Both small and large businesses employ people to work in various types of part-time bookkeeping jobs. Bookkeepers manage payroll, assist with tax filings and keep track of a firm's accounts. In some instances, part-time bookkeeping jobs are seasonal positions while in other cases these jobs involve bookkeepers having to work a set number of hours on a regular basis throughout the course of the year.
Many small businesses employ part-time bookkeepers to handle employ payroll. These individuals transfer funds from the business' main operating account and deposit the proceeds into a payroll account. The bookkeeper then calculates each employee’s tax withholding and makes a tax payment on behalf of each employee before disbursing the net proceeds to the workers. Additionally, some small firms sponsor retirement accounts in which case the bookkeeper may also be responsible for transferring a portion of each paycheck into the retirement fund.
Aside from handling payroll matters, people who take on part-time bookkeeping jobs are often tasked with managing a firm's day-to-day operating accounts. In some countries, full-time employees are entitled to certain benefits so employers reduce operating costs by employing several part-time bookkeepers rather than a single full-time employee to handle the accounts. Part-time bookkeepers typically make bank deposits and transfer funds from the general ledger to the firm's other operating accounts. At some firms, the bookkeepers also present financial reports to the owner of the firm that detail profits or losses for each week, month or quarter of the year.
Many part-time bookkeeping jobs are found at non-profit organizations and religious groups. These entities work on limited budgets and bookkeepers are often paid lower than average wages while some bookkeepers even work as unpaid volunteers. Laws in most nations require non-profit groups to make regular financial reports available to donors and members of the public and the bookkeeper is responsible for gathering and reviewing the financial information that goes into these reports.
Some companies and organizations hire part-time bookkeepers on an annual basis; these individuals are usually tasked with preparing documents for tax filing purposes. Additionally, many organizations make quarterly reports to shareholders in which case part-time bookkeepers work for the entity for short periods of time throughout the year to help with preparing these reports. Seasonal bookkeepers are normally hired on a contract basis while bookkeepers who work on a weekly basis are normally permanent employees.
Complex bookkeeping tasks are reserved for qualified accountants who have completed college degrees in finance or a related field and passed national or regional accounting exams. Less complex bookkeeping responsibilities are often assigned to entry-level workers who graduated from high school and have a rudimentary knowledge of mathematics. Some full-time accountants take on part-time bookkeeping jobs to supplement their income while students often take on these part-time roles to cover some of the costs associated with college.