Top 12 Accounting Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's job market, an Accounting Technician needs more than tidy ledgers and neat debits. A sharp mix of software fluency, process rigor, and reporting savvy makes you memorable. Show the breadth. Prove the depth. Signal you can shift gears when the numbers do.

Accounting Technician Skills

1. QuickBooks
2. Excel
3. SAP
4. Xero
5. Oracle Financials
6. Peachtree
7. Bookkeeping
8. Payroll
9. Accounts Payable
10. Accounts Receivable
11. Tax Preparation
12. Financial Reporting

1. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is a widely used accounting platform (with Online and Desktop editions) that handles invoicing, bank feeds, bill pay, payroll, inventory, and management reporting for small to mid-sized organizations.

Why It's Important

It compresses day-to-day accounting into repeatable flows, keeps a solid audit trail, and gives clean reports fast—helpful for closes, tax prep, and client or management reviews.

How to Improve QuickBooks Skills

Make it hum, not merely run:

1. Customize the file: Tweak the chart of accounts, classes/locations, custom fields, and recurring transactions so work fits your workflow.

2. Tame bank feeds: Build precise bank rules and reconcile weekly. A disciplined reconciliation rhythm prevents messy month-ends.

3. Speed the intake: Use document capture tools (e.g., Dext Prepare, Hubdoc) to push bills and receipts directly into QBO or Desktop.

4. Standardize reports: Save report groups with filters, memorize them, and schedule delivery to stakeholders.

5. Close confidently: Lock prior periods, review exception reports, and maintain a month-end checklist.

6. Protect the file: Enforce user roles, enable multi-factor sign-in when available, and back up routinely.

These habits cut errors, shrink close time, and sharpen insight.

How to Display QuickBooks Skills on Your Resume

2. Excel

Excel is the spreadsheet workhorse for analysis, modeling, reconciliations, and ad-hoc reporting, with formulas, pivots, charts, and automation features that power daily accounting tasks.

Why It's Important

When the system can’t, Excel often can. It bridges gaps, validates data, and turns raw exports into clear answers.

How to Improve Excel Skills

Sharpen the blades you use most:

1. Core formulas: Master XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, SUMIFS, IF/IFS, TEXT functions, and date math.

2. Pivot mastery: Build pivots with groupings, calculated fields, and slicers for quick drill-downs.

3. Power Query (Get & Transform): Clean and reshape data on import so reports refresh in a click.

4. Power Pivot and data models: Create relationships and measures for multi-table reporting.

5. Controls and visuals: Data validation, conditional formatting, and charting that highlights trends without clutter.

6. Automation: Record macros for repetitive steps; learn beginner VBA when patterns repeat.

7. Speed: Keyboard shortcuts, named ranges, and structured references for faster, safer work.

How to Display Excel Skills on Your Resume

3. SAP

SAP is an enterprise resource planning suite that integrates finance (FI/CO), procurement (MM), sales (SD), and more, so transactions flow across the business with audit-ready rigor.

Why It's Important

It centralizes data, enforces controls, and produces consistent reporting—vital for compliance, scale, and clean closes.

How to Improve SAP Skills

Work smarter inside the system:

1. Use Fiori effectively: Personalize tiles, favorites, and role-based apps to reduce clicks.

2. Standardize posting: Configure document types, tolerances, and validations to prevent errors at the source.

3. Automate routines: Set up payment runs (F110), recurring entries, and scheduling for jobs and reports.

4. Tighten master data: Clean vendors, customers, and GLs; govern changes with approvals.

5. Report with variants: Save selection variants and layouts so teams pull the same numbers the same way.

6. Learn the flow: Understand integration points across FI/CO, MM, and SD to trace issues fast.

How to Display SAP Skills on Your Resume

4. Xero

Xero is a cloud accounting platform built for small and mid-sized businesses, with bank feeds, invoicing, bills, inventory light, and tidy reporting accessible anywhere.

Why It's Important

Real-time books, quick reconciliations, and simple collaboration make routine accounting faster and more transparent.

