Who is an Account Officer and What Do They Do

Who is an Account Officer and What Do They Do- Accounts Officers are saddled with the responsibilities of coordinating income and expense activities for establishments. They are also the ones who does bookkeeping task, petty cash tasks, employee expenses and reconciliation of invoices.
Some of their basic task and duties include : Processing invoices, Managing petty cash and staff expenses, Responding to customer, vendor and employee enquiries, Processing payments, Reconciling bank statements and Providing general administrative support when needed.

Who Is an Account Officer?

An account officer is a worker who takes care of the bookkeeping tasks for a company. As an account officer, your job roles include the tracking of business expenses, processing of invoices and refunds, recording all forms of payments, providing the customers bill, and coordinating activities with collections agencies.

As opposed to small businesses, as an account officer, you can expect to work independently, but once the situation is in medium to large-scale companies, you will then have bigger roles which includes supervising additional bookkeeping staff. The qualifications that are necessary for a career as an account officer generally specifies that you obtain not less than a high school diploma or GED certificate and that you should have a good level of bookkeeping experience. Though most employers may wish to employ an associate degree holder in the area of accounting or bookkeeping. You should also have excellent skills in mathematics, organizational skills, and computer skills.

What Do Account Officers Do?

The job of account officers in any establishment or institute are highlighted below. Your job as an account officer also depends on the organizational level and the scale of the establishment in question.
With that being said, here are the work roles of account Officers;

• Inspection of financial records to make sure their is accuracy & that their is overall legal and IRS compliance
• Calculation of taxes owed, preparation of tax returns, completion of financial tax transactions
• Balancing of company budget
• Search out for inefficiencies and improvement opportunities in the company’s budget, and then make necessary recommendations to management
• They make sure that the financial statements are organized and adequately maintained at all times
• They determine the probability of a misstatement occurring on a financial document
• They draft regulatory reports for internal auditors
• Notification of the management team of any non-compliant employee financial practices
• Presentation of all financial findings to the company/ management, that is, to prepare written reports and to also attend to all face-to-face meetings for such review
• Development of forecasts on the basis of market and company trends, draft operational and potential earning reports

What are the Requirements and Qualifications to Become an Account Officer

To become an account officer, here are the required qualifications and certifications that you need to get;

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of accounting or in any field is required
• Master’s degree in the field of accounting or in fields related to business administration is preferred
• You Must be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Good level of Experience in a public accounting or business firm will be a plus to your qualifications
• Familiarity with overall software types, the likes of Microsoft Office suite
• Familiarity with accounting software is an added advantage
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent critical thinking skills
• Strong/excellent math skills
• Be detail-oriented and be organized
• Strong record keeping skills
• Comfort while collaborating with a team

How Can I Become an Account Officer?

The minimum education qualifications that is needed for an Account Officer’s role in any establishment includes having a high school diploma or GED. And in some cases, employers may prefer you to obtain an associates or bachelor’s degree in accounting or in any closely related field.

You can get the job of an Account Officer in virtually all industries, establishments and working environments. As an account officer, your job roles include the tracking of business expenses, processing of invoices and refunds, recording all forms of payments, providing the customers bill, and coordinating activities with collections agencies. Any work experience in a relevant field or former roles as an Accountant will likely be a plus for your job search. Some of the basic skills you can develop to thrive in this career path as an Account Officer include communication skills, analytical skills, organizational skills, mathematical skills, technical skills, attention to detail, as well as Microsoft Excel knowledge. Job duties, roles, requirement and responsibilities for an Account Officer include that he or she maintains cost records, verifies the accuracy of invoices, they also offer solutions to general account queries, and they follow up with clients on issues that has to deal with past due accounts.

Conclusion

As an account officer in a small-scale industry you can expect to work independently, but once the situation is in medium to large-scale companies, you will then have bigger roles which includes supervising additional bookkeeping staff. Accounts Officers are saddled with the roles and responsibilities of coordinating income and expense activities for establishments and industries. They are also the ones who does bookkeeping task, petty cash tasks, employee expenses as well as reconciliation of invoices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reference

• Resources.jobsoid.com – Accounting Officer Job Description Template
• Better team.com – Account Officer Job Description
• Glassdoor.com – Account Officer Job Description
• Seek.com.au – What’s it like to be an Accounts Officer?
• Ziprecruiter.com – What Is an Account Officer and How to Become One
• Work.chron.com – List of Core Responsibilities of an Accounts Officer

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