Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

 

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are an organization�s financial record keepers.  They update and maintain one or more accounting records, including those which tabulate expenditures, receipts, accounts payable and receivable, and profit and loss.  They represent a wide range of skills and knowledge from full-charge bookkeepers who can maintain an entire company�s books to accounting clerks who handle specific accounts.  All of these clerks make numerous computations each day and increasingly must be comfortable using computers to calculate and record data. In small establishments, bookkeeping clerks handle all financial transactions and recordkeeping.  They record all transactions, post debits and credits, produce financial statements, and prepare reports and summaries for supervisors and managers. 

Bookkeepers also prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying and balancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment to the bank.  They also may handle payroll, make purchases, prepare invoices, and keep track of overdue accounts. In large offices and accounting departments, accounting clerks have more specialized tasks.  Their titles, such as accounts payable clerk or accounts receivable clerk, often reflect the type of accounting they do.  In addition, their responsibilities vary by level of experience.  Entry-level accounting clerks post details of transactions, total accounts, and compute interest charges.  They also may monitor loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date.

More advanced accounting clerks may total, balance, and reconcile billing vouchers; ensure the completeness and accuracy of data on accounts; and code documents according to company procedures. These workers post transactions in journals and on computer files and update the files when needed.  Senior clerks also review computer printouts against manually maintained journals and make necessary corrections.  They may review invoices and statements to ensure that all the information appearing on them is accurate and complete, and they may reconcile computer reports with operating reports. Auditing clerks verify records of transactions posted by other workers.  They check figures, postings, and documents to ensure that they are correct, mathematically accurate, and properly coded.  They also correct or note errors for accountants or other workers to adjust. As organizations continue to computerize their financial records, many bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are using specialized accounting software on personal computers. 

With manual posting to general ledgers becoming obsolete, these clerks increasingly are posting charges to accounts on computer spreadsheets and databases.  They now enter information from receipts or bills into computers, and the information is then stored either electronically or as computer printouts (or both).  The widespread use of computers also has enabled bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks to take on additional responsibilities, such as payroll, procurement, and billing.  Many of these functions require these clerks to write letters, make phone calls to customers or clients, and interact with colleagues. Therefore, good communication skills are becoming increasingly important in the occupation.