AccountancyISCO 3313
Accounting assistant
An accounting assistant is a person who carries out the day-to-day accounting work and prepares material for the accountant they work with.
Check yourself in a minute: accounting assistant
Rate 5 of the 20 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
perform business research
allocate bills
manage corporate bank accounts
follow up accounts receivables
follow the statutory obligations
About accounting assistant
The accounting assistant records accounting entries: invoices, statements, advance settlements and costs, checks them for completeness and formal correctness, and then controls the documentation — whether a document carries a description, the signature of whoever approved it and the right account. Trial balances are prepared, along with the daily and periodic reports the accountant takes further.
The assistant uses accounting software and office systems, knows the procedures of an accounting department, and manages the company's bank accounts: posting transfers, reconciling balances and investigating unallocated items. Tax regulations are known and applied when documents are recorded.
The assistant also resolves discrepancies with the departments that issue and describe documents: sales, purchasing, payroll, and on refunds and claims verifies that the amount and the grounds agree. In ticketing and transport businesses the role extends to ticket settlements and to contact with the managers who run the ticketing systems. Formal requirements are set by the employer.
Key Work Functions
Core areas of responsibility for a accounting assistant.
1
Transaction Recording and Entry
- Record financial transactions in accounting systems using proper accounting entries
- Issue sales invoices and maintain invoice records
- Arrange authorized refund vouchers and process refund transactions
- Apply accounting techniques and allocation methods correctly
2
Bank and Account Reconciliation
- Reconcile daily bank deposits and prepare deposit verification reports
- Manage corporate bank accounts and monitor account balances
- Maintain returned check accounts and process related documentation
- Prepare trial accounting balances and balance sheet reconciliations
3
Financial Record Maintenance
- Maintain accurate and organized financial records for audit purposes
- Check accounting records for errors and identify discrepancies
- Attach accounting certificates to transactions and ensure proper documentation
- Use accounting systems to organize and store financial information
4
Payables and Receivables Management
- Follow up on accounts receivable and track outstanding payments
- Allocate bills to appropriate accounts and cost centers
- Communicate with ticketing managers and other departments regarding payment issues
- Maintain depreciation records and calculate asset-related entries
5
Compliance and Reporting
- Ensure compliance with bookkeeping regulations and statutory obligations
- Prepare daily income reports and periodic financial summaries
- Follow tax legislation requirements and maintain tax-related documentation
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (20)
bookkeeping regulationsbookkeeping regulationsThe methods and regulations involved in the process of accurate bookkeeping.depreciationdepreciationThe accounting method of dividing the value of an asset over its useful life for the allocation of cost per fiscal year and in parallel to decrease the value of the asset from the accounts of the comp...accounting techniquesaccounting techniquesThe techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results.accounting entriesaccounting entriesThe financial transactions recorded in accounting systems or books of a company together with the metadata linked to the entry such as the date, the amount, the accounts affected, and a description of...tax legislationtax legislationTax legislation applicable to a specific area of specialisation, such as import tax, government tax, etc.perform business researchperform business researchSearch and collect information relevant for the development of businesses in different fields ranging from legal, accounting, finance, up to commercial matters.allocate billsallocate billsPrepare and issue bills to clients and debtors taken from the accounts receivable of the financial statements. Disclose the amount to pay, the due date, taxing information, and additional details as n...check accounting recordscheck accounting recordsRevise the accounting records of the quarter and year and ensure that the accounting information reflects with accuracy the financial transactions of the company.manage corporate bank accountsmanage corporate bank accountsHave an overview of the bank accounts of the company, their different purposes, and manage them accordingly while keeping an eye on their balance, interest rates, and charges.follow up accounts receivablesfollow up accounts receivablesRevise the accounts receivables section in the financial statements in order to breakdown the financial rights that the company has over other entities. Take actions in order to close the accounts and...follow the statutory obligationsfollow the statutory obligationsUnderstand, abide by, and apply the statutory obligations of the company in the daily performance of the job.identify accounting errorsidentify accounting errorsTrace accounts, revise the accuracy of the records, and determine the faults in order to solve them.use accounting systemsuse accounting systemsEmploy accounting systems for recording and managing the accounts, obligations, and rights that the company possesses. Utilise these systems for accounting operations, financial analysis, and preparat...issue sales invoicesissue sales invoicesPrepare the invoice of goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms. Complete order processing for orders received via telephone, fax and internet and...perform account allocationperform account allocationAllocate transactions on an account by matching the total value, only a part of it or a group of transactions to the original invoice, and by posting financial information such as discounts, taxes or ...attach accounting certificates to accounting transactionsattach accounting certificates to accounting transactionsCollate and link documents such as invoices, contracts, and payment certificates in order to back up the transactions made in the accounting of the company.prepare trial accounting balancesprepare trial accounting balancesEnsure that all transactions are recorded in the books of the company and totalise all the debits and the credits of the accounts to find out balance in the accounts.maintain financial recordsmaintain financial recordsKeep track of and finalise all formal documents representing the financial transactions of a business or project.use office systemsuse office systemsMake appropriate and timely use of office systems used in business facilities depending on the aim, whether for the collection of messages, client information storage, or agenda scheduling. It include...accounting department processesaccounting department processesThe different processes, duties, jargon, role in an organisation, and other specificities of the accounting department within an organisation such as bookkeeping, invoices, recording, and taxing.
