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The Level 2 Bookkeeping Course (90 hours) is Lift College's online bookkeeping course for people starting from scratch. You learn double-entry bookkeeping, sales and purchase ledgers, VAT, the cash book, bank reconciliation, control accounts and the trial balance, then put it into practice in bookkeeping software, with a named UK tutor marking every assignment. It is a Lift College certificate course: written and taught by Lift College, with a certificate of achievement issued by Lift College when you complete it. It is not a regulated qualification. Study online in 3 to 6 months at 4 to 6 hours a week, from £29.99 a month after a 7-day free trial.
There are no exams and no placement. Each of the six units ends with a tutor-marked assignment built on a real-style set of business records, and the course closes with one synoptic assignment where you keep a small business's books for a full month. You need no previous experience: if you can add up and want to understand how money moves through a business, you can start. Most learners finish in 3 to 6 months and use the course for junior bookkeeping and accounts work, for keeping their own business's books, or as a first step before deciding on further study.
| Qualification | Lift College Level 2 Bookkeeping Course (90 hours) |
|---|---|
| Level | Level 2 |
| Awarding body | Lift College |
| Price | £29.99 a month, or £305.99 in total |
| Typical duration | 3 to 6 months |
| Age | 16 or over |
| Who it suits | Want a bookkeeping job, an accounts assistant role, or to do the books for your own business properly |
Bookkeeping is in demand in every business that has to keep records, and much of it can be done from home. These are the two roles this course leads to.
Sales and purchase ledgers, bank reconciliations, VAT returns and year-end support, in-house or self-employed with several clients.
Runs payroll, PAYE and pension submissions. Many bookkeepers add payroll to work for more clients.
There is no course fee to find, no finance agreement to sign and no debt to worry about. Your first 7 days are free, then you pay for the month you are in, and every payment is covered by the 14-day money back guarantee. Prefer to start now? Pay today instead of taking the trial and every payment is 15% lower for life, with the same 14-day guarantee.
You never sign a credit agreement with us, so there is no debt and nothing for anyone to chase. If you stop paying, you simply stop studying. No finance company, no loan and no letters.
No placement and no workplace. Every assignment uses the course's own business records, so you can complete the whole certificate from home without an employer.
Start with the short course if you only need the basics for your own business, or go straight to the full course. Both are written and taught by Lift College.
The essentials for your own books in about 6 hours. A CPD short course, not a qualification.
Level 2Level 2 Bookkeeping CourseThe full method: double entry, VAT, bank reconciliation, trial balance and software. A Lift College certificate course, 90 hours.
From £29.99/moSix mandatory units, taken in order, because each one builds on the ledgers you set up in the last. Each unit ends with a tutor-marked assignment. There are no optional units.
What a bookkeeper does and for whom; sole traders, partnerships and limited companies; invoices, credit notes, receipts, remittances and statements; assets, liabilities and capital, and the accounting equation that every entry has to balance. 12 guided learning hours.
Debits and credits, the rules for assets, liabilities, income, expenses and capital, T accounts, balancing off, and posting a month of transactions to the general ledger. 18 guided learning hours.
Raising and checking invoices and credit notes, trade and settlement discounts, UK VAT rates and how VAT is recorded, the sales and purchases day books, and posting to the sales ledger, purchases ledger and general ledger. 18 guided learning hours.
The three-column cash book, receipts and payments, petty cash on the imprest system, and reconciling the cash book to the bank statement, including unpresented cheques, outstanding lodgements and bank charges. 15 guided learning hours.
Sales and purchases ledger control accounts, the VAT control account, the journal and when to use it, finding and correcting errors with a suspense account, and extracting a trial balance that balances. 15 guided learning hours.
Setting up a business in cloud bookkeeping software, customers, suppliers and the chart of accounts, posting the month you kept by hand, bank feeds and reconciliation, running reports, and what HMRC's Making Tax Digital rules mean for VAT-registered businesses and sole traders. 12 guided learning hours.
Each unit ends with a tutor-marked assignment: a set of business records you post, balance and reconcile, with short written answers on the rules you applied. The course closes with a synoptic assignment in which you keep one small business's books for a full month, from opening balances to trial balance and VAT return. Marked by your named UK tutor and internally quality assured by Lift College. Every assignment is a pass or a refer, and you resubmit at no extra cost until every criterion is met.
Work through the unit online with worked examples, practice ledgers and your named UK tutor on hand.
Post, balance and reconcile the unit's set of business records, in your workbook and then in bookkeeping software.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days. Pass or refer. Resubmit until every criterion is met. Your certificate of achievement is issued by Lift College.
Lift College wrote and teaches this course and issues your certificate of achievement when you complete it.
The units, worked examples, assignments and marking criteria were written by Lift College and are reviewed by a second marker before any learner is enrolled.
Each assignment is marked against the criteria by your tutor, with written feedback, and a sample is checked by a second member of staff.
When every assignment has passed, Lift College issues your certificate of achievement with a unique number that an employer can verify on the Lift College website.
The same UK tutor supports you from enrolment through to your certificate.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days.
Your dashboard shows what you have completed and what comes next.
If a unit is referred, you resubmit at no extra cost until every criterion is met.
One price for the full course, with every fee included. Try it free for 7 days, or start now and every payment is 15% lower for life.
