What does an accounting technician do?

An accounting technician is responsible for evaluating financial information procedures to support accounting and taxation tasks, verifying the accuracy of account statements for the reference of accountants. Accounting technicians manage the payroll processes, generate invoices, perform account reconciliations, analyze account receivables, prepare budget reports, and monitor the company's financial transactions. Accounting technicians should always adhere to taxation legislation, comply with accounting disciplines, and coordinate with the account management for any findings and concerns, requiring them to have excellent communication and analytical skills.
Accounting technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real accounting technician resumes:
- Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
- Reconcile the agency SPCC statement each month
- Audit includes reviewing SPCC invoices and receipts to ensure appropriate tax exemptions are follow.
- Analyze cases to determine if ICD-9 and CPT codes are covered benefits according to insurance's medical policy.
- Apply GAAP following applicable federal regulations.
- Maintain adherence to university accounting and GAAP standards.
- Assist in the successful conversion to PeopleSoft financial system without any interruption of accounting operations.
- Conduct contract reconciliations by preparing extensive analysis and audit summaries to substantiate accounting and other database information as required.
- Research and reconcile balances on discrepancies between subsidiary ledgers/general ledgers, and determine appropriate corrective actions and make necessary adjustments.
- Maintain various complex accounts receivable, student accounts and relate ledgers, registers and journals according to establish account classifications.
- Conduct inspections and preliminary investigations of incidents and accidents involving patients and visitors transactions with transportation and patient funds issues.
- Close patient contact, appropriate decision-making concerning patient financial affairs and coordination between patients and third-party sponsorship for further financial assistance.
- Maintain QuickBooks for Imprest account.
- Perform complex billing functions using various systems and software packages including QuickBooks.
- Batch items for entry into AFRS.
Accounting technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Accounting Technicians are proficient in Customer Service, Financial Reports, and Payroll. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Detail oriented, and Integrity.
We break down the percentage of Accounting Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 12%
Perform customer service duties by answering telephonic call and directing correspondence and questions to the appropriate individuals, divisions and/or departments.
- Financial Reports, 10%
Prepared and reconciled financial reports and documents for oil and gas industry manufacturer; performed quality control and instigated corrective actions.
- Payroll, 8%
Monitored and managed timekeeping duty for 16 employees, ensuring accurate and consistent accountability of work-hours and leave-hours for payroll administration.
- Purchase Orders, 7%
Processed vendor invoices including verifying and/or obtaining payment approval, matching purchase orders and receiving reports, and addressing exceptions.
- Data Entry, 6%
Perform data entry accurately and efficiently into appropriate data systems; make accurate arithmetic calculations and maintain accurate records and files.
- Reconciliations, 5%
Executed reconciliations of balance sheet accounts and cross-organization accounts within Abbott, including headcount reporting information between Document Direct and SAP.
"customer service," "financial reports," and "payroll" are among the most common skills that accounting technicians use at work. You can find even more accounting technician responsibilities below, including:
Computer skills. The most essential soft skill for an accounting technician to carry out their responsibilities is computer skills. This skill is important for the role because "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks need to be comfortable using computer spreadsheets and bookkeeping software." Additionally, an accounting technician resume shows how their duties depend on computer skills: "reviewed weekly and monthly computer printouts to reconcile manual journal vouchers, coding documents and supporting documentation to ensure posting accuracy. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform accounting technician duties is detail oriented. Accounting technicians responsibilities require that "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are responsible for producing accurate financial records." Accounting technicians also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maintained journal vouchers in an organized and detailed manner in order to guarantee information was recorded properly to standards. "
Integrity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of accounting technicians is integrity. This skill is critical to many everyday accounting technician duties, as "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks have control of an organization’s financial documentation, which they must use properly and keep confidential." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "submit financial reports to controller and board of trustees monthly ensuring to highlight areas requiring particular attention and multiple resolutions. "
Math skills. For certain accounting technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of an accounting technician rely on this skill, as "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks deal with numbers daily and should be comfortable with basic arithmetic." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what accounting technicians do: "develop ms excel spreadsheets for tracking, statistics, and various calculations of data for data entry. "
The three companies that hire the most accounting technicians are:
- University of Alaska7 accounting technicians jobs
- Texas7 accounting technicians jobs
- State Of Montana6 accounting technicians jobs
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Accounting technician vs. Charge bookkeeper
A full charge bookkeeper's primary job is to manage and handle all the accounts of a small or medium-sized business. They are responsible for overseeing the accounting duties for a company, including billing customers, preparing bank statements and tax returns, and processing timesheets. Also, a full charge bookkeeper collates and enters vendor expenses, maintains the ledger's accuracy, and process accounts receivables. There are specific requirements you should meet to become a successful full charge bookkeeper, such as having a bachelor's degree in accounting, previous work experience as a charge bookkeeper, and bookkeeping certification.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between accounting technicians and charge bookkeeper. For instance, accounting technician responsibilities require skills such as "payroll," "purchase orders," "data entry," and "travel vouchers." Whereas a charge bookkeeper is skilled in "payroll tax returns," "balance sheet," "excellent organizational," and "trial balance." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Charge bookkeepers earn the highest salaries when working in the construction industry, with an average yearly salary of $51,567. On the other hand, accounting technicians are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $39,070.charge bookkeepers tend to reach similar levels of education than accounting technicians. In fact, charge bookkeepers are 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Accounting technician vs. Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that accounting technician responsibilities requires skills like "payroll," "travel vouchers," "financial statements," and "management system." But a bookkeeper might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "payroll tax returns," "hr," "credit card accounts," and "sales tax."
Bookkeepers earn a lower average salary than accounting technicians. But bookkeepers earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $42,063. Additionally, accounting technicians earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $39,070 annually.bookkeepers earn similar levels of education than accounting technicians in general. They're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Accounting technician vs. Finance clerk
Finance clerks are financial professionals who are responsible for performing various administrative tasks such as keeping financial records, preparing bills, and delivering excellent customer service. These clerks are required to process bills, checks, receipts, and other documents to ensure that they are all properly signed and distributed. They must verify financial and other data so that they can enter those data into the database and maintain updated records. Finance clerks must also assist with account reconciliations and should report the status of accounts and discrepancies to the management.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from accounting technician resumes include skills like "customer service," "financial reports," "payroll," and "reconciliations," whereas a finance clerk is more likely to list skills in "hr," "telephone calls," "office equipment," and "financial aid applications. "
Finance clerks earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $40,090. Accounting technicians earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $39,070.When it comes to education, finance clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to accounting technicians. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Accounting technician vs. Accounts payable clerk
An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.
Types of accounting technician
Updated January 8, 2025











