The Role As an ABAS Associate, you will support the preparation of financial accounts by processing invoices, reconciling accounts, and maintaining accurate financial records. You will assist more senior colleagues with bookkeeping, VAT returns, and other compliance tasks. Your role ensures efficient financial operations and accurate client reporting. Core Skills Client Focus Makes best efforts to meet budgets and escalates potential budget overruns to senior members of the team Demonstrates an understanding of the concept of job recovery and efficiencies Is able to communicate professionally with clients to request missing information/deal with basic queries arising Communicates in a professional and confident manner Puts client service delivery at the forefront, ensuring timely acknowledgement of client queries and escalates as required Able to identify and escalate, to senior team members, areas of improvement for the future from current working practices. Technical Excellence Clears review queries with reduced assistance and with thought and attention to detail Ability to use key performance software independently with reduced support (CCH, Microsoft Office, Azets Reach CoZone, People XD) Involved in less complex compliance, beginning to take more responsibility for sections of the work Continues to develop sector specific professional knowledge Increased awareness of upcoming and existing changes in relevant legislation and standards applicable to role Able to spot issues/areas of possible contention or increased risk early in the process and escalate to senior colleagues Reduce recurrence of similar or same review points Able to spot where previous solutions and experience can be applied. Commitment Complies with all departmental and Group wide processes Ensures that work is in line with our vision and values and the overall people strategy Completes own chargeable time budget Supports others through coaching and sharing knowledge. Living Our Values Shows good understanding of our company values, and making good progress towards consistently demonstrating required behaviours. Technical Skills Understand concept of accounting profit being different to taxable profit Able to identify frequently disallowed items and adjust tax computation accordingly, such as fines, entertainment, depreciation etc Able to identify capital items qualifying for allowances Able to reconcile tax amount due per computation to tax account balance with HMRC. Awareness of associated company rules Identify potential use of tax losses Awareness of S455 tax and rules surrounding Able to identify correct treatment of non trade income & expenses Able to prepare a letter of confirmation for review and tailor to client Distinguish between operating and finance leases and how each impacts account Can split HP and Loans between due within and due after one year Able to take information from Companies House to analyse out share capital ownership Awareness of when an engagement letter requires renewal Awareness of primary accounts filing deadlines for different entities Awareness of late filing regime Can reconcile foreign currency bank accounts Understand different CCH accounts formats and when each is relevant Identifying and resolving errors in notes to accounts Understands disclosure requirements for an overdrawn loan account Understands the disclosure requirements of financial commitments and is able to enter these within data screens Populating accounts disclosure notes and completing disclosure checklists reliably Ability to self review accounts to identify any errors in disclosures Ability to identify if a charge is held at Companies House and what this means for the disclosures Minimising same or similar review points Reliably prepare HP and Loan schedules for disclosure and interest calculations Incorporation of Disposals and calculating the Gain or Loss on Disposals and adjustments to depreciation in respect of disposals Able to source and calculate original purchase cost and date Able to understand and identify what is an investment property and why Able to complete planning section on file accurately based upon direction Correctly journal any share issues in the year Shows an awareness of how stock should be valued and ensure it’s in accordance with the accounting policies Incorporation of Disposals and calculating the Gain or Loss on Disposals and adjustments to depreciation in respect of disposals Can account for part-exchange as part of asset purchase Identify 'older' balances to investigate further Can reconcile differences between aged listing to trial balance Identify 'older' balances to investigate further Can account for bad debts and bad debts provision Can reconcile differences between aged listing to trial balance Qualifications Prepare a standard accruals based VAT reconciliation Can reconcile turnover per VAT returns to turnover in accounts Reconcile payroll control accounts and reflect adjustments in accounts Ability to prepare a gross wages reconciliation to agree the balance in the accounts Able to review Companies House online to check PSC, directors details and apply to accounts Understand the difference between trade and non trade allocations for the purposes of tax Able to explain to client difference between accounting profit and taxable profit Awareness of quarterly payment regime and when clients are affected Has knowledge of common VAT schemes such as cash accounting, flat rate and partial exemption Is able to prepare a VAT return under flat rate accounting for review Can reconcile balance owed per VAT return to VAT ledger Is able to explain to clients payment and submission dates for VAT Able to identify misuse of VAT schemes Able to identify most appropriate scheme Identify and manage bank rules in Xero Awareness of P11D and information required & able to collate Ability to communicate payment dates, amounts and reference numbers accurately Understands common sources of income and different tax rates Demonstrates knowledge of key income tax band thresholds Able to document unusual or high risk items for manager review Considering allowances which may be available, such as marriage allowance Understand effect on tax bands and allowances caused by items such as gift aid & pension contributions Awareness of rules surrounding record retention Demonstrate ability to confidently communicate with HMRC via telephone Aware of key information sources available internally. Qualifications Studying towards a relevant accountancy qualification or qualified by experience (e.g. AAT/ACA/ACCA/CA). Essential Experience It is expected that the above core and technical skills will have been developed through study alongside work experience in an accountancy practice.