Resources, services and software for government accounting.
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Governmental financial insights, events and thought leadership.
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Government Accounting
Simplify your job as a government accountantBy Julie Busby, Freelance Writer/Editor/Producer 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.
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?
Try:
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.
Try:
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.
Try:
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.
- 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.
Governmental financial insights, events and thought leadership.
Software for Government Accounting Government Organization ERP Funds
Bureau of the Public Debt Online
Site includes information on savings bonds, Treasuries, regulations and the daily public debt figure.
http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB)
Committee that considers and recommends accounting principles for the US government.
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Offers links to information about the Federal Reserve System as well as Federal Reserve economic data and publications.
http://www.frbsf.org/system/index.html
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Ensures that the nation's markets function competitively, and are vigorous, efficient, and free of undue restrictions.
Summary of information on federal operations and financial positions.
US Treasury Department bureau that is the federal government's financial manager, central disburser and collections agent, as well as its accountant and collector of delinquent federal debt.
The General Accounting Office maintains FraudNET to facilitate reporting of allegations of fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement of federal funds.
http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm
General Accounting Office (GAO)
Investigative arm of Congress that oversees federal programs and operations to assure accountability to the American people.
Enforces laws and agreements to prevent unfairly-traded imports and to safeguard jobs and the competitive strength of American industry.
Internal Revenue Service: The Digital Daily
Research, statistics and information related to taxation.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
As a standards-setting agency, the IMF develops standards/codes covering a number of economic and financial areas, including data dissemination, fiscal and monetary policy transparency, banking regulation and supervision, securities and insurance regulati
http://www.imf.org/external/standards/index.htm
Market Access and Compliance (MAC)
Helps US businesses to overcome barriers to trade and investment.
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
Encourages the creation, growth and expansion of minority-owned businesses in the United States.
Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
Official Federal Agency website which includes news, legal and other releases and reports, investor education material, and the EDGAR database of corporate disclosure reports.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Official site includes news and reports, investor education material and the EDGAR database of corporate disclosure reports.
US industrys link to global markets, working to promote US exports.
Investigative arm of Congress that oversees federal programs and operations to assure accountability to the American people.
US International Trade Administration (ITA)
Responsible for encouraging exports and ensuring compliance with existing trade agreements, the ITA also analyzes trade statistics on export-related issues and includes the Units of Market Access and Compliance, Trade Development, Commercial Service and I
US Small Business Administration (SBA)
Provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses.
Formulates economic, fiscal and tax policies, enforces the law, protects the President and other officials, and manufactures currency and postage stamps.
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Government Accounting
The rules that regulate government accounting differ greatly from those that oversee private accountants. If you are thinking about a career in this field, you will have a lot more people to answer to than you would with other clients. When handling the accounts of public sectors, you are not only responsible to the specific group that you are working for but also government officials, creditors, investors, trustee boards and the citizens of your community in general.
Handling accounts for a governmentally regulated business also means greater responsibilities with budgets and financial goals. As a private accountant, an individual or business may be more flexible in ways to turn a ... more
The rules that regulate government accounting differ greatly from those that oversee private accountants. If you are thinking about a career in this field, you will have a lot more people to answer to than you would with other clients. When handling the accounts of public sectors, you are not only responsible to the specific group that you are working for but also government officials, creditors, investors, trustee boards and the citizens of your community in general.
Handling accounts for a governmentally regulated business also means greater responsibilities with budgets and financial goals. As a private accountant, an individual or business may be more flexible in ways to turn a profit. With government agencies, you are only allowed to work within sets of certain criteria.
Private accountants need to only make their clients understand the bottom line of numbers. If you are accounting in the governmental sector, you need reports that people of all different backgrounds need to be able to interpret. This puts a greater amount of responsibility on your public relation skills. You may also have to redo the same report over and over again, adding or leaving out certain information, for the different classifications of people who need to see it.
Learn more about the specifics of government accounting through the informational resource links found on this Business.com page.