Accountant interview questions, with worked answers

How to use these questions

Say each short answer out loud until it takes under half a minute. Then pick two points from the full answer and attach a real case: the company, the account, what was wrong and how you fixed it. An interviewer for an accounting job trusts a precise example over a long list of tasks.

What an accountant is expected to know

• The books: bookkeepingAsked in 94% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Post invoices, payments and journal entries correctly, and keep the ledgers reconciled every month., meaning every invoice, payment and journal entry posted to the right account in the right period, and the double entry behind it.
• The close: the month-end close, reconciliations, accruals and deferrals, and a trial balance that adds up.
• The rules: financial reportingAsked in 9% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Prepare the monthly and year-end accounts under the rules that apply: local law, IFRS or US GAAP. under the rules of your country: HGB in Germany, US GAAP in the US, IFRS for listed groups, and the main differences between them.
• Tax: VATAsked in 5% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).VAT returns, the tax side of the year-end, and clean records for the tax adviser or tax team. above all, and the tax side of the year-end.
• Systems: an ERP such as SAP FI/COAsked in 3% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).SAP's finance (FI) and controlling (CO) modules: postings, the general ledger, payments and the close. or NetSuite, DATEVAsked in 21% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The standard accounting software of German tax advisers and many small and mid-sized German companies. in German companies and tax offices, LexwareAsked in 3% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Accounting software for small German companies and the self-employed; simpler than DATEV. in very small German firms, and strong ExcelAsked in 33% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Reconciliations, lookups, pivot tables and checks on large exports from the accounting system..
• Working style: independent workAsked in 21% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Run your own part of the close to the deadline without someone checking each step. to deadlines, and clear communicationAsked in 17% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Explain a posting or a balance to a manager, an auditor or a supplier in plain words. with managers, suppliers and auditors.

The close and reconciliations

Walk me through your month-end close.

What they check: that you know the order of the work, the deadlines, and the checks that make the figures trustworthy.

Short answer: "I post the last invoices and payments, book the accruals and deferrals, run depreciation, reconcile the bank, the customer and supplier ledgers and the other balance sheet accounts, clear any differences, and review the profit and loss against last month and the budget. Then I hand the figures over, on a fixed day, with a short note on anything unusual."

The full answer, in six steps:

1. Cut-off. Make sure every invoice, delivery and payment of the month is in the month, and nothing of next month slipped in.
2. Journal entries. Book what the systems do not book on their own: accruals for costs received but not yet invoiced, deferrals for amounts paid or received in advance, depreciation of fixed assets, payroll if it comes from outside.
3. Subledgers to the general ledger. The customer ledger (accounts receivable) and the supplier ledger (accounts payable) must agree with their control accounts in the general ledger, the main book of all accounts.
4. Reconciliations. Each balance sheet account is matched against proof: the bank statement, a list of open items, a loan statement, an asset register.
5. Review. Compare the profit and loss with last month and the budget; every large change gets an explanation before anyone else asks.
6. Hand-over. Close the period in the system so nothing more can be posted, and send the figures with a short commentary.

A weak answer: "I do whatever is on the checklist." A checklist is good; the interviewer wants to hear that you know why each step is there.

Follow-up: "Which step usually holds the close up?" Name one honestly, often missing invoices or intercompany balances, and what you did to speed it up.

How do you reconcile a balance sheet account, and what do you do with a difference you cannot explain?

What they check: that you match a balance to outside proof, and never book a difference away.

Short answer: "I take the balance in the general ledger, compare it with independent proof such as the bank statement or a list of open items, and list every item that explains the gap. If something is left, I trace it to the posting that caused it. An unexplained difference is reported, with what I have checked, not written off quietly."

The full answer: A reconciliation proves that a balance is real. For the bank, the proof is the bank statement; the gap is made of items in transit, such as a payment booked but not yet cleared. For a supplier account, the proof is the list of open invoices, and old items are a warning sign. Work from the largest items down, look for amounts posted twice, posted with the wrong sign, or posted to the wrong period. Keep each reconciliation with its proof, signed and dated, because the auditor will ask for it.

A weak answer: "If it is small, I book it to other expenses." Follow-up: "The difference has been there for a year." Go back to the month it first appeared and compare the postings of that month line by line.

What is an accrual, what is a deferral, and how do you book each?

What they check: that you put income and costs in the period they belong to, which is the core of accrual accounting.

Short answer: "An accrual books a cost or income that belongs to this month but has not been invoiced yet, such as electricity used in December and billed in January. A deferral moves an amount already paid or received to the months it belongs to, such as an annual insurance paid in January and spread over twelve months."

