The document outlines the core competencies of a bookkeeper for the Indiana Secretary of State's office. It states that the bookkeeper's top priority is processing and reporting the daily deposit from the previous day's revenue. The bookkeeper is also expected to research potential refund requests daily and reconcile accounts between the Secretary of State's records and those of the State Auditor's office on a daily basis to catch errors early. Maintaining communication with the Director of Operations by providing regular reports and updates is also listed as an important bookkeeper responsibility.

1. Indiana Secretary of State Bookkeeper Manual
III. Core Competencies
III. Core Competencies
The Bookkeeper’s top priority is to process and report a Daily Deposit. The Daily
Deposit represents all revenue received by the Secretary of State’s Office from the previous
business day. This should be the first task performed in the Bookkeeper’s workday. This will
allow sufficient time for self-auditing, accuracy, and to troubleshoot potential problems.
Statistically, the Bookkeeper will receive 5 to 6 requests for refunds on any given
business day. The Bookkeeper is expected to research any potential refund requests daily.
Documentation, processing, and mailing of the refund paperwork must be completed every
business day.
Customers who submit a high frequency of filings in the Business Services Division
find that a prepaid account is a time-saver. These customers will deposit funds into their
specific prepaid accounts. It operates similar to a standard checking account. When filings
are processed, the funds are withdrawn from the remaining balance. It is essential that
monthly statements be mailed to these customers. These customers need to reconcile their
perspective accounts using the statements provided by the Bookkeeper.
These customers will call to inquire about their account balance to ensure adequate
funds remaining for the business they wish to conduct. These phone calls, like all others, must
be returned within 24 hours.
The only time the Bookkeeper should not answer the phone is during preparation of
the Daily Deposit - all other tasks can be put on hold briefly to ensure the highest degree of
customer service.
Reconciliation occurs when the Secretary of State’s general ledger of activity is
compared with another entity’s ledger that is also recording activity. The most common form of
reconciliation will occur between the Secretary of State’s documentation of activity and that of
which is from the State Auditor’s Office.
Reconciliation should be done on a daily basis. This allows potential errors to be
caught early, and simplifies troubleshooting. The smaller the scope the error occurred in, the
easier it is for the Bookkeeper to resolve.
Reconciliation should be done daily on two fronts. The first, during the daily deposit
of revenue – the Bookkeeper will verify the revenue amounts provided by the specific Division
III-1

2. Indiana Secretary of State Bookkeeper Manual
III. Core Competencies
reports. If these numbers do not match, the Bookkeeper should bring it to the attention of the
Director of Operations.
The second is in regards to the Auditor’s system information. Keystroke errors are
a real possibility and the Auditor’s Office may mistakenly enter an incorrect value. The
Bookkeeper will utilize the program, Alchemy to verify the integrity of the deposit.
Reconciliation will be covered in subsequent chapters in greater detail.
Proper recording of all account activity is a direct reflection of the integrity of the
position holder in order to properly service our customers, meet regulations, and influence
business decisions. The Bookkeeper enjoys the luxury of being able to quantify any upcoming
needs.
EXAMPLE: Bookkeeper notices trend in Loan Broker applications in the last 2 months
equal to nearly 3x the amount in the same months the year prior.
Information provided by the Bookkeeper can be used to evaluate outreach
programs, an argument for additional staff could be made, etc. The Bookkeeper, who properly
analyzes the data reported, can ensure that our customers are serviced the best way possible.
The Bookkeeper must maintain communication with the Director of Operations on a
frequent basis. This includes updating excel spreadsheet files for each Fund/Center. Monthly
reports of activity must be e-mailed to the Director of Operations, as well as any activity that is
not standard. Information updated on the excel spreadsheets will be made available to the
Director and the Executive Staff on the shared drive.
III-2