If you’re seeking a governmental accounting job or already serving in the field, you’ll need to keep current with regulations, financial report structures and groups that your organization reports to such as investors, elected officials and citizen groups. With the proper education and training, you’ll ensure your government accounting business practices and operating results are in compliance with legal rules and standards.

Become an authority in government accounting with classes and literature that keeps your skills and knowledge in government regulations for accounting sharp. In addition to basic accounting methods, obtain education on collecting and analyzing financial data and reporting it property by seeking to:

1. Obtain a degree or accreditation in US government accounting to demonstrate your knowledge of specific governmental accounting solutions.
2. Sign up for seminars and workshops to receive specific, updated training on practices outlined by a government accounting standards board or other accounting regulatory bodies.
3. Receive continuing education for federal government accounting at your own pace with online education that lets you learn without missing a day of your current government accounting job.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Earn a degree or certificate to reveal your training as a government accountant

Even current private sector accountants may need specialized training to receive accreditation that will help land government accounting jobs. Find a comprehensive program if you're new to the field or one that provides a selection of classes that you can use to fill in gaps in knowledge or experience.

I recommend: Take courses in governmental accounting through the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers. Courses are available for new and experienced government accountants and cover such topics as accounting concepts and role of the budget. Seek your Master of Accountancy in Financial Accounting through Rutgers Business School. Receive education and training with courses offered by MGO Certified Public Accountants. The US Department of Agriculture Graduate School offers an extensive program in government accounting that's open to the public.

Sign up for workshops to receive focused government accounting information

Seminars that discuss specific information about government accounting will keep even seasoned government accountants up to date with current regulations and reporting structures. Hands-on seminars will also give you the opportunity to network with other professionals in the government accounting field to discuss issues and compare business practices.

I recommend: Get more information on the accounting rules and guidelines for state and local governments through courses offered by the Government Finance Officers Association. Seminars from The National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers provide education on such topics as fund accounting and the new financial reporting model.

Find continuing online education opportunities for government accountants

Even professionals currently serving in governmental accounting positions will benefit from continuing education opportunities. Online courses, webinars or self-paced classes allow you to seek additional information and training at your convenience.

I recommend: Get more information on government accounting through online courses provided by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government through the University of Georgia. Find self-paced training opportunities through eLearners such as the Government and Non-Profit Accounting course from University of Phoenix.

Government accounting jobs can be a confusing and frustrating career at times. And it's no wonder, considering the IRS sends out eight billion pages of forms and instructions every year. If you put these papers side by side, they would circle the earth 28 times.

The tax laws and codes change so often that the government can't even specify the exact number. With these types of constant changes, you need some government accounting information to ease your stress and simplify your job.

1. Get the software you need.

2. Understand the government accounting structure.

3. Take courses to increase your pay in a government accounting job.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find software to help make your government accounting job easier

There are hundreds of software programs, but how can you know which one is best for your governmental accounting solutions and needs?

I recommend: If you're tired of spending countless hours searching for software programs and wasting money on programs that aren't suited for what you need, then check out Find Accounting Software. After filling out a brief questionnaire, you will receive a free buyer's guide to direct you on which software to purchase for your specific US government accounting needs. At Capterra you can get detailed reports on software programs geared towards governmental accounting solutions.

Understand the basics of government regulations for accounting

The government regulations for accounting are often changing, and whether you've been involved in federal government accounting for years or you're just getting started in your career, it can be difficult to keep up with these changes.

I recommend: At the Governmental Accounting Standards Board you can purchase or download user's guides to help you understand current governmental regulations for accounting. These include everything from financial guides at your school district to guides on your local government's finances. You can also buy books regarding government regulations for accounting from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

Sign up for some US government accounting courses

If you're looking to be promoted you need to learn as much information about government accounting as possible. And a great way to do that is to take some classes, especially ones leading to professional certification.

I recommend: With government accountants often working long hours it can be difficult to attend a university to take classes. However, at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, you can sign up for online courses and work through them at your own pace. They offer multiple introductory and intermediate courses that are useful for a variety of governmental accounting positions. If you're looking to significantly increase your pay you may want to consider getting your Master's in accounting. The Rutgers Business School offers online master's degrees in governmental accounting. The Association of Government Accountants supervises Certified Government Financial Manager certification.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  With increasing globalization and homeland security, it's a good idea to learn a new language. Knowing a second language opens up job opportunities for government accountants when working with multinational companies.

In government accounting, an entity must adhere to a different set of standards than its private sector counterparts. To satisfy government accounting standards, there are many different parties such as elected officials, governmental auditors, private and public groups and U.S. citizens in general. Each of these bodies will want to know how your company spent public funds to complete a task or project. Therefore, it's important to know the key terms in government accounting. These terms will give you the proper knowledge base on which to build or improve your governmental accountability and transparency. Before you begin a search for the pertinent information, check out these main government accounting terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Financial reporting model

The financial reporting model is the accounting model the Governmental Accounting Standards Board established as a framework for relevant reports. The rules for the financial reporting model will change over time. Therefore, you'll need to not only understand this model, but also monitor the Governmental Accounting Standards Board for any changes to the model.

I recommend: Review the tutorial on the basics of the financial reporting model from George Mason University. Purchase the government accounting and financial reporting handbook available at Thomson Reuters.

Governmental Accounting Standards Board

The purpose of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board is to set and improve the governmental accounting standards for state and local entities. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board will issue ruling and clarification regarding governmental accounting and serve as the ultimate arbiter for any accounting issues or questions.

I recommend: Examine the plain language documents and information available at the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Use the information from Quick MBA for clarification on the purpose of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.

Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board

The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board provides information on governmental accounting at the national level. Conversely, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board provides ruling, statements, guidelines and arbitration for the state and local level.

I recommend: Evaluate the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board reports on various accounting standards from the federal government. Examine the company description of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board at Hoovers.

The yellow book

The yellow book is simply another name for the governmental auditing standards. It's issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and contains the guidelines for any audits that may occur from the government.

I recommend: Study the yellow book updates from the Government Accountability Office.

Nonexchange transactions

Nonexchange transactions are the transfer of benefits from one party to another without directly receiving equal consideration. Government accounting divides these transactions into four categories: derived tax revenues, government-mandated nonexchange transactions, imposed nonexchange revenues and voluntary nonexchange transactions.

I recommend: Assess the definition of a nonexchange transaction available at Investing Minds. For a detailed explanation of the various nonexchange transactions, review the report at North Carolina Office of the State Controller.

Pensions

A pension is the governmental employee's retirement plan, and accounting for this plays a large role in the day-to-day operations of any government entity. Pension information isn't as relevant if your company is a private entity. However, that doesn't mean the information isn't pertinent.

I recommend: Use the resources available at the Library of Economics and Liberty and Cornell University to understand pensions.