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Office and accounts

Accounts assistant (Tally and GST)

Record a business’s sales, purchases, payments and stock on the computer, and keep the GST records that bills and returns need.

This could suit you if

  • You like numbers and making totals match
  • You are patient and careful
  • You want a steady office job, or to keep the books of your own family business
See the learning pathRelated courses
A student working on accounting software at a computer, with a calculator and notebook, while a teacher explains

On this page

6
kinds of workplace
3
stages to 6 months
8
free ebooks

The work

What the work is

An accounts assistant keeps the books of a business. Every sale, purchase, payment and expense is entered as a voucher in accounting software such as Tally, so the owner can see who owes money, what has been spent and how much stock is left. The assistant also prepares GST invoices, matches the bank statement with the books, and gets the data ready for the accountant who files returns.

Every shop, trader, factory and small company in India has to keep accounts, and many of them use Tally, so the skill is useful almost everywhere. It is also a good base if you later study commerce further.

Where people do this work

  • Shops, traders and distributorsBilling, purchase entries, stock and party accounts.
  • Small and medium companiesAccounts departments handling vouchers, payments and payroll records.
  • Accountants’ and CA firmsEntering clients’ books and preparing data for GST and income tax returns.
  • Factories and workshopsStock of raw material and finished goods, and purchase and sales entries.
  • Schools, hospitals and societiesFee collection, expenses and receipts.
  • Your own family businessProper books save money and trouble at tax time.

A day at work

What a working day looks like

Every workplace is different, but a typical day goes something like this.

  1. Morning

    Collect the previous day’s bills, receipts and bank messages, and enter the sales and purchase vouchers in Tally.

  2. Late morning

    Make GST invoices for today’s sales, record payments received and made, and update the stock.

  3. Afternoon

    Match the bank statement with the books (bank reconciliation), follow up pending payments, and file the paper bills in order.

  4. Month end

    Prepare the sales and purchase registers the accountant needs for GST returns, and check that every total matches.

Skills and tools

What you need to learn

The skills come first; the tools are how you use them. You do not need everything on day one.

Skills

  1. Accounting basics: debit and credit, journal, ledger and trial balance
  2. Tally: creating a company, ledgers, groups, vouchers, inventory and reports
  3. GST basics: GSTIN, tax invoices, input tax credit, CGST, SGST and IGST, and the common returns such as GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B
  4. Bank reconciliation and the cash book
  5. Excel for registers, totals and checking
  6. Accuracy, honesty and keeping financial information private

Software

  • Tally (TallyPrime is the current version)
  • MS Excel or Google Sheets
  • The GST portal, used under your employer’s or accountant’s guidance
  • Net banking statements and UPI reports

Office tools

  • A calculator
  • A printer for invoices and reports
  • Neat paper files for bills and vouchers

Learning path

Your first six months, step by step

A realistic plan if you practise most days, at a course or at home. Go at your own pace: the order matters more than the speed.

  1. Step 1 · First month

    Understand accounts

    • The golden rules of accounting, with journal entries practised on paper
    • Create a sample company in Tally and set up ledgers and groups
    • Enter simple sales, purchase, payment and receipt vouchers
    • Excel basics: tables and SUM
  2. Step 2 · By 3 months

    Keep a full set of books

    • Inventory in Tally: stock items, units and godowns
    • GST in Tally: tax rates, GST invoices, credit and debit notes
    • Bank reconciliation and outstanding reports
    • One full month of made-up business data, entered end to end
  3. Step 3 · By 6 months

    Office-ready

    • What goes into GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B, and how the accountant uses your data
    • Basics of TDS and payroll entries
    • Excel for accounts: SUMIF, VLOOKUP and pivot tables
    • A practice file and your resume

Practice plan

Practise and build a portfolio

Employers and customers want to see what you can do. Build these as you learn, and keep them neat: they speak for you in an interview.

  1. 1

    A year of practice books

    Make up a small trading business and keep its books in Tally for twelve months: purchases, sales, expenses, stock and bank.

  2. 2

    GST invoices and registers

    Print a few GST invoices and a month’s sales and purchase registers from your practice company.

