Accounting Technician, GS-0525
Definitions:
EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be prorated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs; 2 months, 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.).
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: One year of full-time academic study is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. This education must have been successfully completed and obtained in an accredited business, secretarial, technical school, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
For GS-05:
Applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-5 level:
One year of specialized experience in or directly related to the position to be filled that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, the required specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-4 level work may include: 1) reconciling monthly register printouts with individual accounting transaction listings; 2) initiating, coding and processing accounting adjustments to transfer charges and achieve proper accounting effect on erroneously recorded transactions; 3) reviewing, classifying and recording disbursement documents, progress payments, discounts, and credit obligations in subsidiary ledgers. For examples 1-3, tasks and assignments were usually standardized, subjected to the same or similar treatment, and presented few problems in identifying discrepancies or necessary adjustments. Exercised initiative in carrying out and completing recurring assignments and resolving routine problems, used judgment in selecting appropriate guidelines and procedures from among a number of specific references, and referred to designated person situations in which existing guidelines could not be applied or required significant deviation.
**OR a full four years of progressive, successfully completed education above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite may be used to meet the qualification requirements for GS-5. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university.
**OR equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements for GS-5. Only progressive education in excess of the first 60 semester hours, 90 quarter hours, or the equivalent (i.e., beyond the first two years) of a course of study is creditable toward meeting the qualification requirements for GS-5. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION & SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE)
For GS-06:
Applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-6 level:
One year of specialized experience in or directly related to the position to be filled that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, the required specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-5 level work may include: 1) analyzing daily error listings for documents not accepted into automated accounting system, isolating sources of error, making corrective entries and reprocessing transactions; 2) computing transportation charges and applicable discounts for each item and total amount for each voucher and initiating journal voucher for adjustment; 3) reconciling monthly listing of accounts payable with the general ledger, researching cause of discrepancy and initiating adjustment action. For examples 1-3, many of the accounting transactions and data were varied due to modifications. Reconciliation of various reports and error listings required good judgment to locate and correct data due to the number of possible sources of error. Detailed instructions were provided on the handling of unusual transactions. Most assignments were recurring and accomplished without detailed supervision. Problems and unfamiliar situations not covered by instructions were referred to a designated authority for decision or help. Work was checked in progress for compliance with instructions.
For GS-07:
Applicants must meet the following to qualify for the GS-7 level:
One year of specialized experience in or directly related to the position to be filled that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, the required specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-6 level work may include: 1) validating, monitoring, controlling and maintaining accounting transactions and records for multiple accounts; 2) reconciling subsidiary ledgers to general ledgers of accounts having a variety of transactions, researching discrepancies between ledgers and making adjustments; 3) maintaining control accounts and subsidiary accounts and processing accounting transactions for a wide variety of functions. For examples 1-3, a designated authority established general priorities and deadlines and provided guidance on unusually involved situations. This level of work involved independently choosing the proper methods and procedures to be followed, resolving problems or questions that arose in routine assignments on the basis of past precedents and procedural guides.