What do accountants do other than count numbers? Most accountants perform a variety of finance-related tasks, all of which involve numbers and statistics. Mathematics may be at the heart of an accountant’s job, but ensuring that a person’s or organization’s financial documents are accurate is generally the primary task of an accounting professional. The accountant’s specialization and specific job sector will determine his duties and what he does on a daily basis. While accounting jobs may fall into a wide variety of categories (see the US Department of Labor’s handbook for types of accountants, such as public, forensic, management, government accounting, or even sports accounting), most accountants perform core general duties.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping refers to the job of maintaining a company’s financial records, and it is an essential task of almost every accountant. The job involves handling accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, making balance sheets, and performing other tasks related to credit and debit. Bookkeeping records how much money the organization makes and how much it spends on and owes. These numbers are very important to the owner because miscalculations can bankrupt a company, so accountants must be very detail-oriented. A high level of proficiency in mathematics and statistics is also necessary for efficient workplace performance because the volume of data to be analyzed is usually high, and complex formulas may have to be used to calculate certain numbers.
Tax Preparation
According to US News and World Report, preparing taxes is the main task of accountants. Apart from finding out how much a person or company owes taxes to the government and preparing the actual tax returns, accountants must also ensure that taxes are filed correctly and on time so that no legal sanctions are imposed. Accountants can also develop strategies to reduce the amount of taxes owed as long as they are ethical and in compliance with the law. Tax accountants work for individuals, businesses, and government organizations.
Auditing
Many businesses hire auditors to monitor monetary resources. Auditors not only examine fraud and willful misuse of company funds, but they also find methods to reduce unintentional waste of resources. More experienced accountants can act as financial advisors to company executives by offering strategies for cutting costs and, in turn, making more profits.
General Administration Work
Ultimately, each accountant participates in basic organizational and administrative tasks. Collecting paper documents and digital records, sorting paper documents and digital databases, filing, typing reports, creating financial spreadsheets, printing, and copying are the biggest part of this type of work.
Accountants are the backbone of every business, be it a restaurant, nonprofit organization, or Fortune 500 company. Without proper financial management, any business is prone to quick and imminent failure. Accountants are sharp, conscientious, and numbers-oriented individuals who are good at jotting down small details. If you are considering a career in accounting, it is helpful to know what accountants do and the skills and knowledge required to carry out their job duties, whether you hope to run an independent tax preparation business or work for the government as an auditor.
Source: https://www.topaccountingdegrees.org