Accounting assistants provide administrative support to accountants. They typically work on payroll, bookkeeping, reporting, and other accountant duties. During tax season, accounting assistants can be expected to fill out simple account tax forms and possibly prepare more complex account paperwork.
This position is basically a 9- to 5-day position, but there may be night and weekend shifts at the end of the month and tax season. According to the Houston Chronicle, accounting assistants should be familiar with most finance and accounting software, such as Quickbooks and Microsoft Money, and be able to create and run reports using spreadsheets and databases. Typical salaries for accounting assistants range from $25,000 to $46,000 per year, based on previous experience and education, according to PayScale. Many companies offer benefits and retirement plans and assist in obtaining an accounting degree or CPA license.
Accounting Clerks Tasks May Include:
- Create and send invoices
- process payments to and from us;
- Track overdue invoices and send reminders to customers
- Adjust working hours to suit your account
- Reconcile bank statements
- Managing insurance claims
- Other office work
A small number of accounting assistants work as freelancers and fill in for staff during busy periods. These individuals can work from home or on the client’s premises.
Changing Field
Accounting as a whole is undergoing major changes, including the role of accounting assistants. On the one hand, this kind of work might have been considered monotonous before. Bob Cratchit is an example of the outdated image of the accounting assistant. Day after day, Dickens imagined himself in trouble, examining his books in his cabin. Accounting assistants now have more responsibilities and use technology to perform quality control and ensure accuracy.
The Forbes article argues that while many believe robots and artificial intelligence will take over jobs currently done by accounting assistants, the human element will always be needed. What is changing is the need for people in this profession to acquire computer skills, especially software such as Quickbooks, Word, and Excel. Accountants with bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees in accounting take on the role of financial advisors to companies that analyze and interpret financial data for management, so companies need people to enter data and manage incoming and outgoing payments. Is. You also need customer service to contact people about overdue bills and other issues.
Work is still typically done in the office, but there are some exceptions. To meet the advanced skill needs of entry-level positions, many accounting assistants are more agile and participate in conferences and workshops, often held off-site.
Accounting Assistant or Clerk
Another change concerns the job titles “accounting assistant” and “accounting clerk.” Formerly considered synonymous, a schism has arisen in which he identifies these as two separate professions. According to Biz Fluent.com, accountants are primarily clerical workers, while accounting assistants are more like accountants.
Accounting clerks perform day-to-day office work such as filling in books, answering phones, making copies, and sending emails and letters. A university degree is usually sufficient for this job, as many accounting-specific jobs are learned through on-the-job training. However, these employees should be familiar with working with accounting software. Accounting assistants perform a variety of tasks to support accountants within an enterprise. They may take on much of the responsibility of issuing payslips and interacting directly with customers. People with high school degrees can also become accounting assistants, but employers prefer to have at least an associate’s degree and sometimes a bachelor’s degree. Clerks can eventually advance to accounting assistants, but accounting assistants can also advance to management positions after a few years of experience.
Training
Although most accounting assistant job listings require a high school diploma as a minimum, the positions are most likely to be filled by students in accounting programs or those with accounting experience. It is possible to obtain this position without experience or training, but a limited number of open positions will be contested with candidates who may have these additional qualifications.
There are various certifications and diplomas for accounting assistants offered by various universities, including CPA. Most certificate and diploma programs cover similar areas, such as:
• Financial accounting:
This includes recording, understanding, and reporting on corporate financial accounting transactions.
• Management principle:
This is the study of the use of human capital and other resources to effectively run a business.
・Management accounting:
Business accounting aims to provide management with reports on cash flow management, product pricing, and other factors to enable management to make more informed decisions. Is.
• Accounting software applications:
As mentioned earlier, accounting relies on technology to track financial data, trends, laws, and other relevant information. Students should familiarize themselves with using this technology.
There are also some certifications specific to spreadsheet applications. These certifications can be earned as part of a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. Many universities incorporate certifications into their curricula as they progress through their programs.
