Types Of Accountants You Can Hire For Your Business

1. General or Staff Accountants

These are accountants who have no specific specialization in any of the sub-disciplines but maintain broad knowledge in accounting. In other words, they are general accounting practitioners. They can cover a wide range of accounting responsibilities like financial statements, maintenance and reconciliation of company accounts, cash management and payroll and HR services.

Staff accountants can help your business grow financially by offering multi-accounting responsibilities since they have knowledge in virtually all areas of accounting.

2. Auditors

Auditors are specialized accountants whose duties are to ascertain if all business records are accurately compiled and recorded, review tax payments to ensure accuracy and compliance for business, individual and government entities. A lot of accounting firms in Malaysia and also in other parts of the world engage in auditing services, and it is better to hire an external auditor, i.e. one not associated with the company in question because there will be no bias whatsoever.

3. Management Accountants

Management accountants are responsible for planning and budgeting, external financial reporting, risk management, profitability analysis, amongst others.

These serve to give an all-round view of the financial health of an organization, whether the company is making profits or not, and this, in turn, helps the company in making relevant decisions to improve on the weak areas.

4. Cost Accountants

The role of a cost accountant is to find ways to save costs for the company. They examine every expense in the company to see where the bulk spending occurs and recommend ways to minimize these expenses. A certified cost accountant from an accounting firm in Malaysia will possess a Certified Cost Accountant (CCA) certification.

5. Certified Public Accountants

Certified Public Accountants (CPA) are regarded as experts and must possess CPA certification. Their area of specializing goes beyond taxes, and has a lot to do with helping their clients plan and actualize financial goals, and offering professional advice in delicate financial matters.

6. Forensic Accountants

Forensic accountants play a vital role in companies to uncover financial frauds that may have eaten deep into the company’s finances. Just like auditors, they sweep through the companies accounting records, and if there’s anything that breaches standards and laws, they draw the attention of authority. A forensic accountant must possess the curiosity and senses of a detective, and they are quite different from auditors because their investigation is primarily for criminal or civil court proceedings.

7. Government Accountants

These types of accountants are relevant to Local, State, Federal and district governments. The role of a government accountant is to ensure that tax payments are duly made, recorded, and spent wisely. A government accounting firm may be an agency like the Internal Revenue Board (IRB).

8. Project Accountants

Project accountants are accountants hired for handling the financial aspects of certain projects in the company. As opposed to general and staff accountants, a project accountant’s services are required for only projects and not the entire business activity of the organization. They often work with project managers and help minimize the cost of the project, handle invoicing, budgeting and approving expenses.