Accounting and Financial Reporting Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Accountants, Finance Officers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-A-079

Before you join: Participants should understand basic double-entry bookkeeping, including debits, credits, revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities and equity.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Poorly structured accounting records create late reconciliations, unreliable management reports, missed tax obligations and avoidable pressure at month end. QuickBooks Online can reduce manual handling, but only when transactions are classified correctly, bank activity is reconciled, period-end adjustments are controlled and reports are interpreted rather than simply exported. Finance staff need a repeatable method for turning day-to-day entries into credible financial information.

This course develops practical QuickBooks Online accounting and financial reporting skills for people responsible for sales, purchases, banking, journals, tax records and management reporting. Participants configure a reporting-ready chart of accounts, record customer and supplier transactions, manage bank feeds and reconciliation, post adjusting journals, and prepare reports for decision-makers. The course also covers accounts receivable and payable ageing, sales tax settings, budget-versus-actual analysis, cash forecasting, audit trails, user permissions and a disciplined month-end close.

Instructor-led teaching combines short technical briefings with realistic accounting cases, guided QuickBooks Online simulations, group review of transaction evidence and application planning. Participants work through reporting issues such as unmatched bank items, duplicate expense risks, overdue receivables and unexplained ledger movements. They leave with a practical accounting operations pack containing reusable checklists, report designs, control matrices and a first-month improvement plan. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the course.

The course is well suited to accounting professionals, finance administrators and business managers who already handle financial transactions and need stronger control of QuickBooks Online records and reports. It is delivered over five days in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online.

What you will be able to do

  • Configure a QuickBooks Online company file, chart of accounts and user controls
  • Record sales, purchasing and expense transactions using appropriate accounting treatments
  • Reconcile bank, credit-card and undeposited-funds balances using source evidence
  • Post period-end journals for accruals, prepayments, depreciation and corrections
  • Prepare and interpret profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow reports
  • Apply sales tax settings, tax codes and filing reconciliations accurately
  • Analyse budget variances and prepare a rolling cash forecast
  • Implement a month-end close checklist and financial reporting timetable

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce accurate QuickBooks Online reports without relying on manual spreadsheets
  • Identify and correct reconciliation errors before they distort financial statements
  • Explain report movements using transaction evidence and account-detail analysis
  • Build a repeatable month-end close process for assigned accounting responsibilities
  • Improve confidence handling tax codes, adjusting journals and cash forecasts

For your organisation

  • Faster month-end reporting through defined reconciliations, adjustments and review steps
  • Fewer posting errors from consistent chart-of-accounts and transaction workflows
  • Better cash decisions using receivables, payables and rolling forecast information
  • Stronger audit readiness through documented approvals, audit logs and retained evidence
  • More useful management reports with classes, locations, budgets and variance commentary

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can configure a QuickBooks Online file for controlled transaction processing and reporting.

  • QuickBooks Online company settings aligned with reporting currency, tax, and fiscal year
  • Chart of accounts design using account types, detail types, and numbering conventions
  • Accounting equation mapped to QuickBooks Online transactions and financial statement effects
  • Opening balances entered with documented source records and reconciliation dates
  • User roles, audit log, and closing date controls configured appropriately
  • Classes, locations, and custom fields structured for management reporting
  • Data migration scope assessed through opening-trial-balance and contact-data checks

Participants can process customer transactions and monitor receivables accurately.

  • Customer records, payment terms, and product-service items maintained accurately
  • Sales invoices created with tax codes, due dates, and supporting references
  • Estimates converted to invoices while preserving approval and change records
  • Credit notes and delayed charges posted using appropriate customer workflows
  • Sales receipts, deposits, and undeposited funds distinguished before bank matching
  • Accounts receivable ageing reviewed for collection priorities and disputed balances
  • Revenue recognition timing assessed under accrual accounting principles

Participants can record supplier costs, manage outstanding bills and support accurate expense reporting.

  • Supplier profiles, payment terms, and expense categories established consistently
  • Purchase bills recorded against correct accounts, tax codes, and due dates
  • Billable expenses assigned to customers with supporting documentation retained
  • Purchase orders and bills tracked through approval and receipt controls
  • Supplier credits applied against outstanding bills without duplicating expenses
  • Accounts payable ageing analysed to schedule payments and protect cash
  • Accruals and prepayments adjusted using period-end supporting schedules

Participants can manage bank transactions and complete evidence-based account reconciliations.

  • Bank feeds connected, reviewed, and governed through source-document retention
  • Transactions matched using payee, amount, date, and reference evidence
  • Bank rules built with conditions, allocations, and exception controls
  • Transfers, owner draws, loans, and credit-card payments classified correctly
  • Undeposited funds reconciled to deposit slips and merchant settlement reports
  • Monthly bank reconciliation completed by investigating timing and posting differences
  • Cash position monitored using cleared balances and short-term commitments

Participants can prepare, support and review journal entries for accurate period-end reporting.

  • Journal entries prepared with debit-credit logic, narrations, and documentary support
  • Accrued expenses, depreciation, and prepaid costs adjusted at period end
  • Fixed-asset additions, disposals, and depreciation schedules maintained accurately
  • Loan principal, interest, and finance charges separated within repayment postings
  • Suspense accounts investigated using transaction trails and correcting journals
  • Retained earnings and owner equity movements reviewed before financial reporting
  • Audit log evidence used to trace edits, deletions, and user actions

Participants can apply tax codes and reconcile tax reporting information before filing.

