Abstract

The present study investigates how progressive digitalization has transformed bookkeeping and accounting practice in the Indian regulatory and business environment. Traditional paper-based ledgers have given way to cloud-based platforms, ERP systems, OCR-driven document capture, and real-time government compliance portals. Regulatory milestones — GST e-invoicing and the MCA audit-trail mandate — have accelerated this shift, making periodic manual updates obsolete. Primary data collected from 150 respondents across students, accounting professionals, and business owners reveal that digital tools are broadly perceived as beneficial, but training deficits, cybersecurity risks, and software costs remain significant barriers. Hypothesis testing confirms a statistically significant association between familiarity with digital tools and the belief that manual bookkeeping will eventually be fully replaced.