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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Bookkeeping Clerk

💰 $35,000 - $55,000

FinanceAccountingBookkeeping

🎯 Role Definition

A Bookkeeping Clerk is responsible for accurate day-to-day financial record keeping and transactional accounting to support business operations and management reporting. This role performs accounts payable and receivable processing, reconciles bank and credit card accounts, posts journal entries, maintains the general ledger, supports month-end close activities, and prepares organized documentation for auditors and tax preparers. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, proficient with bookkeeping software (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage/Intacct or ERP), comfortable with Microsoft Excel, and capable of applying basic GAAP principles to maintain clean, audit-ready records.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Accounts Payable Clerk or Accounts Receivable Clerk
  • Office Administrator or Administrative Assistant with finance exposure
  • Junior Accountant / Accounting Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Bookkeeper
  • Staff Accountant
  • Accounting Supervisor / Accounting Manager
  • Payroll Specialist or Billing Manager
  • Financial Reporting Analyst

Lateral Moves:

  • Billing or Invoicing Specialist
  • Payroll Clerk
  • Collections Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Process and code vendor invoices, ensuring proper approvals, accurate GL coding, timely payment, and matching to purchase orders or contracts in accordance with company policy.
  • Maintain accounts receivable by creating and sending customer invoices, applying payments, managing cash receipts, and reconciling customer accounts to reduce days sales outstanding (DSO).
  • Perform daily bank and credit card reconciliations, identify and resolve discrepancies, and prepare variance explanations to support cash management and audit trails.
  • Post recurring and adjusting journal entries, including accruals, prepayments, depreciation, and intercompany entries, to the general ledger with clear supporting documentation.
  • Support month-end and quarter-end close tasks by preparing workpapers, reconciling balance sheet accounts, producing trial balances, and assisting with close checklists to meet reporting deadlines.
  • Maintain an accurate chart of accounts, create and maintain subsidiary ledger details, and ensure transactions are recorded consistently and in compliance with company accounting policies and GAAP.
  • Prepare and maintain fixed asset registers, process asset additions and disposals, calculate monthly depreciation, and support year-end schedules for audit and tax purposes.
  • Process payroll data or support payroll processing teams by preparing payroll journals, reconciling payroll reports to GL, and assisting with payroll tax filings and remittances.
  • Manage petty cash, prepare reconciliations, disburse funds according to policy, and ensure receipts and logs are complete and accurate.
  • Reconcile and manage sales tax, VAT, or use tax records, prepare filings or provide supporting schedules for tax submissions and compliance reviews.
  • Respond to vendor and customer inquiries related to payments, invoices, credit memos, billing disputes, and statement reconciliations in a professional and timely manner.
  • Track and monitor aged receivables and overdue accounts, coordinate collection efforts, escalate delinquent accounts when necessary, and prepare bad debt or allowance analyses.
  • Prepare month-to-month and year-to-date financial summaries and basic internal management reports to support forecasting, budgeting, and cash flow planning.
  • Support external and internal auditors by preparing requested schedules, providing source documents, explaining transaction flows, and remediating audit findings.
  • Implement and maintain internal control processes for AP/AR, cash handling, and record retention to reduce fraud risk and ensure compliance with company policies.
  • Enter and maintain vendor and customer master data, ensuring accurate tax IDs, payment terms, addresses, and banking information, and enforce segregation of duties where applicable.
  • Assist with billing cycles for subscriptions, retainers, or service contracts by calculating proration, generating invoices, and reconciling contract revenue to billing records.
  • Prepare supporting documentation for tax preparers during year-end tax return preparation, including fixed asset summaries, payroll lists, and deductible expense backup.
  • Conduct periodic reconciliations of prepaid expenses and accrued liabilities, documenting the rationale and reversing or amortizing balances as appropriate.
  • Support system integrations or bookkeeping software implementations (e.g., migration to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or a new ERP) by validating data, mapping accounts, and testing transaction flows.
  • Maintain digital and physical filing systems for invoices, receipts, bank statements, and journals to ensure organized, searchable, and audit-ready records.
  • Monitor vendor discounts, early payment opportunities, and contract terms to optimize cash management and reduce costs where appropriate.
  • Prepare credit memos, refunds, and journal entries related to billing adjustments; ensure appropriate approvals and documentation are retained.
