Accounting Technician

Summary

The Accounting Technician maintains and reconciles financial accounts and ledgers; verifies and codes transactions; reviews documents for accuracy, validity, and budget compliance; resolves discrepancies; updates vendor records; and supports timely payments. Prepares financial reports, processes fund transfers, controls funds, and estimates and records service accruals.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintains, audits, and reconciles general and subsidiary ledger accounts to support accurate and timely financial reporting, proper accounting practices, and control of funds. Ensures account balances and supporting records are complete, accurate, and consistent.
• Examines, verifies, and maintains financial accounts and accounting data. Reviews transactions and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, proper classification, and consistency with the applicable appropriation, general ledger, and subsidiary accounts.
• Reviews and classifies financial transactions associated with Regional Office operations. Determines the general ledger accounts, journals, and subsidiary accounts affected by each transaction and identifies the appropriate debit and credit entries.
• Identifies erroneous accounting conditions, researches the nature and source of discrepancies, and prepares corrective or adjusting journal entries. Records adjustments against the correct appropriations and related accounts to resolve errors and maintain accurate financial records.
• Posts and maintains manual and computerized ledgers and related subsidiary journals. Establishes routines for transaction input and reconciles subsidiary records with controlling general ledger accounts using approved formulas and procedures.
• Receives and analyzes financial documents to determine propriety, validity, budget availability, expenditure limitations, and the completeness and correctness of accounting data. Verifies that transactions are properly supported before processing.
• Matches disbursement documents with obligation documents and verifies that required information is accurate and complete. Confirms that receipt of goods, supplies, or services has been certified and that supporting documentation is sufficient for payment processing.
• Classifies documents by cost, assigns appropriate accounting codes, and posts information for input into the Financial Management System (FMS). Researches, interprets, and verifies which appropriations and general ledger accounts each document and subsequent transaction affect.
• Monitors, updates, and enters information into current vendor records to support prompt payment through FMS. Reviews vendor information for completeness and accuracy and addresses discrepancies that could delay payment processing.
• Prepares reconciliations of general ledger balances to subsidiary accounts. Reconciles accounting system output with input to verify accuracy, identify differences, and ensure that processed transactions are reflected correctly in financial records.
• Prepares accruals, adjusting journal entries, accounting reports, and special reports. Ensures reports are accurate, complete, and timely and reflect reconciled account balances, appropriate adjustments, and supporting accounting information.
• Reviews pending transactions and unresolved items, identifies those outstanding for excessive periods, and ensures appropriate follow-up action is taken. Researches outstanding issues and makes necessary corrections or adjustments to support timely resolution.
• Prepares all necessary documentation for intra-agency and inter-agency transfers of funds. Verifies the appropriations and accounts affected and records the related transactions to maintain accurate balances and proper fund control.
• Develops estimates of accruals for personal services and other services. Assigns appropriate accounting codes and enters accrual information into the financial system to support accurate recording and reporting of expenses.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/23/2026.
Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.
You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Examines, verifies, classifies, and maintains financial accounts and transactions for accuracy and completeness. Reviews supporting documents for validity, budget compliance, expenditure limits, and receipt of goods or services. Maintains and reconciles general and subsidiary ledgers, investigates discrepancies, and records corrective entries in appropriate accounts. Codes and enters transactions into the Financial Management System (FMS), maintains vendor records, and supports timely payments. Ensures fund control and prepares accurate, timely financial reports. Researches appropriation requirements, processes intra- and inter-agency fund transfers, and estimates and records accruals for personal and other services.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.