Full access for 7 days. Your first payment is on day 8, and you can cancel any time before then from your account.
£29.99/month from day 8
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Skip the trial and pay today. Every payment is 15% lower for as long as you study.
£29.99£25.49/month, for life
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“I left school with no qualifications at 16 and spent twenty years in retail. I decided I wanted to retrain as a social worker. Lift College helped me get both Level 2s in three months, then I moved straight on to an Acce…”
SandraFunctional Skills English and Maths Level 2“I took A level History as part of a plan to apply to read Law as a mature student. I had no idea if I could manage academic study at 41 after a 20-year gap, but the course structure was clear and the online platform made…”
DavidA level History online“I needed Chemistry A level to apply for a Pharmacy degree. Studying a science online without lab sessions sounded daunting, but the course covers the theoretical content thoroughly and the virtual practical guidance is d…”
PriyaA level Chemistry onlineYes. It starts with what a bookkeeper does and the accounting equation, and every method is taught with worked examples before you try it. You need no previous bookkeeping or accounting experience. Level 2 maths helps but is not required.
Most learners take 3 to 6 months at 4 to 6 hours a week. You can go faster: the course is 90 guided learning hours and there is no fixed timetable, so you move on as soon as each assignment is marked. There is no exam date to wait for.
It is a Lift College certificate course: Lift College wrote it, teaches it, marks every assignment and issues your certificate of achievement when you complete it. It is not a regulated qualification and is not on the Ofqual register. Lift College is a recognised centre with Ofqual-regulated awarding organisations for its regulated qualifications; this course is not one of them.
The software unit uses cloud bookkeeping software of the kind used by most UK small businesses and accountancy practices. You set up a business, post the month you have already kept by hand, reconcile the bank and run reports, so the skills transfer between packages. Access is included in the price.
Each employer sets its own requirements, and Lift College does not claim that this course meets any employer's or industry's standard. What it gives you is working knowledge of double entry, VAT, bank reconciliation, control accounts and software, and marked assignments that show you can apply it. Many bookkeepers are self-employed. The National Careers Service puts bookkeeper pay at £24,000 starting to £35,000 experienced. If a post names a specific regulated qualification, check that before you enrol.
No placement and no workplace. Every assignment uses the course's own business records, so you can complete the whole certificate from home without an employer. You need to be working or volunteering in none.
Each employer decides what a post needs. This is a Lift College certificate course, written and taught by Lift College; it is not a regulated qualification, and Lift College does not claim that it meets any employer's or industry's requirement. What it gives you is the method and the evidence: six marked assignments and a synoptic assignment showing that you can keep a full set of books, with a Lift College certificate of achievement on completion. If a post names a specific regulated qualification, check that requirement before you enrol.
No. Each unit ends with a tutor-marked assignment: a set of business records you post, balance and reconcile, with short written answers on the rules you applied. The course closes with a synoptic assignment in which you keep one small business's books for a full month, from opening balances to trial balance and VAT return. Marked by your named UK tutor and internally quality assured by Lift College. Every assignment is a pass or a refer, and you resubmit at no extra cost until every criterion is met. Grading is Pass or refer, resubmit at no extra cost.
One price covers the full course: all six units and the synoptic assignment, a named UK tutor, marking in 5 to 7 working days, AI Study Support, access to bookkeeping software for the software unit, and your Lift College certificate of achievement. There is nothing extra to pay.
The default is a free 7-day trial with your first payment on day 8. If you would rather start now, you pay today instead and every payment is 15% lower for as long as you study. Your 14-day money-back guarantee still applies: change your mind for any reason within 14 days and we refund the full payment.
You need to be 16 or over. No formal entry requirements. The course starts from first principles. Level 2 maths (GCSE grade 4 or Functional Skills Maths Level 2) is helpful but not required; every calculation is taught step by step. Suitable for learners aged 16 and over.
An enhanced DBS check is normally arranged by your employer or placement setting. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.
Three routes. Apply for junior bookkeeper or accounts assistant roles, where the assignments are your evidence. Take on your first clients as a self-employed bookkeeper, once you have the anti-money-laundering supervision the law requires. Or add payroll, which this course introduces but does not teach in full.
Yes. Annual billing saves 15%: £305.99 for the year instead of £29.99 a month. The 7-day free trial and 14-day money back apply either way.
Lift College issues a certificate of achievement when you complete the course. It names the course, shows 90 hours of learning and your completion date, carries a unique certificate number and can be verified on the Lift College website. The Level 2 Bookkeeping Course is a Lift College certificate course, not a regulated qualification, so there is no qualification number on the Ofqual register.
No. It is a Lift College certificate course, written and taught by Lift College, with a certificate of achievement issued by Lift College on completion. This page does not compare the course to any regulated qualification. If you need a regulated qualification, for example for a funded place or an apprenticeship, check the requirement before you enrol.
No. Every assignment uses the course's own business records, so you do not need a business, an employer or any real accounts. If you do run a business, you can use the methods on your own books as you go.
Payroll is introduced, not taught in full: you learn how wages are recorded in the ledgers and what a payroll run produces. Running payroll itself, PAYE, pensions and HMRC submissions, is a separate course.
A UK adviser calls you back within 2 working hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. No sales script.