How to Improve Xero Skills

Polish the daily moves:

1. Bank rules and cash coding: Automate categorization and accelerate reconciliations.

2. Tracking categories: Tag by department, project, or location for sliced reporting without extra spreadsheets.

3. Repeating transactions: Set and forget standard invoices and bills.

4. Find & Recode: Bulk-fix miscodings to keep ledgers clean.

5. Report packs: Save custom layouts and publish period packs consistently.

6. App integrations: Connect payroll, expense capture, and inventory tools that fit your process.

7. Mobile on the go: Approve, invoice, and reconcile quickly from your phone when time is tight.

How to Display Xero Skills on Your Resume

5. Oracle Financials

Oracle Fusion Cloud Financials is a suite covering General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, and Cash Management, designed for automated processes and strong controls.

Why It's Important

It scales with growth, enforces governance, and surfaces insights through dashboards and analytic reports, all in one ecosystem.

How to Improve Oracle Financials Skills

Elevate precision and throughput:

1. Role-based setups: Align security and duties to minimize risk and streamline approvals.

2. Automate approvals: Build rules for invoices, journals, and expenses to keep work moving.

3. Use scheduled processes: Batch imports, validations, and reconciliations during off-hours.

4. Strengthen subledger accounting: Define accounting rules that post right the first time.

5. Period-close discipline: Monitor close tasks, intercompany eliminations, and reconciliations with clear ownership.

6. Analytics: Save dashboards and KPIs for cash, DPO/DSO, and variance tracking.

How to Display Oracle Financials Skills on Your Resume

6. Peachtree

Sage 50 Accounting (formerly Peachtree) is desktop accounting software for small businesses, offering invoicing, inventory, job costing, and solid reporting.

Why It's Important

It’s dependable, audit-ready, and approachable—great for organizations that want control on-premises with robust core features.

How to Improve Peachtree Skills

Make the toolkit work harder:

1. Memorize the routine: Use recurring transactions and memorized journals for faster closes.

2. Inventory discipline: Maintain items, assemblies, and cost methods; cycle counts keep valuations honest.

3. Reconcile relentlessly: Bank, credit card, AR/AP subledgers—tie out monthly without fail.

4. User roles and backups: Restrict access sensibly and back up frequently (test restores, too).

5. Stay current: Keep software updated for payroll tables, forms, and stability improvements.

How to Display Peachtree Skills on Your Resume

7. Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping records and organizes every financial transaction—accurate, timely, complete—so the accounting engine can actually run.

Why It's Important

Good books mean trustworthy reports, clean compliance, and fewer surprises. Bad books do the opposite.

How to Improve Bookkeeping Skills

Build a calm, repeatable system:

1. Monthly close checklist: Standard steps for accruals, deferrals, cut-off, and reviews.

2. Bank and card reconciliations: Weekly if possible; never skip month-end tie-outs.

3. File hygiene: Centralize bills, receipts, and statements; tag and organize for quick retrieval.

4. Automation: Use OCR capture tools and bank rules to reduce manual entry.

5. Internal controls: Segregate duties, require approvals, and log changes.

6. Self-audits: Spot-check postings, vendor masters, and suspense accounts regularly.

How to Display Bookkeeping Skills on Your Resume

8. Payroll

Payroll calculates and pays wages, taxes, and deductions while tracking benefits, filings, and year-end forms.

Why It's Important

Pay everyone correctly and on time, comply with laws, and keep rock-solid records. Miss one—and you’ll hear about it.

How to Improve Payroll Skills

Reduce risk, add rhythm:

1. Automate the flow: Integrate timekeeping, HR, and accounting so data moves once, cleanly.

2. Regulatory vigilance: Track federal, state, and local rules; update tax tables and rates promptly.

3. Calendars and cutoffs: Define submission deadlines and lock periods to prevent last-minute chaos.

4. Pre-payroll audits: Validate hours, pay rates, overtime, and deductions before running payroll.

5. Reconciliations: Tie payroll registers to GL, liabilities, and cash each cycle.

6. Year-end readiness: Plan for W-2/1099 prep early; test filings and address exceptions ahead of time.

7. Self-service: Empower employees to view stubs and update details, lowering admin noise.

How to Display Payroll Skills on Your Resume

9. Accounts Payable

Accounts Payable records and pays a company’s short-term obligations to suppliers for goods and services already received.

