What does an Accountant do?
Using numbers and financial statements, an accountant describes the health of a company, organization or individual, by using their skills in math, accounting, law and finance. They analyze profits and losses, providing information that investors and business owners need in order to evaluate how a company is doing over a period of time. This information forms the basis of a company's report and legal filing reports. The following are some of the duties that an accountant may have to perform:
Determines payroll requirements; maintains payroll data; prepares and processes monthly payrolls
Interacts with internal and external auditors in completing audits
Explain billing invoices and accounting policies to staff, vendors, and clients
Prepare and review budgets, revenue, expenses, payroll entries, invoices, and other accounting documents
Analyze and review budgets and expenditures for local, state, federal and private funding, review contracts, and grants
Prepare profit and loss statements and monthly closing and cost accounting reports
Analyze revenue and expenditure trends and recommend appropriate budget levels, and ensure expenditure control
Compile and analyze financial information to prepare entries to accounts, such as general ledger accounts, and document business transactions
Supervise the input and handling of financial data and reports for the company's automated financial systems
Resolve accounting discrepancies
Establish, maintain, and coordinate the implementation of accounting and accounting control procedures
Recommend, develop and maintain financial data bases, computer software systems, and manual filing systems