WHAT DOES A BOOKKEEPER DO?

Published: May 20, 2025 – The Bookkeeper manages and organizes office operations, including bookkeeping, payroll, insurance, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, while ensuring compliance with GAAP and small business tax laws. This position prepares and analyzes financial data, generates detailed reports, and maintains accuracy in billing and account management using accounting software and related technology. The bookkeeper also supports effective team collaboration, supervises office staff, and fosters strong relationships with external stakeholders such as vendors, accountants, and bankers.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Bookkeeper

1. Bookkeeper Responsibilities

  • Bookkeeping: Perform all bookkeeping functions with the Accounting Department team
  • Accounts Receivable: Process Accounts Receivable invoices and track late payments
  • Credit Management: Credit and collection management and resolution
  • Issue Resolution: Resolve receivable issues
  • Payroll Processing: Take responsibility for payroll using QuickBooks and Bank Reconciliations
  • Record Maintenance: Filing and confidential maintenance of accounting records
  • Receipt Filing: Keep an excellent filing system of all receipts and invoices
  • Invoice Checking: Check Daily invoices

2. Bookkeeper Job Summary

  • Bookkeeping Setup: Set up and maintain a client’s bookkeeping needs using QuickBooks Online
  • Data Entry: Enter the Income/Expense
  • Account Reconciliation: Take responsibility for Account reconciliations
  • Task Management: Ensure assigned tasks are completed within the specified timeframe with attention to detail and accuracy
  • CRM Management: Maintain internal CRM and ensure all client information is recorded, updated, and accurate at all times
  • Report Preparation: Prepare timely and accurate reports using QBO and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel

3. Bookkeeper Accountabilities

  • Cash Management: Record cash inflows, pay bills, and monitor accounts payable/receivable using QuickBooks and CashPro
  • Reimbursement Management: Manage staff and consultant reimbursements
  • Bank Reconciliation: Perform monthly cash and bank reconciliations for all organizational accounts
  • Data Integrity: Investigate and resolve accounting data inconsistencies with integrity
  • Process Compliance: Adhere to best practices for accounting and financial/operational processes
  • Documentation Control: Ensure complete paper trail for all payments as per GAAP, grant, and agency process guidelines
  • Tax Documentation: Maintain and file tax-related documentation and filings (Welfare Exemptions, Business Property filing, Sales Tax, 1099s, etc.)
  • Financial Reporting: Generate financial reports
  • Audit Support: Assist with audit and preparation, ensuring all files are ready and paperwork is provided
  • Vendor Management: Manage all vendor relations and accounts
  • Records Maintenance: Maintain all financial, tax, and operations records and files

4. Bookkeeper Functions

  • Financial Recordkeeping: Maintain company financial records, including purchases, sales, receipts, and payments
  • Accounts Management: Process accounts payable and receivable, and manage invoices and tax payments
  • Account Reconciliation: Conduct reconciliation of all accounts
  • General Ledger Management: Maintain and balance the general ledger in an accurate, complete, and up-to-date manner
  • Policy Compliance: Interpret and apply accounting policies, rules, and regulations to ensure compliance with applicable standards

5. Bookkeeper Details

  • Bank Reconciliation: Assist with monthly bank reconciliations
  • Closing Process: Participate in monthly and quarterly close, including journal entries
  • Commission Reporting: Help create monthly commission reports
  • Account Analysis: Take responsibility for account analysis
  • Cash Management: Assist with cash management activities
  • Inventory Reporting: Create inventory reports
  • Accounting Support: Provide support to AR, AP, and other areas of accounting operations

6. Bookkeeper Overview

  • Bookkeeping: Perform day-to-day bookkeeping duties, including recording, reconciling, and auditing accounting data
  • Accounts Payable: Utilize Bill.com to record invoices, process payments, maintain accruals and reconciliations
  • Accounts Receivable: Record invoices, receipts, and reconciliation
  • Collections Management: Generate collection reports and handle cancellations, credits, etc.
  • Bank Reconciliation: Handle payment deposits and reconciliation
  • Expense Reporting: Record expense reports coming through Expensify
  • Month-End Closing: Perform monthly closing process and annual audits
  • Accounting Support: Assist with other activities to support the accounting function

