Assistant Accountant Job Description : Top Duties and Qualifications

An Assistant Accountant supports the Accountant in completing basic bookkeeping, clerical and accounting tasks for a company. Their duties include preparing company budgets, building and assessing financial reports and managing a business’ payroll processes.

Assistant Accountant duties and responsibilities

An organization’s long-term financial success and maintenance of annual compliance are the responsibilities of an Assistant Accountant, in addition to various day-to-day activities. Depending on the organization and their scope of the business, an Assistant Accountant can perform these tasks:

· Collaborate with Financial Managers and other team members to successfully execute various accounting tasks.

· Maintain company ledgers and daily financial transactions.

· Create financial documents such as bills, invoices, pay-orders, payables, receivables and purchase orders.

· Identify discrepancies in ledgers and accounts, tracking them to the source and correcting them.

· Manage payroll activities and release salaries.

· Coordinate and manage payment and billing details of external service providers, contractors and vendors.

· Verify payments and deposits made through the company account and coordinate with the bank.

· Create daily reports for management and team members.

What does an Assistant Accountant do?

Assistant Accountants typically work on a business’ accounting team to provide assistance in preparing the company’s financial statements and building analysis reports. They may also work in an accounting agency setting, handling financial documents for several different clients. Assistant Accountants are typically entry-level finance professionals who assist an office with their administrative and financial work while meeting the individual bookkeeping needs of the organization. Their main goal is to help the Accountant ensure the company is financially stable and secure. Assistant Accountants often draft financial documents and reconcile a company’s bank records and submit these reports to Accountants.

Assistant Accountant skills and qualifications

Depending upon the size of the organization an Assistant Accountant may be an entry- or intermediate-level position within an organization. Some companies hire high school graduates to fill the position of Assistant Accountant. Here are the basic requirements of an Assistant Accountant:

· Computer skills

· Math skills

· Written and verbal communication skills

· Ability to work independently and as a team member

· Organizational skills

Assistant Accountant education and training requirements

If the company requires the Assistant Accountant to be able to create financial documents for tax returns or do the actual filing of tax returns, a Preparer Tax Identification Number is essential. If the Assistant Accountant is required to conduct audits or review financial statements, then they would need to be a Certified Public Accountant. Depending upon the role and function that the newly hired accountant is to fill, additional certification such as Certified Internal Auditor, Chartered Financial Analyst or Certified Fraud Examiner may be required.