Work Environment
As an accounting assistant, you will be expected to work at a desk in an office environment. You may have an office or a cubicle and use a computer for most of the work you need to do. Employment opportunities for accounting assistants include healthcare facilities, government agencies, insurance companies, brick-and-mortar retailers, and online shopping businesses.
They work in small businesses as well as large corporations. Smaller companies may want their assistants to take on more of the responsibilities of a CPA, while larger companies with more employees may want their assistants to have specific roles. A recent online job opening was for an entry-level accounting, auditing, and financial position at a Kansas Correctional Facility. Others included banks, insurance companies, hospitals, nursing homes, and many retail and service businesses, including city halls.
Organization
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) offers membership at all levels and a three-year certification in the field. Certification can last up to four years and requires completion of up to 14 exams, including an ethics module. Founded in 1916, the American Accounting Association (AAA) provides valuable publications and research tools. They are diverse and aim to contribute to shaping the future of accounting.
Related Resources:
Certified Fraud Examiner
Becoming an Accounting Assistant requires a passion for numbers, bookkeeping, and accuracy. Solving sometimes difficult problems in data-filled ledgers and spreadsheets requires attention to detail and determination. Confidentiality is an important factor when dealing with corporate or personal accounts. It can be a great career for life, or it can be a way to gain valuable experience and education on your way to becoming an accountant.
One of them is the ability to communicate well verbally or in writing. This is because these assistants need to be able to support professional accountants, explain their findings, and produce written reports. Another requirement is to be able to work independently after placing an order. Accounting assistants need to be able to work well within a team, especially if they work in a large company with many employees. As with most jobs these days, being bilingual is a huge advantage. These employees often have multiple ongoing projects with different deadlines, so the ability to multitask and prioritize is important.
Training to become an associate accountant can begin with a high school diploma, but progress in the profession requires staying abreast of new developments in the field. An associate’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree is very helpful. Many take evening classes or enroll in community education courses such as understanding computers and digital spreadsheets.
Today’s technology will not replace humans in this field, but it may allow fewer people to do the same work. This means that there is still demand for unskilled workers, especially in large companies, but competition for these jobs is increasing. As accountants reach higher levels and take on administrative jobs, assistants need to be able to handle more complex tasks and take on more responsibilities.
How to Become an accounting assistant
Take a course
You can’t get a job without a high school diploma, but it’s getting harder and harder to get a good job without at least an associate’s degree. If you only have a diploma, we recommend taking some certification courses or reviewing some courses to add to your resume.
Get a degree
A degree is essential for those who aspire to high positions. The Associate Program usually lasts from 18 months to 2 years. A bachelor’s degree takes four years, but both can be completed online. This means that a person with a degree can get a job as an associate accountant and then graduate with a part-time degree to gain experience. If you can find the time, you can even pay for your experience with an internship.
get certified
Professional certifications can be valuable. I am not a certified public accountant. To achieve this, you must, among other things, take a minimum course and pass an exam. This is, for example, a certification for working with Excel or reading spreadsheets. Many of these are provided by professional organizations and are affordable or even free.
Other available certifications include the Certified Bookkeeper credential offered by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. Another option is the CPA credential offered by the National Institute of Certified Public Accountants. This qualification requires candidates to provide study materials for the exam and pass the exam. A junior accountant may also consider a CPA paraprofessional degree, which requires an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and one year of bookkeeping or bookkeeping experience.
These and other certifications show prospective employers that you take your job seriously and that you intend to stay up to date with new developments and legislation in the field. Training to become an associate accountant can begin with a high school diploma, but progress in the profession requires staying abreast of new developments in the field. An associate’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree is very helpful. Many take evening classes or enroll in community education courses such as understanding computers and digital spreadsheets.
Today’s technology will not replace humans in this field, but it may allow fewer people to do the same work. This means that there is still demand for unskilled workers, especially in large companies, but competition for these jobs is increasing. As accountants reach higher levels and take on administrative jobs, assistants need to be able to handle more complex tasks and take on more responsibilities.
