Various accounting professions can be a reference in weighing decisions before setting foot in the world of lectures related to accounting majors.
This profession is a field that has many enthusiasts because its scope is broad, although it is more focused on finance and economics.
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What is the Accountant Profession?
The accounting profession is a term to indicate that a person has completed his undergraduate education from the Accounting Department at the Faculty of Economics as well as being a graduate of the Accounting Profession Education (PPAk).
Such a process is often skipped by an accountant. Similar is the case with the profession of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and other professions. In order to obtain the title, prospective accountants must first graduate from a related study program.
The basic tasks in carrying out work as an accountant are supervising, calculating, and making financial reports of a company, agency, or institution where he works. This profession makes him apply his skills in accounting while working.
However, not all accounting methods can be applied to all types of industries or businesses. If you have planned to work in the accounting field, you also need to know several types of accounting professions so that you can choose according to your potential and interests.
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Types of Accounting Profession
Some accountants are not fixated on working for agencies, organizations or companies. They can choose where to work individually. Therefore, there are several types of accountants, such as the following.
1. Public Accountant
The public accounting profession is an accountant with a permit from the Minister of Finance in providing public accounting services in Indonesia. These services are divided into two, namely attestation services and non-attestation services.
Attestation services consist of general audits: financial statements, examination of prospective financial statements, examination of pro forma financial information reports, financial report reviews, and so on.
Meanwhile, non-attestation services include accounting, finance, management, compilation, taxation, and consulting services.
2. Internal Accountant
This accounting profession is responsible for the process of recording financial transactions, compiling management reports, and compiling financial reports in general, such as balance sheets, profit and loss, changes in capital, and cash flow of a company.
3. Government Accountants
Government agencies require this profession in carrying out money tracking. Government accountants work in government institutions, for example in BPKP offices, the Financial Supervisory Agency (BPK), taxation, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) districts to sub-districts.
The main task of this accountant is to prepare financial reports and can also audit every government institution at various levels. Another task is to assist the institution in making activity plans during the fiscal year.
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4. Accountant Educator
This accounting profession is tasked with educating in the field of accounting, carrying out research and development in the accounting sector, and compiling curricula for each level of educational unit. In simple terms, it is a teacher or lecturer with accounting subjects or courses.
These teaching staff generally work in educational institutions with flexible working hours. They do not only teach, but have other jobs such as practice in serving the needs of the community or other parties who need their expertise.
5. Management Accountant
The next type of accounting profession is a management accountant who works to provide information about the financial health of a company or organization so that the company can make the best decisions about the future of the company.
Duties generally relate to budgeting and planning, external financial reporting, risk management, profitability analysis, and other tasks. Management accountants must be able to organize information and present it in a simple way to be easily understood by business executives.
6. Investment Accountant
This profession carries out tasks in the fast-moving finance and investment sector. These accountants often work for brokerage and/or asset management firms. Investment accountants must have deep knowledge of stocks, bonds, precious metals, and other investment products.
His main responsibility is to defend the company’s client investments while continuing to comply with state regulations.
7. Cost Accountant
Cost accountant is the next accounting profession whose job is to examine every expense related to the company’s supply chain in analyzing profitability and preparation of budgets.
An analysis is performed for each cost related to labor, materials, production, shipping, administration, and so on. The information collected will be compiled and conveyed to superiors in identifying and streamlining financial conditions.
Cost analysis and financial budgeting can also be done easily by accountants through the automatic rab application. The application can provide an easy expenditure analysis to the next month’s budget allocation decisions.
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8. Project Accountant
This accounting profession is tasked based on existing projects. His responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the project, which may affect the overall cost, as well as preparing and collecting invoices, approving costs, verifying employee hours, and so on.
Many types of projects can be undertaken by a project accountant, such as building a new facility and launching a new product. These accountants often work alongside project managers and other professional colleagues and are required to have strong communication and interpersonal skills.
9. Financial Accounting
Financial accounting is a profession with the task of preparing financial reports for use in the external affairs of a company. These accountants work with managers and colleagues in developing strategies so that the company can earn more profit.
