Showing posts with label Accounting Career. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accounting Career. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2007

Bookkeeping From Home - Make Money At Home Doing Basic Bookkeeping

By Elaine Currie

Basic Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping as a full time career or part time job is a perfect way for people to earn money working at home. You can take up a bookkeeping career from home without having to buy any expensive equipment or worry about planning consents or increased insurance for your premises.

Bookkeeping is not hard to do, anyone with the ability to do simple arithmetic will be able to learn to be a bookkeeper. If you are tidy and methodical and enjoy bringing order to chaos, a career as a bookkeeper could be ideal for you. If you are prepared to study, you can obtain a bookkeeping qualification studying from home or taking a part time course at a local college.

Many people who have no formal bookkeeping training do bookkeeping work from home quite successfully. Indeed, many small business owners who are sole traders do their own bookkeeping at home for their annual tax returns. To do bookkeeping for a small business, it is necessary to know and be able to apply the various rules of taxation etc. and keeping a clear accurate record of all income and expenses of the business. Doing basic bookkeeping for others as your own small home based business can be financially rewarding but, if you are ambitious and want a well-paid career from home as a freelance bookkeeper, you should first study to gain a bookkeeping qualification.

Bookkeeping Law And Tax
Every business, large and small, is required by law to keep books of accounts. This involves the recording of all financial transactions of a business. This can be done manually using ledgers, or by entering the figures into spreadsheets on a computer or by using dedicated bookkeeping software.


As well as the legal requirement for a business to keep books, the bookkeeping records are needed by the business owners for them to know exactly how profitable the business is and if there are areas that need financial adjustments. A vital element of bookkeeping is ensuring that the correct amount of tax is paid at the appropriate time in order to avoid financial penalties.


Bookkeeping In A Shoe Box
There are millions of small business owners (sole traders in particular) who rely on manual bookkeeping. For a large number of these traders, bookkeeping means saving invoices, estimates, receipts, utility bills and odd scraps of paper in a shoe box. When tax time comes around, the shoe box is handed over to a bookkeeper who will (as if by a miracle) transform the mess into a neat record of the business's financial dealings. Many small business owners prefer to wokr at their business instead of spending time preparing their own accounting records to go with their collection of receipts.


If a small business owner hands the shoe box straight to an accountant, the basic bookkeeping tasks will be charged at the accountant's hourly rate. For this reason a good bookkeeper, who will charge a more modest hourly rate, will always be in demand to write up the books and collate the paperwork (even by owners of limited companies who need the services of a qualified accountant to file their annual accounts).

Bookkeeping Software
Many businesses (even quite small concerns) use bookkeeping software to keep their books because the software is inexpensive and easy to use. The use of bookkeeping software does not replace the need for a bookkeeper, it merely makes the bookkeeper's job easier: The software cannot do the job of a human brain. Bookkeeping software needs human intervention to work properly, a software program won't know for itself things like what items can legitimately be offset against tax.


Bookkeeper As A Career
People of any age and background can become bookkeepers and work from home as freelancers. Many are mothers wanting a well-paid career running a bookkeeping business from home whilst bringing up their family. Some are seniors who want to keep active or need extra income to supplement their pensions. For young persons looking for a good career, a bookkeeping professional qualification can be the first step to becoming a qualified accountant and this opens doors to all sorts of well-paid career opportunities.


Bookkeeping Classes
Bookkeeping classes are available at most local colleges or you can choose to follow a distance learning program. Taking a bookkeeping course online is a very convenient way to study alongside other commitments. Taking a bookkeeping course on the Internet is a highly flexible way of obtaining a professional qualification while working at an existing job or looking after children at home. You can study during any hours that suit you and, provided you meet the deadlines, you can complete the assignments when you like.


Bookkeeping Certification
In the USA information regarding certification can be obtained through the American Institute Of Professional Bookkeepers and in the UK through the Institute Of Certified Bookkeepers.
If you want to make money online, visit Elaine Currie's Work At Home Directory.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Currie

Monday, April 2, 2007

How to Become US CPAs

How to Prepare

The Uniform CPA Examination measures professional competence and helps to establish the CPA license as evidence of professional qualification. The examination is a 14-hour computer-based test (CBT) with four sections: Auditing & Attestation, Financial Accounting & Reporting, Regulation, and Business Environment & Concepts.
Once candidates are deemed eligible by a board of accountancy, they can take one or more exam sections at a time. They cannot, however, take the same section more than once during any testing window (the quarterly period during which the exams are available). Generally, candidates have 18 months to pass all four sections and retain credit; but check with your state board as some states may differ.
The AICPA does not provide or recommend exam practice materials. However, candidates are advised to review the examination content specification outlines (CSOs), and other content-related documents or materials available via the links on the right side of this page.
Information has also been developed to help educators prepare students for the CPA Examination. Click here for Educator Resources. Steps to Become a CPA

Congratulations on your decision to become a Certified Public Accountant! Follow these 5 easy steps to begin the journey to a rewarding career:

1. Decide where you want to be licensed and apply to that jurisdiction.
Specific requirements for becoming a CPA, and the rights and obligations of a licensed CPA, are set forth in the laws and regulations of 54 United States jurisdictions. For a summary of the requirements of each jurisdiction, click here. Scroll down page to interactive state map.
If you have previously taken the CPA Exam, re-apply to the state board of accountancy in your jurisdiction.

2. Review the Uniform CPA Candidate Bulletin.
The bulletin is intended for individuals who plan to take the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination. This document will help you understand how to apply, register and take the examination, and offers general information about examination content and preparation. The bulletin is only available online. To download a copy of the Uniform CPA Candidate Bulletin, click here.