7. Bookkeeper Details and Accountabilities

  • Accounts Processing: Process accounts payable, customer invoicing, bank reconciliations, and prepare business compliance filings such as 1099s, payroll, and sales tax
  • Compliance Filings: Business Licenses and Property Tax Returns
  • Bank Reconciliation: Perform monthly bank reconciliations and month-end closing
  • General Ledger: General ledger accounting, financial statement preparation
  • Tax Filing Support: Assist the CPA with monthly, quarterly, and/or annual tax filings
  • Accounting Support: Assist with other accounting and bookkeeping duties
  • Client Interaction: Interact with multiple clients

8. Bookkeeper Tasks

  • Receivables and Payables: Process and maintain receivables and payables
  • Bank Reconciliation: Monthly bank reconciliations
  • Payroll Processing: Process payroll using ADP and review time reports
  • Journal Entries: Track inter-company loans via journal entries
  • Financial Reporting: Submit accurate and timely financial reports
  • Spreadsheet Management: Create and maintain Excel spreadsheets

9. Bookkeeper Roles

  • Deadline Management: Adhere to internal financial calendar deadlines
  • QuickBooks Management: Manage all QuickBooks entries
  • Accounts Management: Take responsibility for accounts receivable and accounts payable
  • Invoicing: Prepare client design time and product invoices
  • Visa Reconciliation: Visa reconciliations and payments
  • Document Management: Document management and tracking
  • Year-End Preparation: Assist in year-end preparation
  • Report Analysis: Prepare and analyze various QuickBooks reports

10. Bookkeeper Additional Details

  • Invoice Processing: Receive corporate and project development invoices, obtain approvals, correct allocations (coding), and prepare them for payment
  • Draw Management: Manage the hard cost and soft cost draw process to ensure compliance with lender and investor requirements
  • Month-End Closing: Assist in the month-end closing and financial reporting process
  • Financial Preparation: Assist in preparing timely and accurate financial statements, cash flow projections, and budgets and forecasts as requested by the Controller or Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Cash Receipt Handling: Receive cash receipts, prepare deposits, and ensure they are properly coded
  • Administrative Support: Support other fiscal and administrative projects and responsibilities as assigned by the Controller or CFO

11. Bookkeeper Essential Functions

  • Financial Tracking: Track expenses, budget, taxes, cash flow, receipts, and other financial dealings of the company
  • Financial Reporting: Provide regular financial reports (weekly, monthly, and yearly)
  • Expense Recording: Recording expenses, assets, and liabilities
  • Accounts Monitoring: Monitor accounts payable and receivable
  • Payroll Processing: Ensure the timely processing of payroll
  • Bookkeeping: General bookkeeping and accounting tasks
  • Bank Reconciliation: Execute bank reconciliations regularly

12. Bookkeeper Role Purpose

  • Accounts Assistance: Assist with Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processes
  • Ledger Management: Balance and maintain accurate ledgers
  • Reconciliation: Complete bank, credit card, and vendor reconciliations
  • Financial Statement Support: Assist in the processing of balance sheets, income statements, and other financial statements according to legal and company accounting and financial guidelines
  • Expense Review: Assist with reviewing expenses, reimbursements, payroll records, etc.
  • Closing Support: Assist the comptroller in the preparation of monthly/yearly closings
  • Filing System Management: Keep up-to-date digital and physical filing system
  • Compliance: Maintain accounting controls by following policies and procedures, complying with federal, state, and local financial and legal requirements
  • Payroll Processing: Assist with processing payroll
  • Audit Support: Assist with internal and external audits
  • Project Reconciliation: Assist with reconciling and booking project-based payroll and overhead

13. Bookkeeper General Responsibilities

  • Deposit Processing: Record and deposit cheques and wires daily for both general and trust bank accounts
  • Credit Card Processing: Process credit card transactions, prepare and post related entries to the accounting system
  • Receipt Reconciliation: Daily review of bank statement entries to identify and reconcile all receipts for the Vancouver office
  • Accounts Payable Entry: Enter accounts payable vouchers and ensure both the physical and virtual filing of documents are organized and up-to-date
  • Petty Cash Management: Balance and record petty cash transactions monthly
  • Query Resolution: Resolve and respond to accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash-related queries from across the firm
  • Collections Support: Assist the collections team with collection follow-up
  • Bank Reconciliation: Assist with bank reconciliations and month-end account analysis
  • Write-Off Processing: Assist with obtaining authorizations and the posting of accounts receivable write-offs
  • Team Backup: Serve as vacation backup for Canadian team members
  • Accounting Support: Aid the accounting and finance team to provide a high level of service to the firm and its clients

