a qualified person who is skilled at managing and analysing business financial records. Glossary of Business Terms
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accountant ac‧coun‧tant [əˈkaʊntnt] noun [countable]
a professional person whose job is to keep and check the financial records of an organization, or to advise clients on tax and other financial matters:
• People setting up in business on their own really need to employ an accountant.
word focus - accountant
Accountancy ; = Accounting AmE is the profession or work done by an accountant. A bookkeeper is someone whose job is to make an official record of all the money received into and paid out of a business. This activity is called bookkeeping. An auditor is a specialist accountant who carries out an audit, which is a check on the truth and honesty of a company's accounts (= records showing money coming into and going out of a business ) . Auditors are independent, not employees of a company whose accounts they are checking. In the US, auditors check to see if a company's accounts obey the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ( GAAP), a set of rules about how things should be shown in financial records. Accountants in many other countries, including countries in the European Union, use a similar set of accounting standards called the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). After the introduction of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002, all US public companies must send a yearly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission showing that the financial accounts are correct and true in every detail.
ˌcertified acˈcountant
in Britain, an accountant who is a member of the Association of Certified Accountants and is therefore allowed by law to officially check a company's accounts
ˌcertified ˈmanagement acˌcountant abbreviation CMA
in the US, an accountant who has passed examinations and is a member of the Institute of Management Accounting of the National Association of Accountants
ˌcertified ˈpublic acˌcountant abbreviation CPA
in the US, an accountant who is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and who holds a licence from the State to work as an accountant
ˌchartered acˈcountant
in Britain, an accountant who has spent time working for a fully qualified accountant and has passed all the examinations set by the institute
ˌchartered ˈcertified acˌcountant
an accountant who is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and can do many kinds of accounting work including Auditing and making financial forecast S
ˌchief acˈcountant
the highest-ranking accountant in a large organization
ˈcost acˌcountant also ˈmanagement acˌcountant
an accountant who examines the costs relating to different parts of a business and the cost of producing different products or services rather than doing accounting for formal, legal, or tax requirements:
• The cost accountant needs to advise on whether the product can be supplied at the target price.
foˈrensic acˌcountant
an accountant who is trained to investigate illegal financial activity:
• Government agencies like the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service have forensic accountants who investigate everything from money laundering to arson for profit.
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accountant UK US /əˈkaʊntənt/ noun [C]
► a person or company whose job is preparing the financial records of people, companies, or organizations: »
According to figures compiled for accountant KPMG, year-on-year the negative trading statements were down 10%
→ See also CERTIFIED MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑certified management accountant), CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑certified public accountant), CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑chartered accountant), CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑chartered certified accountant), COST ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑cost accountant), FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT(Cf. ↑forensic accountant)
Financial and business terms. 2012.