts and payments and sales. It is used mainly by small businesses, which have minimal transactions.

The process of bookkeeping involves four basic steps: 1) analyzing financial transactions and assigning them to specific accounts; 2) writing original journal entries that credit and debit the appropriate accounts; 3) posting entries to ledger accounts; and 4) adjusting entries at the end of each accounting period.