In addition, financial accounting is also tasked with tracking all financial activities that have been recorded in the general ledger. They are also responsible for ensuring that internal procedures are carried out and all financial activities are recorded in the financial statements.
10. Audit
Basically, audit (internal and external) is a category in the public accounting profession. External means the profession in providing financial report audits for third parties so that financial feedback can be obtained.
That means a third party to be a reliable source in providing an overview of the company’s financial statements is a representation of GAAP. Meanwhile, internal audit will determine the effectiveness of the organization’s or company’s internal accounting processes.
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11. Tax Accountant
This accounting profession helps in encouraging businesses to remain compliant with the company’s annual tax code. Tax accountants are also responsible for assisting companies in planning future tax returns.
This can be done by avoiding certain tax burdens and understanding the implications of a tax decision. Generally, large organizations will hire this accountant to manage the organization’s or company’s tax financial records.
Tax accountants also need to understand what tax accounting is in detail in order to better understand the essence of taxation.
12. Accounting Information System
SIA or Accounting Information System is an accounting profession tasked with managing the improvement of a company’s procedures. This accountant will determine the best time to install the latest technology and monitor the progress of the system whether there is productivity over a certain period.
These accountants can make decisions for their relationship with the IT Department in providing continuity regarding accounting processes and technology.
13. Fiduciary Accountant
This accounting profession is a task in the form of procedures in trusting an individual in handling financial accounts. They are in charge of servicing clients for investment-related projects, trust funds, real estate, and so on.
In addition, this accountant is required to provide relevant financial information to the client once per year. This information is in the form of a summary of all accounts, receipt schedules, profits, losses, and assets owned by the company.
14. Forensic Accountant
This accountant is a profession that requires them to reconfigure all of a company’s financial information when some data is not available for review. The goal is to collect documents back accurately and comprehensively.
Documents that have been collected will be reviewed by recording all credit, cash and debit transactions in the company’s financial statements. Forensic accountants also often deal with legal cases related to claims, fraud, and disputes.
15. Sharia Accountant
This profession is still relatively new and not often found in Indonesia. These accountants generally work in companies with the application of Islamic sharia law in managing their finances. They work according to Sharia Accounting Standards.
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Accounting Profession Duties in the Company
The presence of an accountant in an agency or company is expected to provide benefits through the duties it carries out. Some of the duties of accountants can be seen in the following points.
1. Save Time
Every company owner must adhere to the principle “time is money”. Even though they are busy, company owners and leaders must at least have time to improve the quality of their company. The most time-consuming thing is the accuracy in managing finances.
It is at this time that companies need the existence of an accounting profession with many responsibilities. Accountants will carry out technical matters such as recording receipts, tax returns, bookkeeping, setting financial targets, and so on.
Such tasks require a long time to complete. If the company has an accountant who can delegate these tasks, then the company can focus on business development in other structures.
2. Overcoming Complex Accounting Problems
It would seem that the accounting profession has a fairly simple task. However, the basic responsibilities are so complicated and there are many accounting problems that must be solved in ways that are not easy.
Accountants are responsible for ensuring for themselves that their work has been completed properly and correctly, because errors in calculations and records will affect other parts. The worst possibility is fines, penalties, even losses that can lead to bankruptcy.
Because of this, companies are not advised to choose accountants and people in charge of money management carelessly. The best accountants are those who have adequate education and experience in dealing with complex accounting problems.
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3. Save Budget
Holding the status of the accounting profession means being able to ensure that the company’s financial situation is maintained and stable. This can be done by monitoring and paying attention to every incoming and outgoing cash flow.
These activities can be information for the accountant in providing benefits for the company to further control finances so that they are not wasted on things that are less important. Finally, the budget and allocation of funds can be utilized efficiently and appropriately.
4. Giving Advice and Business Advice
Applying in accounting is better if you have experience in handling financial issues in many areas within one company. This can be capital in providing advice on the financial side in developing a business.
Past knowledge and experience can become capital for accountants in providing objective feedback. Not only struggling with numbers, but the advice given is something valuable so that the company can grow and develop.
5. Tax Expert
Talking about taxes, the accounting profession does not only take care of annual data reports. Accountants must have tax knowledge in order to encourage companies to calculate taxes efficiently and effectively.
