WHAT DOES A FULL CHARGE BOOKKEEPER DO?

Published: Mar 21, 2025 – The Full Charge Bookkeeper manages full-cycle accounting operations, including QuickBooks data entry, chart of accounts maintenance, and reconciliation of bank accounts and credit cards. This position handles accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll processing, and tax-related tasks such as 1099s, W-2/W-3 forms, and compliance filings. The full charge bookkeeper also prepares accurate financial statements, cash flow reports, and budgeting forecasts while supporting external CPA firms in tax planning and filing.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Full Charge Bookkeeper

1. Full Charge Bookkeeper Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Financial Data Management: Obtain primary financial data for accounting records
  • Accounts Management: Manage accounts payable and receivable
  • General Ledger Posting: Perform general ledger and journal entry posting
  • Numerical Data Entry: Compute and record numerical data
  • Transaction Accuracy Check: Check the accuracy of business transactions
  • Data Entry: Perform data entry and administrative duties
  • Cash Flow Monitoring: Perform daily monitoring of cash flow
  • Financial Issue Resolution: Resolve financial issues
  • Relationship Management: Establish strong relationships with vendors, banks, and customers
  • Customer Collection Assistance: Assist with customer collections

2. Full Charge Bookkeeper Roles and Details

  • General Ledger Maintenance: Maintain and balance General Ledger and Trial balance accounts.
  • Procurement Process: Follow procurement procedures matching purchase orders and invoices.
  • Invoice Entry: Enter invoices in the system and run weekly checks.
  • Payable Aging Control: Perform monthly control of a payable aging report.
  • Cash Receipts Posting: Prepare deposits and post all cash receipts.
  • Journal Voucher Preparation: Prepare monthly journal vouchers.
  • Month-End Closing: Help with month-end-closing books.
  • Vendor Communication: Communicate with vendors to resolve any claims.
  • Bank Reconciliation: Prepare bank reconciliations.
  • Tax Report Preparation: Prepare annual 1099 tax report.
  • Audit and Budget Assistance: Assist with annual audit requirements and annual budget control.
  • Bank Transaction Assistance: Assist Accountant with bank transactions.
  • Policy and Procedure Development: Assisting with creating policies and procedures.

3. Full Charge Bookkeeper Key Accountabilities

  • Journal Entries: Prepare and post journal entries for monthly close
  • Invoicing: Invoicing customers and managing accounts receivable
  • Customer Payments: Work daily with customers to ensure proper payments
  • Quotes and Orders: Prepare customer quotes and process sales orders
  • Reconciliation: Prepare bank reconciliations
  • Payroll: Record payroll entries to the General Ledger
  • Tax Filing: File monthly sales tax returns
  • Inventory and Credit: Manage Inventory as well as customer’s credit applications
  • Reports: Prepare weekly reports for the management team
  • Travel Booking: Book trips and other office activities

4. Full Charge Bookkeeper General Responsibilities

  • A/P, A/R and Payroll: Process and monitor A/P, A/R, GL and Payroll accounts
  • Collections: Initiate and maintain collections procedures on aging accounts
  • Reconciliation and Closing: Be responsible for intercompany reconciliations, journal entries, and general ledger closing
  • Profit Reporting: Maintain and report gross profit schedule
  • Data Entry and Coding: Perform data entry, proper coding of all payables and accounting
  • Invoicing: Create and issue invoices
  • Expense Control: Monitor and control operating expenses
  • Budgeting: Identify savings opportunities in all departments and develop and oversee company budgeting
  • Purchasing Approval: Review and approve purchasing requests
  • Record Management: Formulate procedures for systematic retention, protection, retrieval, and transfer of records
  • Financial Recording: Work closely with CPA to ensure accurate recording of financial information
  • Financial Reporting: File weekly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual financial reports

5. Full Charge Bookkeeper Role Purpose

  • Bill Review: Review bills for accuracy, ensuring compliance with client approval processes
  • Payment Processing: Complete and code electronic/mail payments to appropriate general ledger accounts
  • Payment Scheduling: Set up automatic payment schedules and maintain an accurate list of monthly bills
  • Financial Statement Drafting: Draft client financial statements by creating quarterly finance statements
  • Transaction Reconciliation: Reconcile transactions, research variances, and making adjustments
  • Transaction Processing: Process transactions by tracking expenses, filing bills, handling reconciliations, etc.
  • Customer Service: Ensure quality customer service to all clients by handling requests promptly
  • Ledger and Cash Flow Management: Oversee and update general ledger accounts as well as a cash flow to meet client needs
  • Schedule Maintenance: Maintain political and capital improvement schedules according to client needs