  • Assist in preparing cash flow forecasts and short-term liquidity reports by compiling receipts, disbursement schedules, and expected billing dates.
  • Act as backup for other finance functions as needed (e.g., Accounts Payable processing, cash application), maintaining cross-functional continuity and coverage.
  • Reconcile electronic payment platforms and third-party processor statements (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), matching deposits to invoices and fees to GL accounts.
  • Review and code employee expense reports, validate receipts, and process reimbursements in a timely manner while enforcing expense policy compliance.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide ad-hoc financial reports and supporting schedules for managers, department heads, and external stakeholders on request.
  • Participate in process improvement initiatives to streamline invoice processing, reduce manual entry, and implement automation or e-payables where beneficial.
  • Train and mentor junior bookkeeping staff or temporary assistants on daily procedures, software usage, and documentation standards.
  • Liaise with procurement, operations, and sales teams to resolve invoice disputes, clarify contract terms, and align billing and payment processes.
  • Support monthly vendor 1099/1098 preparation or equivalent annual reporting by compiling vendor payment histories and ensuring accurate vendor classification.
  • Assist with compliance-related tasks including documentation for sales tax audits, grant expenses, or contract funding reconciliations.
  • Participate in periodic policy reviews and recommend updates to strengthen internal controls and streamline approval workflows.
  • Aid in maintaining business continuity documentation for accounting processes to support effective handovers and remote work scenarios.
  • Coordinate with IT to troubleshoot bookkeeping software issues, maintain user permissions, and ensure secure access to financial data.
  • Prepare and maintain checklists and SOPs for recurring bookkeeping cycles to improve consistency and onboarding efficiency.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • QuickBooks (Online and Desktop), including experience with chart of accounts setup, bank feeds, and reconciliation workflows.
  • Xero or Sage Intacct experience preferred; familiarity with migrating bookkeeping data between systems.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, PivotTables, SUMIFS, data validation) for reconciliations and reporting.
  • General ledger maintenance, journal entry posting, and month-end close procedures.
  • Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processing, including invoice coding, payment runs, collections, and cash application.
  • Bank and credit card reconciliation expertise, including clearing items and reconciling to statements monthly.
  • Payroll journal preparation and reconciliation experience; familiarity with payroll platforms such as ADP or Paychex is a plus.
  • Familiarity with accrual accounting, prepaid/expense amortization, and basic GAAP concepts for commercial entities.
  • Experience preparing supporting schedules for auditors and responding to audit document requests.
  • Knowledge of sales/use tax processes, filings, and basic tax reporting requirements relevant to bookkeeping.
  • Experience with electronic payment processors (Stripe, PayPal) and reconciling fees and deposit items to the GL.
  • Basic familiarity with ERP systems (NetSuite, SAP Business One, Dynamics) or the ability to learn integrated accounting platforms.

Soft Skills

  • High attention to detail and a strong commitment to accuracy and data integrity.
  • Excellent organizational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines.
  • Strong written and verbal communication to liaise with vendors, customers, auditors, and internal stakeholders.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to investigate discrepancies and recommend corrective actions.
  • Discretion and professional handling of confidential financial and payroll information.
  • Team player who collaborates across departments to resolve transactional and billing issues.
  • Adaptability to changing systems, processes, and scaling business requirements.
  • Customer-service orientation when interacting with external vendors and clients.
  • Initiative and continuous-improvement focus: seeks opportunities to automate and streamline bookkeeping workflows.
  • Dependability and consistency in meeting daily transactional processing requirements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED required. Associate degree or certificate in bookkeeping, accounting, or business preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
  • Professional bookkeeping certification (Certified Bookkeeper, AIPB) or QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Small Business Management
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years of hands-on bookkeeping or transactional accounting experience.

Preferred: 2–4 years of progressive bookkeeping experience in small-to-medium enterprises, including full-cycle AP/AR, reconciliations, and month-end close; demonstrated experience with QuickBooks or Xero and Excel-based reporting.

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