6. Documenting Financial Transactions
Accountants are also responsible for documenting and monitoring all financial transactions of clients or companies within a certain period. The information collected is then prepared in the form of entries to be recorded in the company ledger.
7. Prepare and Check Invoices
The accounting profession will be in charge of reviewing and preparing customer invoices. In general, the accountant will involve reconciling payroll matters, collecting accounts receivable, and verifying orders and/or contract parties.
Accountants can also more easily use tax invoices that save time, access online, and are official from the DGT.
8. Monitoring the Efficiency of Accounting Procedures and Programs
Accountants are also tasked with reviewing accounting software programs and procedures in accounting controls while ensuring effectiveness so that they continue.
9. Prepare Year End Financial Statements
If the company implements a calendar accounting year, then the job of the accounting profession is to prepare and analyze year-end financial reports, for example income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements.
Preparation of year-end financial reports can be done efficiently, easily and integrated through accounting software . This software can help all types of accounting activities.
10. Submit the Company’s Annual SPT
This task depends on the type of business. Accountants are often tasked with submitting tax returns in March or April each year.
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Accounting Professional Ethics
Professional ethics are the values and moral principles and laws that govern the relationship between accountants and their clients or customers, the relationship between accountants as colleagues, and the relationship between accountants and the general public.
1. Freedom, Integrity, and Objectivity
The first principle in the accounting profession is to have a license to practice and a register number. These two things are expected to maintain the integrity and objectivity of accountants and be free or independent from the party receiving their services.
2. Technical Norms and Proficiency Norms
An accountant is obliged to carry out and carry out the duties of auditing a company with professional technical norms, and must always try to improve his quality or skills.
3. Responsibilities to Clients/Subscribers
The next principle of this profession is to carry out inspections and provide services to the maximum capacity, full responsibility, both for customers or clients and for the general public.
4. Responsibilities to Colleagues
Responsibilities to colleagues must be carried out in developing cooperation and good relations with fellow colleagues or co-accountants.
5. Responsibility to the Dignity of the Profession
The next principle of the accounting profession is to behave properly according to the profession in order to increase the dignity of the profession and its ability to serve the public and clients.
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Code of Ethics of the Indonesian Institute of Accountants (IAI)
In addition to moral principles, accountants also have demands to understand standard rules in the form of a professional code of ethics and standards for the work being undertaken. The professional code of ethics is a professional rule or foundation to become the basis for gaining public trust.
The Code of Ethics for the Indonesian Institute of Accountants (IAI) is the rule governing the etiquette of accountants when carrying out their responsibilities. The principle of such etiquette is as follows.
- Professional responsibility, namely always using moral and professional considerations in every activity carried out.
- Public interest, namely the obligation to work within the framework of public service, respect public trust, and show commitment to professionalism.
- Integrity, namely maintaining and increasing public trust and fulfilling responsibilities with high integrity.
- Objectivity, namely maintaining objectivity, being neutral, and free from conflicts of interest when fulfilling professional obligations.
- Competence, namely being a guarantor of the quality and service quality of an accountant in the service sector.
- Prudence, namely being careful and diligent on a technical basis when carrying out the obligations of the accounting profession.
- Confidentiality, namely respecting every confidentiality of data and information while carrying out duties as an accountant.
- Technical standards, namely carrying out tasks based on relevant technical standards and professional standards.
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Accounting Profession Skills
Being someone who is responsible for managing money requires a number of skills as an accountant, including the following.
- Data analysis, to provide financial report data to the board of directors for business decisions.
- Business acumen, to contribute beyond financial matters related to his work.
- Provide input and suggestions, to provide an overall picture of how each functional area works.
- Operate accounting software, such as Excel.
- Thinking logically, managerially, analytically, interpretation of numbers, English, and detail and thorough orientation.
- Work under pressure, able to deal with targets, and good math skills.
- Brevet A and B certification, high loyalty, and able to work individually and in a team.
- Make Profit and Loss Reports, journals, balance sheets, and other financial reports.
Someone with the accounting profession is expected to always be reliable in matters of financial management within the company. With different types of accountants, one can choose and determine career paths in the future.