  • Sales tax centre configured for registration status, rates, and filing frequency
  • Tax codes assigned consistently to taxable, exempt, zero-rated, and out-of-scope transactions
  • Tax liability report reconciled to sales, purchases, and adjustment journals
  • Tax adjustments documented with authority notices and approved working papers
  • Cash versus accrual tax reporting selected according to filing requirements
  • Tax return figures reviewed against supporting ledgers before submission
  • Jurisdiction-specific filing deadlines and records retained using compliance calendars

Participants can customise, validate and interpret core financial reports for management use.

  • Profit and loss reports customised by period, class, location, and comparison column
  • Balance sheet balances analysed through account detail and reconciliation evidence
  • Statement of cash flows interpreted using operating, investing, and financing categories
  • Accounts receivable and payable ageing reports converted into action priorities
  • General ledger and trial balance filtered to investigate unexpected movements
  • Memorised reports saved with distribution lists and consistent report dates
  • Management commentary distinguishes actual results, drivers, risks, and required actions

Participants can build budgets, analyse material variances and prepare short-term cash forecasts.

  • Budgeting feature configured with fiscal periods, classes, and account-level assumptions
  • Revenue forecasts built from customer pipeline, volumes, pricing, and collection timing
  • Expense budgets based on payroll, contracts, purchasing plans, and seasonality
  • Budget-versus-actual reports analysed using variance amount, percentage, and driver
  • Rolling cash forecast linked to receivables, payables, payroll, and debt
  • Scenario assumptions documented for base, downside, and growth cases
  • Corrective actions assigned from material variances and forecast shortfalls

Participants can establish accounting controls and coordinate a disciplined month-end close.

  • Segregation-of-duties matrix assigns entry, approval, payment, and reconciliation responsibilities
  • Approval workflows documented for bills, credits, journals, and supplier changes
  • User-access review tests permissions against job responsibilities and risk exposure
  • Month-end close checklist sequences reconciliations, adjustments, review, and sign-off
  • Exception reports identify duplicate payments, aged balances, and unusual journals
  • Source documents retained under a defined naming, storage, and retrieval protocol
  • Accountant access coordinated through secure invitations and clearly defined responsibilities

Participants can define practical improvements for their own accounting and reporting responsibilities.

  • Month-end reporting timetable assigns owners, deadlines, dependencies, and review points
  • Report pack combines financial statements, key ratios, variances, and commentary
  • Current QuickBooks file reviewed against a structured data-quality checklist
  • Priority corrections sequenced by materiality, control risk, and reporting deadline
  • Stakeholder questions answered using drill-down evidence and reconciled report balances
  • Personal application plan defines first-month actions, owners, and success measures
  • Recurring review cycle scheduled for bank feeds, close tasks, and reports

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. QuickBooks Online company setup checklist
  2. Month-end close checklist
  3. Bank reconciliation investigation template
  4. Financial report pack template
  5. Segregation-of-duties matrix
  6. Rolling cash forecast model

Who should attend

  • Accountants — need reliable transaction processing and reporting controls
  • Finance Officers — manage day-to-day sales, purchases, banking and reconciliations
  • Bookkeepers — require stronger QuickBooks Online workflows and period-end discipline
  • Accounts Payable Officers — need accurate supplier, bill and payment records
  • Accounts Receivable Officers — need effective invoicing, collections and ageing analysis
  • Finance Managers — review reports, controls, variances and close performance

Skills and tools covered

QuickBooks Online accountingBank reconciliationFinancial statement analysisMonth-end closeSales tax reportingCash flow forecasting

Tools and standards

QuickBooks Online, Bank Rules, Chart of Accounts, Audit Log

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by guided QuickBooks Online demonstrations, accounting cases and structured group exercises. Participants process realistic sales, purchasing, banking and period-end scenarios, then review the resulting reports against source documents and control requirements. Simulations focus on bank matching, correcting journals, tax reconciliation and report investigation. Facilitated discussion links QuickBooks Online settings to accounting policy, segregation of duties and management reporting needs. Each participant finishes with application planning for their own reporting cycle.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic double-entry bookkeeping, including debits, credits, revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities and equity. Experience entering invoices, bills, payments or bank transactions in any accounting system is expected. Familiarity with Excel and routine financial documents, such as invoices and bank statements, is helpful. Participants do not need prior QuickBooks Online experience, accounting qualifications, programming skills or advanced financial reporting knowledge. The course explains QuickBooks Online workflows while assuming that attendees can recognise the purpose of common accounting transactions.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand basic bookkeeping and have experience with ordinary financial transactions, such as invoices, bills or payments. Prior use of QuickBooks Online is not required, but the course moves beyond entry-level accounting concepts.

Bring a laptop for live online delivery and, where possible, for classroom learning. Participants may also bring a sanitised chart of accounts, month-end checklist or sample report questions from their workplace, provided no confidential data is shared.

It suits accountants, finance officers, bookkeepers, accounts payable and receivable staff, and finance managers with accounting responsibilities. It is particularly useful for people who need to improve report quality and close discipline in QuickBooks Online.

Basic bookkeeping courses focus on accounting principles, while Excel courses focus on spreadsheet analysis and modelling. This course applies accounting principles within QuickBooks Online and concentrates on controlled transaction processing, reconciliation and financial reporting.

Participants can apply the methods to clean up account structures, improve bank matching, investigate report balances and formalise month-end responsibilities. The takeaways provide starting points for reporting packs, control reviews and cash forecasting.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily. Ten modules progress from setup and transaction processing through reconciliation, reporting, control design and application planning, with breaks scheduled around teaching activities.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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