Optional (20) — show
labour legislationlabour legislationLegislation, on a national or international level, that governs labour conditions in various fields between labour parties such as the government, employees, employers, and trade unions.consumer goods industryconsumer goods industryThe consumer goods industry refers to a concrete economic sector that produce and sell goods to consumers for they direct consumption, enjoyment or use. Industry that covers a wide range of activities...banking activitiesbanking activitiesThe broad and continuously growing banking activities and financial products managed by banks ranging from personal banking, corporate banking, investment banking, private banking, up to insurance, fo...financial statementsfinancial statementsThe set of financial records disclosing the financial position of a company at the end of a set period or of the accounting year. The financial statements consisting of five parts which are the statem...statisticsstatisticsThe study of statistical theory, methods and practices such as collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data including the planning of ...company policiescompany policiesThe set of rules that govern the activity of a company.maintain statutory booksmaintain statutory booksMaintain updated the statutory books of the company with the relevant information of the directors and secretaries, the directors interests, and the register of shareholders.prepare tax returns formsprepare tax returns formsTotalise all the deductible tax collected during the quarter or fiscal year in order to fill tax return forms and claim it back to the governmental authorities for declaring taxation liability. Keep t...calculate taxcalculate taxCalculate the taxes which have to be paid by an individual or organisation, or paid back by a governmental institution, compliant with specific legislation.manage cash deskmanage cash deskEnsure compliance with company operating procedures and relevant legislation for cash desk activities. Apply the CCF policy and actively control debt management and recovery within agreed parameters.interpret financial statementsinterpret financial statementsRead, understand, and interpret the key lines and indicators in financial statements. Extract the most important information from financial statements depending on the needs and integrate this informa...prepare financial statementsprepare financial statementsCollect, entry, and prepare the set of financial records disclosing the financial position of a company at the end of a certain period or accounting year. The financial statements consisting of five p...perform dunning activitiesperform dunning activitiesSend letters or make phone calls to methodically remind individuals about actions they are requested to take by a set deadline. Use a firmer tone as the due date approaches or passes. If there is an a...disseminate information on tax legislationdisseminate information on tax legislationProvide advise on the possible implications for companies or individuals on decisions regarding tax declaration based on tax legislation. Advise on the favourable tax strategies that could be followed...perform cost accounting activitiesperform cost accounting activitiesExecute the cost related activities and operations within the accounting activities such as standard cost development, average pricing analysis, margin and cost ratio analysis, inventory control, and ...manage the general ledgermanage the general ledgerEnter data and revise the adequate maintenance of general ledgers in order to follow up on the financial transactions of the company, and other non routine transactions such as depreciation.manage accountsmanage accountsManage the accounts and financial activities of an organisation, supervising that all the documents are correctly maintained, that all the information and calculations are correct, and that proper dec...maintain register of shareholdersmaintain register of shareholdersKeep a register of shareholders and monitoring changes in share ownership of the company.handle financial transactionshandle financial transactionsAdminister currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.manage payroll reportsmanage payroll reportsMaintain personnel records as well as payroll reports. Record evaluations, promotions or disciplinary actions.
Related Occupations
Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.
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Frequently asked questions
What does an accounting assistant do?
Accounting assistants record and report ticketing accounting situations to the accountant they work with, verify deposits and prepare daily reports and income. They arrange authorised refund vouchers, maintain the returned check accounts and communicate with ticketing managers concerning about any issues with ticketing systems.
What skills does an accounting assistant need?
An accounting assistant needs 20 essential skills, including bookkeeping regulations, depreciation, accounting techniques, accounting entries, tax legislation.
Will AI replace accounting assistant jobs?
The AI disruption score for accounting assistant is 75/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: accounting entries, allocate bills, issue sales invoices. Most resilient: consumer goods industry, maintain financial records, handle financial transactions.
AI Replacement Risk
75/ 100
Very High Risk
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Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.
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