How to start an
accounting career

Accountants record, check and report an organisation's financial activity. Entry-level roles — accounts executive, junior accountant, accounts payable or receivable executive — handle invoices, payments, bank reconciliations, journal entries, GST and TDS calculations, and month-end tasks. Accountants prepare trial balances and financial statements, handle audits, maintain fixed asset registers, manage compliance and increasingly analyse numbers for managers. Senior paths lead to financial controller, finance manager and CFO, or into audit, tax and advisory.

Standards connect accounting worldwide. IFRS Accounting Standards are required for companies in more than 140 jurisdictions,¹ and India's Ind AS are converged with IFRS for larger companies. In India, GST — administered by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs — shapes daily accounting work through invoicing, input tax credits and returns.² Technology is changing the entry level: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs to fall 6% from 2025 to 2035 as software automates entry,³ while accountant and auditor jobs grow 5%, with a $83,680 median.⁴ In India, accounting is one of the largest professions: AmbitionBox lists accountants at a typical ₹3.4–3.8 lakh from more than 2.3 lakh salaries, up 18% in two years.⁵

Accountant salaries reported in India (AmbitionBox)

2.3 lakh+

Jurisdictions requiring IFRS (IFRS Foundation)

140+

Projected US accountant job growth, 2025–35 (BLS)

+5%

Projected US bookkeeping clerk jobs, 2025–35 (BLS)

−6%

Table: How accounting candidates are assessed (editorial summary)

Table: Sample journal entries (illustrative; amounts exclude GST)

Table: How accounting developed (editorial summary)

• Journal entries for 20 sample transactions
• A bank reconciliation
• A trial balance and simple statements
• A month-end close checklist
• Practice in an accounting package
• A verified accounting fundamentals certificate

Show reliability: "Handled AP for 150 vendors; reconciled 6 bank accounts monthly; cut month-end close from 8 to 5 days; zero GST notices in two years." Use real numbers only.

"Explain debits and credits simply."

Every transaction affects at least two accounts; debits increase assets and expenses, credits increase liabilities, equity and income.

"What is an accrual?"

Recording an expense or income in the period it relates to, even if cash moves later.

"How do you do a bank reconciliation?"

Compare the bank statement with the books, list timing differences and errors, and adjust until both agree.

"What happens at month-end close?"

Record accruals and prepayments, reconcile accounts, review balances, post adjustments and prepare reports.

"What's input tax credit under GST?"

Credit for GST paid on purchases, which can be set off against GST collected on sales, subject to rules.

• "Which accounting software do you use?" — tools.
• "How long is month-end close?" — pace.
• "Who handles tax filings?" — scope.
• "Is there a path to controller roles?" — growth.

Table: Accounting roles and typical pay in India (AmbitionBox, October 2026; indicative)

Table: Common accounting tools (editorial guidance)

• Accounts executive — transactions.
• Accountant — books and compliance.
• Senior accountant / accounts manager — close and reporting.
• Financial controller — accounting function.
• Finance head / CFO — finance strategy.

1. Week 1: Fundamentals — Practise journal entries and a trial balance.
2. Week 2: Prove it — Do a bank reconciliation and month-end checklist; take the Accounting Fundamentals Certification.

Next: Bookkeeping, Financial Statement Analysis and Budgeting and Forecasting. Guides: bookkeeping, financial statement analysis and financial literacy.

• Invoices — recording and checking.
• Payments — vendors and salaries.
• Reconciliations — bank and ledgers.
• Tax — GST and TDS.
• Close — month-end tasks.
• Queries — from managers and auditors.

"What's a trial balance?"

A list of all ledger balances to check that total debits equal total credits.

"Cash vs accrual basis?"

Cash basis records when money moves; accrual basis records when revenue is earned and costs incurred.

Table: A first-90-days plan (editorial guidance)

Learn the chart of accounts, software and approval processes. Take ownership of reconciliations and clear old differences. By the third month, improve one month-end task with a checklist or automation.

AI and modern software now capture invoices, match bank transactions, suggest journal entries, flag anomalies and draft variance explanations. That's why routine clerk work is shrinking. Accountants increasingly review exceptions, judge unusual transactions, explain results and advise managers. Those who understand both accounting principles and automation tools are the most employable.

Use a checklist with owners and deadlines. Record all invoices and payments, post accruals and prepayments, depreciate fixed assets, reconcile bank and key ledgers, and review GST and TDS. Compare results with budget and last month, and investigate big swings. Lock the period once approved. A steady, documented close builds trust in the numbers.

Keep supporting documents organised by account. Reconcile balances before auditors arrive. Prepare schedules for receivables, payables, fixed assets and accruals. Answer questions promptly and honestly, and track requests in a list. Learn from audit points to improve processes for next year.

"Accounting is just data entry." Judgement and analysis are the core.

"You need to love maths." You need accuracy and logic more than advanced maths.

"AI will end accounting jobs." It shifts work towards review and advice.

Start by confirming total debits equal total credits. Then scan for balances on the wrong side — a credit balance in cash or a debit balance in sales usually means a posting error. Compare each balance with last month and look for unexpected jumps. Check suspense and clearing accounts; they should be close to zero. Reconcile key balances — bank, receivables, payables, GST — to supporting reports. Most month-end surprises can be caught in a careful 20-minute review.

Finally, keep a short note of the errors you find and their causes. Patterns, such as the same vendor invoices posted to the wrong account every month, point to process fixes that save time in future closes.

Suppliers often call about late payments. Check the invoice status, approval and payment run dates, then give a clear, honest answer with a date. Fix root causes, such as missing purchase orders, so the same query doesn't come back next month.

• Weak debit and credit basics.
• Ignoring accruals.
• Unreconciled balances.
• Missed tax deadlines.
• No software practice.

India pay comes from AmbitionBox (read October 2026); IFRS adoption from the IFRS Foundation; US pay and outlook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025); and GST administration from CBIC. The month-end scene, journal entries and history are editorial. Science of Apps publishes the free test linked here. Last reviewed October 2026.

• Double-entry — every transaction recorded in two accounts.
• Accrual — recognising income or expense when earned or incurred.
• Trial balance — a check that debits equal credits.
• Reconciliation — matching two records.
• Ind AS — India's IFRS-converged accounting standards.