14. Bookkeeper Key Accountabilities

  • Accounting Cycle Ownership: Have ownership over the entire accounting cycle
  • Team Building: Build the accounting team to stay ahead of 6ix's growth
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare accurate and timely financial reporting on a weekly and monthly basis
  • Technical Accounting: Research technical accounting issues and establish company-wide accounting policies
  • General Accounting: Payroll, AR, AP, and other general accounting for 6ix
  • Grant Coordination: Coordinate with service providers for grants
  • Audit Compliance: Lead annual audit compliance work
  • Government Filing: Review and file HST and other government remittances
  • Issue Resolution: Resolve accounts receivable and accounts payable issues
  • Internal Controls: Develop, document, and implement internal controls. Assist in identifying inefficiencies and revamping processes to eliminate them, in addition to providing training and support to finance staff
  • Confidentiality: Keep all data and information confidential

15. Bookkeeper Roles and Details

  • Bookkeeping: General bookkeeping/G/L and transaction entries
  • Accounts Payable: Take responsibility for Accounts Payable
  • Vendor Resolution: Correct vendor billing/receiving errors and/or follow up with vendors for resolution
  • Sales Tax Processing: Sales tax accruals and posting of payments
  • Bank Review: Daily bank balance review
  • Inventory Review: Inventory item receipt vs P.O. vs invoice review
  • Payroll Processing: Processing hours, PTO, bonuses, etc., for processing by a third-party payroll provider
  • Payroll Tax Management: Assisting with the management of payroll tax accounts
  • Intercompany Reconciliation: Accountable for intercompany reconciliation
  • Financial Reporting: Financial statements and accruals
  • Reconciliations: Bank, credit card, and other reconciliations and postings
  • Month-End Close: Month-end close activities
  • Ad Hoc Projects: Ad hoc accounting projects and reports

16. Bookkeeper Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • General Ledger Management: Responsible for the General Ledger, ensuring compliance with GAAP standards and regulatory requirements for all local, state, and federal laws regarding finances, tax filing, and reporting
  • Accounts Management: Manage Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable
  • Transaction Recording: Maintain and record a very detailed history of transactions (AP/AR/journal entries) by classification in QuickBooks
  • Reporting: AR and AP reports to be prepared weekly for review with management
  • Check Preparation: Prepare checks twice a month on the 1st and the 15th of the month
  • Client Communication: Clear communication with clientele (detailed, organized, timely)
  • Close Cycle Maintenance: Maintain monthly close cycle and periodic reporting at the consolidated, company, and divisional levels
  • ERP Management: Manage the ERP system and ensure that accounting, costing, and all invoicing, billing are accurate
  • Inventory Reconciliation: Manage inventory reconciliation (ERP/Warehouse level)
  • Classified Accounting: Recording all transactions, in detail, into appropriate classified accounts while maintaining bank balances
  • Balance Sheet Reconciliation: Reconcile all balance sheet accounts
  • Month-End Reporting: Prepare monthly reporting, all month-end closing needs to be completed and submitted for review 7-10 days after the month closes

17. Bookkeeper Duties and Roles

  • Payroll Management: Manage payroll on a semi-monthly basis with a payroll company
  • E-commerce Management: Manage e-commerce account, customer service with e-commerce clients, and wholesale clients
  • Cash Flow Management: Manage the cash flow of the business, bank accounts, and all cash flow-related matters
  • Closing Activities: Perform the company’s monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing
  • Financial Analysis: Analyze financial reports
  • Payment Processing: Processing checks, CC invoices, payments, and bank statements
  • Audit Coordination: Coordinate with external audit partners to ensure the timely and accurate completion of audits
  • Inventory Reconciliation: Maintain/Reconcile inventory reporting monthly, which includes work in progress
  • Forecasting: Maintain cash flow forecast models and funding requirements
  • Risk Monitoring: Monitor and identify potential risks to the organization
  • Cross-Department Collaboration: Working closely with all departments, particularly logistics
  • Tax Preparation: Prepare 1099s, Quarterly Sales Tax, year-end projections, and yearly projections

