Accounting Assistant Course

Lesson 1 • Types of Business Entities

Surveys sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations and their accounting implications. Helps secretaries adapt document handling to entity type.

Lesson 2 • The Accounting Equation Explained

Covers Assets = Liabilities + Equity and how every transaction maintains balance. Builds the conceptual foundation for understanding financial records.

Lesson 3 • Core Accounting Vocabulary

Introduces essential terms: assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses. Accurate terminology use enables clear communication across all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 4 • Office Environment and Tools

Introduces physical and digital tools used in an accounting office: calculators, filing systems, and software interfaces. Prepares learners for hands-on office tasks.

Lesson 1 • Financial Document Types

Identifies invoices, receipts, purchase orders, statements, and contracts. Understanding each document's purpose enables correct filing and routing.

Lesson 2 • Confidentiality and Data Security

Addresses access controls, password policies, and handling of sensitive financial data. Protects client and company information from unauthorised disclosure.

Lesson 3 • Filing Systems and Indexing

Covers alphabetical, numerical, chronological, and subject-based filing methods. Proper indexing ensures fast retrieval and reduces errors.

Lesson 4 • Document Retention Policies

Explains retention schedules, destruction procedures, and compliance requirements for financial records. Ensures learners protect the organisation from regulatory risk.

Lesson 1 • The General Journal

Covers journal entry format, narrations, and recording transactions in chronological order. The journal is the first step in the bookkeeping cycle.

Lesson 2 • Subsidiary Ledgers

Introduces accounts receivable and accounts payable subsidiary ledgers and their relationship to the general ledger. Supports accurate customer and vendor tracking.

Lesson 3 • The General Ledger

Demonstrates posting journal entries to T-accounts and maintaining running balances. The ledger organises data by account for reporting purposes.

Lesson 4 • Trial Balance Preparation

Explains how to extract account balances and prepare a trial balance to verify ledger accuracy. Identifies common imbalances and their causes.

Lesson 1 • Month-End Payables Close

Covers accruals, cut-off procedures, and reconciling the AP subledger to the general ledger at period end. Ensures accurate financial statements.

Lesson 2 • Accounts Payable Aging Reports

Explains how to generate and interpret AP aging reports to manage due dates and cash flow. Timely payments protect vendor relationships and avoid late fees.

Lesson 3 • Vendor Setup and Maintenance

Covers creating vendor profiles, collecting required documentation, and maintaining accurate vendor master data. Accurate vendor records prevent payment errors.

Lesson 4 • Payment Processing Methods

Covers checks, electronic transfers, and corporate cards as payment methods with their respective controls. Selecting the right method reduces fraud risk.

Lesson 1 • Bad Debt and Write-Offs

Covers identifying uncollectible accounts, recording write-offs, and allowance for doubtful accounts. Proper treatment ensures accurate net receivables on financial statements.

Lesson 2 • Accounts Receivable Aging

Explains AR aging report structure and using it to prioritise collection efforts. Monitoring aging prevents revenue loss from uncollected balances.

Lesson 3 • Customer Invoicing

Covers creating accurate invoices, applying correct terms, and distributing them promptly. Proper invoicing is the starting point of the cash collection cycle.

Lesson 4 • Cash Receipts Recording

Teaches logging incoming payments, applying them to open invoices, and handling partial payments. Accurate application prevents customer balance disputes.

Lesson 1 • Payroll Confidentiality and Compliance

Addresses strict confidentiality requirements, access restrictions, and record retention for payroll data. Protects employees and the organisation from legal exposure.

Lesson 2 • Timekeeping and Attendance Data

Explains collecting, verifying, and submitting timesheets and attendance records for payroll input. Data accuracy directly affects employee pay accuracy.

Lesson 3 • Payroll Concepts and Terminology

Introduces gross pay, net pay, deductions, and pay periods. Foundational vocabulary enables accurate data entry and communication with payroll staff.

Lesson 4 • Employee Records Management

Covers maintaining personnel files, updating tax forms, and tracking employment changes. Accurate records are required for compliant payroll processing.

Lesson 1 • Petty Cash Fund Management

Explains establishing, disbursing from, and replenishing a petty cash fund with proper documentation. Controls prevent misuse of small cash amounts.

Lesson 2 • Bank Statement Components

Identifies deposits, withdrawals, fees, and interest on a bank statement. Understanding each line item is prerequisite to performing reconciliations.

Lesson 3 • Adjusting Journal Entries

Covers recording bank fees, interest income, and NSF checks as adjusting entries after reconciliation. Entries keep the general ledger current and accurate.

Lesson 4 • Cash Flow Monitoring Basics

Introduces daily cash position reports and short-term cash forecasting to support management decisions. Monitoring ensures sufficient liquidity for operations.

Lesson 1 • Adjusting and Closing Entries

Covers accruals, deferrals, depreciation, and closing temporary accounts at period end. Proper entries ensure statements reflect the correct accounting period.

Lesson 2 • Report Distribution and Filing

Covers formatting, distributing, and archiving financial reports for internal and external stakeholders. Proper distribution ensures decision-makers receive timely, accurate information.

Lesson 3 • Core Financial Statements Overview

Introduces the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement and their interrelationships. Understanding all three enables meaningful report support.

Lesson 4 • Period-End Checklist Execution

Introduces a structured close checklist covering all reconciliations, entries, and approvals required. Checklists reduce omissions and ensure consistent close quality.