UCD Professional Academy Diploma in Bookkeeping & Payroll

Kickstart your new career in the finance department! Learn hands-on bookkeeping and payroll skills and see how sound financial management can support decision-making in small and medium-sized businesses.

Discover the vital financial tasks that support every business: bookkeeping and payroll. Learn approaches and frameworks that will help you meet this challenging responsibility.

Develop the essential concepts, terminology, and legislation that frame this mission-critical role. Master essential bookkeeping practices, understand & create financial statements, and payroll management.

Upcoming Courses

There are currently no public courses scheduled. For more information or to arrange an in-house booking, please contact us on 01 895 5755.

Bookkeeping & Payroll

Discover the vital financial tasks that support every business: bookkeeping and payroll. Master essential bookkeeping practices, understand & create financial statements, and payroll management.

To survive and thrive, a business requires accurate financial records and compliant employee remuneration. You will discover how these two elements are managed within the relevant Irish legal and tax frameworks. On the bookkeeping side, you will understand how to manage ledgers, balances, and statements (for example, financial and cash flow statements). On the payroll side, you will learn about PAYE, calculating tax credits, and setting up new employees.

Flexible Delivery Options
The course is available either online on demand or live online. Live Online delivery is part-time, over 12 weeks, with one three-hour session per week. Currently the course is only available on sessions from 6.30pm to 9.30pm. This would be suitable for busy professionals who have to complete the course out of normal working hours.

Study Options

All formats cover the same course content. You now have more choice in how you learn with us:

On Demand

Begin today or tailor your learning to suit your schedule, at a pace that works best for you.

100% self-paced learning
Average completion time: 6 weeks. (up to 18 weeks)
Optional live tutorial sessions

Live Online

The course is delivered in the evenings, 6.30pm – 9.30pm, usually over 12 weeks.

Live online learning with industry-expert lecturers
Interact with lecturers and classmates
Convenience of studying from home

Bookkeeping and Payroll Course Modules

1.Bookkeeping & Payroll

Discover the world of bookkeeping through its basic concepts and language.

Basic concepts
Terminology
Source documents
Day books/books of prime entry

2. Bookkeeping: Double Entry

Discover why ‘double entry’ is one of the most important foundational concepts in bookkeeping and how it helps to ensure that a company’s accounts remain balanced.

Double entry concepts
Ledgers and closing balances
Ledgers balances to trial balance

3. Bookkeeping: Financial Statements

Learn about financial statements and how they provide insights into a company’s financial health and business activities.

Introduction to financial statements
Trial balance to financial statements
Financial statements – explanation and interpretation

4. Bookkeeping: Financial Statements & Statements Of Cash Flow

Discover how an SME finance department works and how financial information flows into other areas of business management.

The finance function of an organisation
Strategic financial management
Sources of finance

5. Bookkeeping: Financial Reporting & Computerised Finance Systems

Learn how using accounting software systems makes it easier to produce outputs such as financial reports. Explore reporting using Sage 50.

Financial reporting systems
Financial reporting using Sage 50
Outputs: reports, downloads, etc.

6. Bookkeeping: The Finance Function Of An Organisation

Discover how an SME finance department works and how financial information flows into other areas of business management.

The finance function of an organisation
Strategic financial management
Sources of finance

7. Payroll: Introduction

Discover how the payroll process works, as well as the legal and tax implications of paying salaries.

Introduction to the payroll process
Payroll terminology and legislation
Employment contracts

8. Payroll: The Payroll Process

Discover what new obligations an employer has since Ireland’s PAYE Modernisation in January 2019, and how reporting is managed through Revenue Online Services (ROS).

PAYE: tax credits and SRCOP
PRSI and USC
PAYE modernisation

9. Payroll: The Payroll Process

Discover what new obligations an employer has since Ireland’s PAYE Modernisation in January 2019, and how reporting is managed through Revenue Online Services (ROS).

PAYE: tax credits and SRCOP
PRSI and USC
PAYE modernisation

10. Payroll: Entering Employee Information

Set up new employees, pay codes, and deduction codes in a computerised system.

Setting up a company
Setting up employees
Tax, USC, and PRSI details

11. Payroll: Entering Payroll Information

Learn how to manage employee timesheets and produce payslips.

Entering employee timesheets (weeks 1 – 2)
Entering employee timesheets (weeks 3 – 4)
Entering employee timesheets
Payslips

12. Payroll: Computerised Payroll Process - Reports and Backup

Learn how to run different payroll reports and how to keep payroll data safe.

Entering employee timesheets (weeks 5 – 8)
Gross to net report
Earnings, tax and PRSI
Backup and security

Learners must be 18 years or older.
Previous training, study and/or professional experience in a related field is recommended.
For non-native speakers of English, a language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.5 overall (or equivalent) is required.

Please note that all UCD Professional Academy courses are conducted in English. Prospective learners for whom English is not a native language are welcome to undertake Professional Academy courses. It is the responsibility of the learner that their proficiency in English is adequate for the course to participate and complete assignments successfully.

Disabilities

UCD Professional Academy welcomes learners with disabilities and makes every effort to provide facilities and support, where possible. We ask that learners who may need additional support or facilities during their course inform us at the time of application.

Code of Conduct

All staff and learners of the Academy are expected to abide by its Code of Conduct https://www.ucd.ie/professionalacademy/learner_handbook/ . In the case of serious breaches, learners may not be permitted to attend the remainder of their course, and no refund will be given.