18. Bookkeeper Roles and Responsibilities

  • Financial Data Management: Record, update and maintain all financial data relating to customers of the Day Nursery, to include preparing all invoices and processing payments.
  • HR Liaison: Liaise with the University’s Human Resources (HR) department concerning Flexible Benefit arrangements, including agreeing with changes and sessions with parents, preparing invoices, and communicating liabilities to the payroll department.
  • Payroll Reconciliation: Liaise with UECS Central Finance team and HR to reconcile monthly payroll deductions to the charges.
  • Funding Administration: Implement and monitor the Essex County Council Early Years funding process, including liaising with parents as to their entitlements and claims, ensuring all paperwork is completed and submitted, ensuring deadlines are met and that all claims are in line with current rules and regulations.
  • Financial Recordkeeping: Assist the Central Finance team in their work to record and reconcile finance records to the Agresso system, Management accounts and Bank reconciliations.
  • Procurement Compliance: Ensure all purchases are approved and processed correctly in line with UECS Financial regulations, including preparing purchase orders, goods receipting and passing to Income and Payments for processing.
  • Month-End Accruals: Liaise with UECS Central Finance Team to ensure that accruals are accurate each month.
  • Income Handling: Collate and bank income on behalf of the department.
  • Supplies Procurement: Procure purchases of equipment, food, and stationery supplies under the direction of the Nursery Manager, adhering to UECS financial regulations.
  • Payroll Administration: Ensure all payroll information is accurate and submitted on time and that appropriate records are maintained.

19. Bookkeeper Duties

  • Customer Service: Respond to enquiries from existing and potential users of the Day Nursery, including students, staff, and the general public, from University Offices and outside organisations.
  • System Maintenance: Maintain the nursery management system, ensuring it is accurately updated with all changes as they occur, including information relating to children, families and staff, setting up funding types and day care sessions.
  • Marketing Communication: Liaise with the Nursery Business Manager and UECS Marketing Team in preparing communications to students, staff, parents and the general public and disseminating this information. This includes changes to terms and conditions, pricing, funding, opening dates and other general information, such as newsletters, University updates, changes in key staff and general communications.
  • Event Coordination: Prepare documentation for Holiday Clubs for primary school children, including generating application forms and registers and adhering to Ofsted requirements.
  • Data Protection Compliance: Comply with the requirements of Data Protection by ensuring confidentiality when dealing with staff, parents or children’s personal information.
  • Records Management: Ensure records are kept securely at all times and archived appropriately.
  • Contract Administration: Maintain all office equipment contract records. Establish and maintain clear procedures for monitoring contractual compliance relating to the provision of office/administrative services to the Day Nursery to minimise risk, ensure value for money and excellence in service delivery.
  • Training Records Management: Update and maintain electronic records of core training requirements for all staff within the Day Nursery.
  • Health and Safety Support: Support the management and maintenance of Health and Safety records, including Risk Assessments, Methods of Work and COSHH sheets, ensuring these are accurate and up to date.
  • Attendance Monitoring: Manage and maintain sickness, annual leave and lieu records.

20. Bookkeeper Details

  • Office Operations Management: Analyze and organize office operations and procedures such as bookkeeping, insurance, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
  • Financial Analysis: Analyze and review financial data, prepare financial statements and reports for both internal and external purposes.
  • Accounting Knowledge: Display comprehensive knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and knowledge of small business tax laws.
  • Customer Billing Support: Ensure the proper billing/charging of accounts and provide professional, prompt, and courteous service to customers in resolving individual problems.
  • Software Proficiency: Maintain expertise in understanding the Company’s accounting/bookkeeping software and related technology.
  • Relationship Management: Establish and maintain professional relationships with accountants, bankers, vendors, associates, and office support staff.
  • Staff Supervision: Assume supervisory responsibility for office support staff.
  • Team Collaboration: Interact harmoniously and effectively with others, focusing on the attainment of company goals and objectives through a commitment to teamwork.
  • Attendance Compliance: Conform to acceptable attendance/punctuality standards as expressed in the Employee Handbook.
Relevant Information
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