3. Apply to take the Exam
Where to get an application or re-apply:
The state boards of accountancy in the following states use CPAES as their agent. Candidates in these jurisdictions needing CPA Exam applications should call CPAES at 1-800-CPA-EXAM or go to
www.nasba.org: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin
Washington state candidates should contact Castle Worldwide at 1-800-655-4845. Candidates from all other states should contact their boards of accountancy. Click here to find contact information for the board of accountancy in your jurisdiction.

4. Complete and Submit Forms, Pay Fees
First-time candidates must complete and submit the application forms, along with any required documentation, to the proper address. Because the rules vary by jurisdiction, follow the information about fee payment provided by your board or its designee. Your board of accountancy, or its designee, will contact you once the application has been reviewed. It is estimated that this initial application process will take six to eight weeks; the goal is to continue to shorten this time as the new year-round application process is implemented.
Note: Make sure applications are complete and contain accurate information. Completeness and accuracy dramatically affects the amount of time needed to process the application.
Re-examination candidates: Follow the process set by your jurisdiction. The processing time for re-examination candidates is much shorter; many states are working toward a 24-hour turn-around.

5. Schedule a Test Appointment
After you have applied to take the exam and been deemed eligible, you will receive a Notice to Schedule (NTS) for each exam section you are approved to take. Once you receive an NTS, schedule your test appointment as soon as possible. Since each NTS is only valid for a finite period of time, we recommend you take your exams as soon as you are prepared – you don’t want to lose a testing opportunity or run out of time.
Go to
www.prometric.com/CPA to schedule your exam(s) and get instant email confirmation of your appointment. You can also schedule your test by calling the Candidate Services Call Center at 800-580-9648.

Examinations must be scheduled at least six days in advance. You select the test center location, time and date of your exam(s). While every effort is made to accommodate CPA Exam candidates, appointment times depend on seat availability at the test center. So schedule as early as possible to get your first choice! It is recommended you schedule 45 days in advance.
CPA Examination sections are offered on a continual basis two out of every three months throughout the year (the “testing windows”). For example, in 2004, you can take any section of the exam during: April-May; July-August; and October-November. The test is not available one month each quarter to maintain and refresh the databank.

How to be a Thai Auditor

Base on AUDITOR ACT, B.E. 2505 (1962)

Section 15. To be eligible for registration as an authorized auditor, person must:


(1) have degree in accountancy or hold certificate in accountancy recognized by the B.S.A.P. as not lower than the bachelor degree in accountancy, or have a degree or a certificate not lower than bachelor degree toward which the course includes accountancy studying and which is considered by the B.S.A.P. as fit for being an authorized auditor;
(2) have experience in auditing and considered by the B.S.A.P. as fit to become an authorized auditor;
(3) have completed his twentieth year of age;
(4) be a citizen of Thailand or of a country which permits Thai citizen to become auditor in that country;
(5) not be a person of bad conduct or who lacks in morality;
(6) have never been sentenced to imprisonment in a case considered by the B.S.A.P. as may bring discredit to the profession;
(7) not be an insane or mentally unsound person;
(8) not engage in any other occupations which are not suitable or which will deprive him of the freedom to perform the duties of auditor.
Section 16. An authorized auditor licence shall be valid for five years from the date of its issuance.

Lucky in your career opptunities in Thailand!



Saturday, March 31, 2007

To Be An Accountant

To Be An Accountant.

What is the work of accountants? Accountants help entities be successful, ethical, responsible participants in society. Their major activities include observation, measurement, and communication. These activities are analytical in nature and draw on several other disciplines (e.g., economics, mathematics, statistics, behavioral science, law, history, and language/communication). Accountants identify, analyze, record, and accumulate facts, estimates, forecasts, and other data about the unit’s activities; then they translate these data into information that can be useful for a specific purpose.
The data accumulation and recording phase traditionally has been largely clerical; typically and appropriately, this has been called bookkeeping, which is still a common and largely manual activity, especially in smaller firms that have not adopted state-of-the-art technology. But with advances in information technology and userfriendly software, the clerical aspect has become largely electronically performed, with internal checks and controls to assure that the input and output are factual and valid.

Accountants design and maintain accounting systems, an entity’s central information system, to help control and provide a record of the entity’s activities, resources, and obligations. Such systems also facilitate reporting on all or part of the entity’s accomplishments for a period of time and on its status at a given point in time. An organization’s accounting system provides information that

(1) helps managers make decisions about assembling resources, controlling, and organizing financing and operating activities; and

(2) aids other users (employees, investors, creditors, and others—usually called stakeholders) in making investment, credit, and other decisions.



The accounting system must also provide internal controls to ensure that
(1) laws and enterprise policies are properly implemented;
(2) accounting records are accurate;
(3) enterprise assets are used effectively (e.g., that idle cash balances are being invested to earn returns); and
(4) steps be taken to reduce chances of losing assets or incurring liabilities from fraudulent or similar activities, such as the carelessness or dishonesty of employees, customers, or suppliers. Many of these controls are simple (e.g., the prenumbering of documents and accounting for all numbers); others require division of duties among employees to separate record keeping and custodial tasks in order to reduce opportunities for falsification of records and thefts or misappropriation of assets.
An enterprise’s system of internal controls usually includes an internal auditing function and personnel to ensure that prescribed data handling and asset/liability protection procedures are being followed. The internal auditor uses a variety of approaches, including observation of current activities, examination of past transactions, and simulation—often using sample or fictitious transactions—to test the accuracy and reliability of the system. Accountants may also be responsible for preparing several types of documents. Many of these (e.g., employees’ salary and wage records) also serve as inputs for the accounting system, but many are needed to satisfy other reporting requirements (e.g., employee salary records may be needed to support employee claims for pensions). Accountants also provide data for completing income tax returns.