  3. 3

    Reports you can explain

    Profit and loss, balance sheet, stock summary and the outstanding list, with every figure explained.

  4. 4

    An Excel checking sheet

    A sheet that totals a month’s bills and matches them with the figures in Tally.

Getting started

Finding a first job, or starting on your own

Most people start with a junior job or helper role and learn on the job; some build their own small business step by step.

Finding your first job

  1. Ask local accountants and CA firms whether they need help with entries in their busy months; many people start as juniors there
  2. Visit shops, traders and distributors in your market with your resume
  3. Register on the National Career Service portal and well-known job websites
  4. Look for accounts apprenticeships on the Apprenticeship India portal
  5. Tell teachers and relatives in business: small firms often hire people they trust

Starting on your own, safely

  • Part-time bookkeeping for a few small shops: visit weekly, enter their bills and keep their books up to date
  • Leave filing returns, audits and tax advice to a qualified accountant, and work under their guidance for anything to do with them
  • Keep every client’s data private, and never ask for their passwords or OTPs over the phone

Stay safe

Never pay for a job

Fake job offers target people looking for their first job. A real employer never asks you for money.

Watch out for these in accounts assistant (tally) work

  • Anyone asking you to pay for "accounts job training with placement" before an offer letter
  • Urgent instructions by phone or message to pay money from the business account to a new account: always confirm with the owner in person

  • Never pay for a job

    A real employer does not ask for a registration fee, a security deposit, or money for a training kit, ID card or uniform before you join. If someone asks you to pay to get a job, it is a scam.

  • Be wary of easy-money messages

    Offers on WhatsApp or Telegram to earn by liking videos, writing reviews or doing "simple online tasks" are a common fraud. They pay a little at first, then ask you to deposit money for bigger tasks.

  • Check the employer is real

    Look for an office you can visit, an official email address and website, and people who have actually worked there. Search the company name with the word "fraud" before you go.

  • Guard your OTPs and documents

    Never share an OTP, bank PIN or password. Do not send scans of Aadhaar or PAN, or install a screen-sharing app, for anyone you have not checked.

  • Go to interviews safely

    Interviews should be in an office or a public place, in the daytime. Tell a family member where you are going, and leave if anything feels wrong.

  • If you are cheated, act fast

    Call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 straight away, report it at cybercrime.gov.in and tell your bank. The sooner you report, the better the chance of stopping the money.

1930

National cyber crime helplineCheated by a fake job or payment? Call 1930 straight away and report it at cybercrime.gov.in.

Interview tips

How to do well in the interview

  1. 1Expect a practical test: entering a few vouchers in Tally, or making a GST invoice
  2. 2Revise the golden rules and be ready to explain debit and credit simply
  3. 3Know when CGST and SGST apply and when IGST applies
  4. 4Bring your practice reports printed or on a pen drive
  5. 5Check your answers before you hand them in: carefulness is the job

Learn at the institute

Related courses at Gurukul Technicals Institute

These courses teach skills on this page. For the duration, fees and batch timings, ask the head office or your nearest member centre.

All Accounting & Business Software coursesAll Computer & Office Skills coursesAsk which course suits you

Free ebooks

Free books to learn from

Free PDF ebooks for this line of work, to read on your phone or print.

All free ebooks

Questions about becoming a accounts assistant (tally)

Still have a question?

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Do I need to be a commerce student to learn Tally?

No. Students from any stream can learn it, though commerce students find the terms familiar. Learn the basics of accounting before the software, because Tally only makes sense when you know what an entry means.

Is Tally enough, or should I learn Excel too?

Learn both. Tally keeps the books, and almost every accounts office also uses Excel for registers, checking and reports.

Can an accounts assistant file GST returns?

Assistants usually prepare the data and registers. The return is filed by the business or its accountant, who is responsible for it. Learn the process and always work under their guidance.

What is the difference between an accounts assistant and an accountant?

An assistant records the day-to-day entries and keeps the books tidy. An accountant checks them, prepares final accounts and handles tax matters, and some of that work needs professional qualifications. Many people start as assistants and keep studying.

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