Certificate in Accounts Administration and Payroll Course Guide

This course will provide an overview of the accounting equation and the basic principles underlying the double entry system of accounting. It will include but not be limited to the function and purpose of accounting and its key concepts, a look at the principal qualitative characteristics and their effect on financial statements, and the basic and expanded accounting equation and its connection to the double-entry method of accounting.  

This course will take a close look at the difference between the general journal and the general ledger, the chart of accounts, and fundamental rules in respect of when to debit or credit an account. It will include but not be limited to the definition and purpose of general journals, account categories, and how to prepare journal entries.  

This course will provide an introduction to the General Ledger and the Trial Balance, and will include but not be limited to the process of posting source journals to the general ledger, how to calculate closing balances of general ledger accounts, as well as the purpose of a trial balance and how to prepare one.  

This course will provide an introduction and overview of depreciation and will include but not be limited to the purpose of depreciation, how to calculate depreciation and the different calculation methods, as well as how to prepare journal entries using the straight-line method or the diminishing balance method.  

This course will provide an introduction to cash basis and accruals basis accounting concepts, and will include but not be limited to the purpose of adjusting entries, the key adjusting entries that need to be made at the end of the financial year, and how to interpret and prepare the balance day adjustments for a range of adjusting entries.

This course will take a close look at the purpose of financial statements, and will include but not be limited to the Profit & Loss Statement and the Balance Sheet and how to prepare these statements, the purpose of inventory and the two common inventory systems, how to prepare journal entries, and how to calculate the year-end stock adjustment.  

This course is comprised of two sections. The first section provides an introduction to online accounts software Sage One and will include but not be limited to how to create a company in Sage, how to record products and services and how to prepare invoices. The second section will provide an introduction to the basics of working with Quickbooks Essentials, including but not limited to how to create a company in QuickBooks, how to import transactions, prepare invoices, and customise and export reports.

This section introduces cloud computing and highlights the benefits of using Xero, such as real-time access, automatic updates, and data security. You’ll learn the basic system requirements for Xero, how to navigate the Xero Dashboard, and how to set up Multi-factor Authentication to enhance account security.

This section covers the fundamentals of VAT, including what it applies to, key features, and the difference between VAT paid and collected. You’ll explore VAT rates, zero-rated vs exempt supplies, registration requirements, and available schemes. It also explains the concept of “Time of Supply,” the purpose of a VAT account, invoice types, how to calculate VAT due, and the steps to complete and submit a VAT return.

This course introduces the fundamentals of payroll with regards to small businesses, with a focus on employer responsibilities and obligations towards the various employee types. It will include but not be limited to the obligations a new employer has to Revenue, the four methods of calculating PAYE, and a look at the Universal Social Charge (USC) and who it applies to.

This course will provide an introduction to accounts payable and receivables and the calculation of the cash conversion cycle. It will include but not be limited to the difference between cash accounting and accrual accounting, how to create journal entries and ledger entries to record a credit sale, a look at doubtful debt as well as creditor and debtor schedules.      

This course will take a close look at the preparation of budgets, forecasts and cash flow management, including but not limited to the purpose of a budget and forecast, the importance and advantages of budgeting, how to prepare a budget and how to compare actual results with analyse variances as well as a look at the cash conversion cycle.  

This course will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel, including but not limited to the key functions within the software including formulas, functions and data manipulation, how to add content to spreadsheets as well as formatting styles.

This course will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel, including but not limited to the key functions within the software including formulas, functions and data manipulation, how to add content to spreadsheets as well as formatting styles.  

This course provides an introduction to the setup procedure for Sage Payroll, including but not limited to how to migrate payroll data into Sage Payroll, the required information for setting up a new payroll, how to create new Employee records and the process for adding new payments & deductions.

This course provides an introduction to the Pay Run process in Sage Payroll, including but not limited to the three stages of the Pay Run process and how to print and email an employee payslip.

This course will provide an overview of managing employees and pensions in Sage Payroll, and will include but not be limited to how to add new employees, edit existing employees and set up Pension scheme deductions in Sage Payroll.

This course will provide an introduction to the processes for completing Year End in Sage Payroll, including but not limited to the steps required to register with Revenue Online Services (ROS), how to check for extra pay runs, how to process Leavers and the 3 steps involved in running the Year End.

This course will provide an introduction and basic overview of Xero, including but not limited to the benefits of using Xero and cloud computing, the system requirements for Xero, and how to navigate the Xero Dashboard. 

This course will provide an introduction to setting up the Xero Payroll module, and will include but not be limited to how to assign users with payroll administration access, how to create pay calendars, and how to create holiday groups. 

This course will provide a close look at payroll items in Xero, including but not limited to pay item categories, earnings rates, deductions and reimbursement pay items as well as leave items. 

This course will take a look at new employees and leave requests in Xero, and will include but not be limited to setting up employees, entering opening balances, and assigning leave. 

This course will provide an introduction to pay templates in Xero, and will include but not be limited to how to produce new pay templates, how to apply changes to pay templates and how to apply changes to employee earnings. 

This course will take a close look at creating and posting pay runs in Xero, and will include but not be limited to processing pay runs, creating unscheduled pay runs, reverting posted pay runs and modifying draft payslips. 

This course will provide an overview of payslips and payroll reporting in Xero, and will include but not be limited to accessing historical payslips for employees and how to locate and produce payroll reports.