Looking for bookkeeping courses to upskill your staff? BOTI’s Basic Bookkeeping Course is a 2-day, practical programme that equips beginners and small-business teams to record transactions, manage the general ledger, and balance the books with confidence. This is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). BOTI is an accredited training provider (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA, QCTO Quality Partner); for a credit-bearing route, ask about our QCTO Office Administrator (102161) or Generic Management qualifications. Delivered on-site, in-house or remotely across South Africa. Request a quote or a 15-minute callback.

This page is written for HR/L&D managers, business owners, and department or operations managers who buy training for their people. It covers what the basic bookkeeping course includes, who should attend, how it links to Pastel and Sage payroll training, and how to book in-house delivery for your team.

Why BOTI for Bookkeeping Training

BOTI (Business Optimization Training Institute) is an accredited South African corporate training provider with a catalogue of 450 courses and a client list that includes Sasol, Glencore and the City of Johannesburg. We deliver bookkeeping and finance training off-site or in-house, in all major city centres — Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria — as well as remotely.

• Practical, hands-on focus — accounting is like mathematics: practice, practice, practice. Every session is built around real exercises, not theory dumps.
• Beginner-friendly — we demystify the terminology so novices and beginner bookkeepers can follow without being overwhelmed by jargon.
• Flexible delivery — public/off-site dates or in-house delivery tailored to your team and your own documents.
• Trusted provider — this is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). BOTI is an accredited training provider (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA, QCTO Quality Partner), and your skills-development spend still counts. For a credit-bearing route, ask about our QCTO Office Administrator (102161) or Generic Management qualifications.

Basic Bookkeeping Course: Introduction

Most things in life are based on numbers. In business, we use numbers to communicate a variety of things — such as how many assets we have, or balancing money going out against money received. The Basic Bookkeeping Course is intended for novices and beginner bookkeepers, and gives participants a sound general perspective of bookkeeping while keeping it simple, understandable and relevant.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Know the basic concepts of accounting and the basic terms.
• Understand the difference between cash and accrual accounting.
• Understand the difference between depreciation and cost.
• Be able to use the general ledger to keep track of accounts, both payable and receivable.
• Be able to balance the books at the end of the accounting cycle.

The course rounds off with financial planning, budgeting and control — concepts that apply equally to the household budget and the business budget. It includes many practical activities so participants can apply the skills they have learned.

Course Outline

The Basic Bookkeeping Course is structured across nine components:

1. Starting Out — Programme objectives.
2. Basic Terminology (I) — Balance Sheet, Equity, Income Statement, Assets, Revenue, Expenses, Liabilities.
3. Basic Terminology (II) — Accounts Receivable, Depreciation, General Ledger, Trial Balance, Payroll.
4. Accounting Methods — Accrual vs. cash accounting.
5. Keeping Track of Your Business — Journal entries, the General Ledger, cash management.
6. Comprehending the Balance Sheet — The accounting equation and double-entry accounting.
7. Other Financial Statements — Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Budget vs. Actual.
8. Payroll Accounting — Gross/net wages, tax withholdings, government returns.
9. End of Period Procedures — Depreciation, reconciliation, trial balance adjustments.

Basic Bookkeeping Course: Duration & Pricing

Who Should Attend: Basic Bookkeeping Course

The course is intended for novices and beginner bookkeepers, and more specifically for anyone who wishes to obtain a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. It is ideal for:

• Admin and office staff who handle invoices, receipts and petty cash.
• Small-business owners and their teams who need to keep their own books.
• New finance assistants who need a grounding before moving onto accounting software.
• Anyone interested in basic accounting for business or household budgeting.

No prior bookkeeping experience is required.

Bookkeeping, Pastel & Sage Payroll Training (SA)

Once your team understands the fundamentals, the natural next step is to put those skills into South African accounting and payroll software. BOTI offers a full progression path from manual bookkeeping through to Sage and Pastel, so HR/L&D can build a complete in-house finance capability rather than buying one-off courses.

How the courses fit together

Pastel & Sage bookkeeping software training covers VAT processing, source documents (invoices, receipts, cheques), inventory, subsidiary and general ledger journals, trial balance, financial statements and bank reconciliation — the practical day-to-day of running books on Sage Pastel.

Sage Pastel Payroll training (SA) is a 5-day practical course for personnel running payroll administration on Sage Pastel: operating a compliant payroll office, correct taxation, leave management, reporting and advanced payroll features. Note that the Skills Development Levy (SDL) is 1% of payroll, while your B-BBEE skills-development target is 6% of the leviable amount (not 6% of payroll) — well-trained payroll and bookkeeping staff help you record and report these correctly. (General guidance only, not financial or legal advice.)

To pair bookkeeping with software in one rollout, browse the full bookkeeping courses and payroll courses cluster, or request a quote for a blended in-house programme.

Bookkeeping Course for Small-Business Staff

For small and growing businesses, getting the books right in-house saves money and reduces risk. Rather than outsourcing every transaction, training one or two staff members on a basic bookkeeping course gives you day-to-day control of cash flow, invoicing and reconciliations — and a clearer financial picture when you speak to your accountant or the bank.

What small-business staff walk away able to do

• Record income and expenses correctly using journals and the general ledger.
• Tell cash and accrual accounting apart and know which suits the business.
• Track accounts payable and receivable so nothing slips through.
• Reconcile the bank and balance the books at month- and year-end.
• Read a balance sheet, income statement and cash-flow statement well enough to make budgeting decisions.

Why in-house delivery works for small teams

• Trained on your reality — exercises can be tailored toward the kind of receipts, invoices and budgets your business actually handles.
• Minimal disruption — a focused 2-day format delivered at your premises or remotely, on dates that suit your operations.
• A clear upgrade path — graduates can move straight onto Pastel or Sage payroll training to digitise the books.

Small-business owners who want their staff fully self-sufficient often combine the Basic Bookkeeping Course with the Sage Pastel Introduction to Bookkeeping Fundamentals course as a single onboarding bundle. Request a 15-minute callback and we’ll scope it for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the basic bookkeeping course?
The Basic Bookkeeping Course runs over 2 days. It can be delivered off-site or in-house at your premises, in any major South African city centre or remotely.

Is the bookkeeping course accredited?
The Basic Bookkeeping Course is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). BOTI is an accredited training provider (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA, QCTO Quality Partner), so it still supports your skills-development objectives. For a credit-bearing route, ask about our QCTO Office Administrator (102161) or Generic Management qualifications.

Do staff need prior experience to attend?
No. The course is designed for novices and beginner bookkeepers. No prior bookkeeping knowledge is required — it starts from basic terminology and builds up.

What’s the difference between the basic bookkeeping course and the Pastel/Sage courses?
The Basic Bookkeeping Course teaches the underlying concepts (manual bookkeeping, the general ledger, financial statements). The Sage and Pastel courses teach how to do bookkeeping and payroll inside the software. Most teams do the basics first, then move onto Pastel or Sage payroll training.

Book Bookkeeping Training for Your Team

Ready to upskill your staff? Request a quote or a 15-minute callback and we’ll build a bookkeeping training plan around your team size, location and software. Prefer to see the full progression first? Browse our bookkeeping courses cluster and download our free training-needs checklist to map your finance team’s skills gaps.

Contact BOTI on 011-882-8853 — we respond in 15 minutes.