Why It's Important

AP manages cash outflows, vendor trust, and expense accuracy—critical for margins and relationships.

How to Improve Accounts Payable Skills

Make AP smooth, not sticky:

1. AP automation: Use invoice capture, 2/3-way match, and digital approvals.

2. Vendor master controls: Collect W-9s, validate details, and separate setup from payment authority.

3. Discounts and timing: Capture early-pay discounts when ROI beats cash needs; schedule the rest smartly.

4. Prevent duplicates: Enforce unique invoice numbers and tolerance checks.

5. Reconcile regularly: Match AP subledger to GL and confirm vendor statements.

6. 1099 readiness: Tag vendors and categories correctly throughout the year.

7. KPIs: Track cycle time, exceptions, and DPO to spot bottlenecks.

How to Display Accounts Payable Skills on Your Resume

10. Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable is money owed by customers for goods or services already delivered.

Why It's Important

AR is lifeblood. Fast collections, fewer disputes, and clear credit policies keep cash flowing and headaches small.

How to Improve Accounts Receivable Skills

Collect smarter, quicker:

1. Clear credit policy: Define terms, limits, and onboarding checks before the first sale.

2. Invoice fast: Send accurate invoices immediately with unambiguous terms.

3. Multiple payment options: Cards, ACH, portals—reduce friction to pay.

4. Automated reminders: Gentle nudges before due, on due, and after due dates.

5. AR aging discipline: Review weekly; escalate consistently, not emotionally.

6. Cash application: Use remittance data and rules to post receipts the same day.

7. Dispute playbook: Log reasons, assign owners, and resolve with root-cause fixes.

8. Write-off thresholds: Document approvals and reserve logic to keep books honest.

How to Display Accounts Receivable Skills on Your Resume

11. Tax Preparation

Tax preparation means gathering data, applying current tax rules, and filing accurate returns—on time and defensible.

Why It's Important

It reduces risk, captures credits and deductions properly, and keeps organizations compliant and credible.

How to Improve Tax Preparation Skills

Less scramble, more structure:

1. Stay current: Track tax law changes and annual adjustments affecting entities you support.

2. Documentation: Maintain a digital binder for source docs, workpapers, and support schedules.

3. Tax calendar: Map filing deadlines, extensions, and estimated payment dates with reminders.

4. Standard workpapers: Use consistent templates for tie-outs to the GL and prior-year comparisons.

5. Quality review: Implement second-preparer checks for complex returns and high-risk areas.

6. State and local: Watch nexus, registrations, and rates—multi-state rules creep in quickly.

How to Display Tax Preparation Skills on Your Resume

12. Financial Reporting

Financial reporting communicates performance and position through statements and disclosures—balance sheet, income statement, cash flows, equity, and notes.

Why It's Important

Stakeholders need reliable, timely, comparable information. Decisions hinge on it. So do covenants, compliance, and strategy.

How to Improve Financial Reporting Skills

Tighten the craft:

1. Close calendar: Define tasks, owners, and deadlines; remove ambiguity from month-end.

2. Reconciliations first: Reconcile key accounts before reporting; document explanations and support.

3. Materiality and review: Focus on what moves the needle; add variance analysis that tells a story.

4. Standard setters: Track updates from FASB or IASB; reflect changes consistently.

5. Disclosure checklists: Use them. They prevent omissions and keep reports comparable.

6. Internal controls: Align with COSO principles; build approvals and sign-offs into the process.

7. Forecast linkage: Marry actuals with rolling forecasts so leadership sees forward, not just back.

How to Display Financial Reporting Skills on Your Resume