Thursday, January 24, 2019

What Are The Responsibilities Of A Small Business Bookkeeper

By Ryan Burns


Not all high school graduates go on to college. For people who are content to live in a rural community, but have to earn a living, there are decent jobs available. If you need to go to work right out of high school and have a head for numbers, you should think about a career as a small business bookkeeper.

Bookkeepers play critical roles in the structure of businesses that do not have the need for a full time accountant. Bookkeeping in these companies doesn't require an advanced degree. Duties vary depending on the business of the company and what size it is. Most companies retain accountants to take care of the annual tax returns. Beyond that it is the responsibility of bookkeepers to manage the finances of the company.

Bookkeepers handle accounts payable and accounts receivable. This means the employee is responsible to inputting invoices into the computer and issuing the corresponding checks to pay for them. This employee also bills the company's customers for the goods or services it sells. She prepares the invoices and sends them out. Calling customers with past due accounts may also be the responsibility of the person in this position.

Handling payroll is usually the responsibility of bookkeepers. Some of them process the checks themselves, and others send payroll reports to outside firms that cut the checks. Commissions paid to salespeople, hourly employee time card collections, and payments made to salaried employees are all within the duties of most bookkeepers. These employees also process reimbursements from expense reports and file wage garnishment paperwork and checks.

The daily banking business is something bookkeepers handle for the businesses they work with. They handle deposit transactions and enter the information into the company's computer software program. If the company a bookkeeper works for accepts credit cards, it is her responsibility to reconcile and monitor them. Bookkeepers also reconcile bank statements every month and handle any wire transfers. If there are discrepancies in the bookkeeping records, this employee has to find and resolve them.

Many inhouse bookkeepers file monthly and quarterly tax returns for their businesses. They handle the unemployment and payroll taxes. Any necessary forms and payments required to accompany the returns are processed by the company bookkeeper. Some bookkeepers are even responsible for the annual corporate returns of their employers. More often the business retains the services of a certified public accountant.

Bookkeepers are expected to run reports for their employers that show monthly cash flow. They print out and send workers compensation and pension reports to the various state and federal government entities that require them. If the business they work for is audited, it is the bookkeeper's responsibility to work with the auditors, supplying all the reports and other information necessary for them to complete their work.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that bookkeepers make, on average, a little more than $38,000 annually. In certain regions of the country, the annual wage runs around $30,000. The maximum salary level in the country is around $50,000 a year.




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