6. Full Charge Bookkeeper Essential Functions

  • Expense and Financial Tracking: Track expenses, budget, taxes, cash flow, receipts, investments, and other financial dealings of the company and key owners
  • Financial Reporting: Provide regular financial reports (weekly, monthly, and yearly)
  • Accounts Monitoring: Monitor accounts payable and receivable
  • Account Reconciliation: Ensure all accounts are regularly reconciled
  • General Ledger Management: Maintaining multiple sets of general ledgers and reconciling accounts
  • Client Ledger Assistance: Assisting clients with posting general ledgers
  • Year-End Preparation: Preparation of year-end work papers
  • Payroll Tax Preparation: Preparation and knowledge of payroll tax forms, tax liability, and deposit
  • Tax Return Preparation: Preparation of sales tax and Use tax returns
  • Business License Preparation: Preparation of City Business Licenses
  • Property Tax Preparation: Preparation of Property Tax Affidavits

7. Full Charge Bookkeeper Additional Details

  • Client Liaison: Take responsibility for client contact liaison
  • Journal Entry Creation: Create and record specialized journal entries
  • Financial Auditing: Audit adjustments to financials
  • Bill Pay Review: Review Bill Pay Sheets and Accounts Payable
  • Bill Pay and Check Processing: Process Bill Pay and Check Runs
  • Board Meeting Preparation: Pre-brief Board Meetings with Partner and/or Presenter
  • Sponsor Review Preparation: Prepare monthly sponsor reviews
  • Payroll and Tax Reconciliation: Process payroll and reconcile taxes
  • Audit Assistance: Provide aid in audits and reviews
  • Client Accounting: Responsible for client monthly accounting (i.e. bank reconciliations and journal entries)
  • 1099 Review and Submission: Responsible for 1099 reviews and submissions
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare monthly financials and respond to all client requests on time
  • Team Support: Provide backup and support to others on the team

8. Full Charge Bookkeeper Tasks

  • Financial Transaction Documentation: Document financial transactions by entering information into accounting software.
  • Accounts Payable Assistance: Assist with accounts payable entry of invoices.
  • Account Entry Preparation: Prepare asset, liability, and capital account entries by compiling and analyzing account information.
  • Month-End and Year-End Closing: Assist in the preparation of month-end and year-end closing of financial books, facility, and corporate financial reports.
  • Report Accuracy Review: Review reports for accuracy and resolve problems.
  • Spreadsheet Development: Develop and maintain internal spreadsheets to help reconcile ledgers and supporting records.
  • Depreciation Schedule Preparation: Update and prepare depreciation tax schedules.
  • Project Audit Assistance: Assist with project audits.
  • Tax Reporting Assistance: Assist with federal and state tax reporting.

9. Full Charge Bookkeeper Job Description

  • Full Cycle Accounting: Handle full cycle accounting, including QuickBooks data entry and chart of accounts management.
  • General Ledger: Manage journal entries, loans, taxes, bank fees, and account reconciliations.
  • AP and AR: Process accounts payable, receivable, bill payments, and check writing.
  • Fixed Assets: Track assets and manage depreciation schedules.
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare monthly and quarterly financial statements and reconciliations.
  • Cash Flow: Prepare monthly cash flow statements in Excel as needed.
  • Budgeting: Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
  • Payroll and Tax: Process payroll, timesheets, 1099s, W-2/W-3, and tax filings.
  • Vendor Compliance: Collect W-9s and manage 1099 processing.
  • Tax Support: Assist CPA firm with tax planning and filing.
  • Process Improvement: Streamline accounting and finance processes.

10. Full Charge Bookkeeper Accountabilities

  • Audit Information Retrieval: Retrieve client audit information from either file exchange or emails.
  • Audit Data Organization: Sort and organize audit information.
  • Audit Package Preparation: Prepare basic audit package for lead auditor, including entering client trial balance into Engagement CS, preparing a preliminary analytical review, materiality worksheet, and equity roll forward worksheet, noting any differences in equity for auditor follow-up.
  • Audit Documentation Tracking: Note missing requested information for the auditor.
  • Schedule Management: Update master schedule for information received and trial balance entered.
  • Intern Training: Train interns to assist in this process once mastered.
  • Document Management: Move certain PDF documents into Engagement CS.
  • Audit Support: Print certain documents for the auditor.
  • Intern Coordination: Keep an intern informed and aligned with clients to work on.
  • Financial Statement Preparation: Assist with financial statements, starting with corrections and later preparing statements for ongoing clients.
  • Payroll and Write-Up Work: Assist in the preparation of payroll and other write-up work.
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