The full answer: For an accrual, debit the expense and credit an accrued liability, then reverse it when the invoice arrives. For a prepaid cost, the payment goes to a prepayment asset and one twelfth is moved to expense each month. Deferred income works the other way: a customer who pays a year in advance creates a liability that turns into revenue month by month. Under German HGB the prepayments and deferred income are called Rechnungsabgrenzungsposten; the idea is the same under IFRS and US GAAP. A good accrual has a basis you can show: a contract, a delivery note, last month's bill.

A weak answer: "We book costs when the invoice comes." That is cash thinking, not accrual accounting. Follow-up: "How do you estimate an accrual with no invoice at all?" From the order, the contract, or the average of past months, and you check it when the invoice comes.

A supplier invoice dated December arrives in mid-January, after you closed December. What do you do?

What they check: cut-off, judgement about size, and respect for a closed period.

Short answer: "If the cost belongs to December and is large enough to matter, it should be in December. Ideally it was already accrued from the delivery note. If not, I tell the person who owns the close, and for the year-end it is booked into the old year. For a small monthly item, I book it in January and make sure the accrual process catches it next time."

The full answer: The question is materiality, meaning whether an amount is big enough to change what a reader of the accounts would decide. At the year-end the bar is lower, because the annual accounts are audited and taxed. Many companies keep the old year open for a few weeks for exactly these invoices. The lasting fix is upstream: goods received but not invoiced are accrued from the delivery, so a late invoice changes nothing.

A weak answer: "I reopen December and book it." Reopening a closed period without approval breaks the controls. Follow-up: "This happens every month." Then the accrual process is missing something: find which suppliers invoice late and accrue them as standard.

Accounting rules and tax

What are the main differences between IFRS, US GAAP and Germany's HGB?

What they check: that you know which rules apply where, and a few differences that really change the figures.

Short answer: "HGB is German commercial law; it is cautious, built to protect creditors, and closely tied to tax. IFRS are the international standards, required in the EU for the consolidated accounts of listed groups, and built to inform investors. US GAAP are the US rules, detailed and set by the FASB. The differences I meet most are leases, development costs, provisions and the reversal of write-downs."

The full answer, in five points:

1. Where each applies. HGB for the single accounts of German companies and their tax base; IFRS for the group accounts of listed companies in the EU (EU), and in many other countries; US GAAP for US companies and foreign companies listed in the US. In India, Ind AS are India's standards close to IFRS; in the UK, FRS 102 is the UK standard for most private companies.
2. Leases. Under IFRS 16 nearly every lease, an office or a car, goes on the balance sheet as an asset and a debt. US GAAP does the same but keeps a straight-line cost for operating leases. Under German HGB most leases stay off the balance sheet.
3. Development costs. IFRS requires capitalising development costs once strict tests are met; German HGB allows it as a choice; US GAAP mostly treats them as an expense.
4. Prudence. German HGB books expected losses at once and unrealised gains not at all; IFRS aims at a neutral picture and allows some assets at fair value.
5. Write-downs. IFRS allows a write-down of most assets to be reversed when the value recovers; US GAAP does not for assets held and used.

A weak answer: "They are basically the same." Or a long list with no example. Two differences explained well beat ten named.

Follow-up: "Our German subsidiary reports HGB, the group IFRS. How do you bridge them?" Keep the books in HGB, and book the IFRS adjustments, such as leases, in a separate reporting layer each month, with a reconciliation of equity and profit between the two.

How does VAT work, and what is the reverse charge?

What they check: that you can book VAT correctly and know the cross-border case.

Short answer: "A company charges VAT on its sales, the output tax, and reclaims the VAT on its purchases, the input tax. It pays the difference to the tax office in a regular return. Under the reverse charge, for many services between businesses in different EU countries (EU), the buyer books both the output and the input VAT itself, so no VAT is on the invoice."

The full answer: VAT is a tax on consumption that each business in the chain collects and passes on, so for a business it should cost nothing as long as the input tax is claimable. The work is in the details: the right tax code on every invoice, a valid invoice before input tax is claimed, and returns on time. Within the EU the rules rest on the VAT Directive (EU); the UK, Switzerland and India each have their own systems. In Germany the return is filed monthly or quarterly, and since 2025 German businesses must be able to receive e-invoices from other German businesses.

A weak answer: "The tax adviser does the VAT." Follow-up: "An invoice from a supplier in another EU country shows no VAT. What do you check?" That it is a business-to-business service or delivery under the reverse charge, that both VAT numbers are on it, and that the right tax code books both sides.

How do you account for fixed assets and depreciation?

What they check: that you know when a cost becomes an asset and how it is spread over its life.

Short answer: "A purchase that brings benefit over more than a year, such as a machine or a laptop above the company's limit, is booked as a fixed asset at its cost, including delivery and installation. It is then depreciated over its useful life, usually in equal parts each year. I keep the fixed asset register in line with the general ledger and check for assets that were sold, scrapped or lost."

The full answer: The line between an asset and an expense is set by the accounting rules and the company's policy; repairs are usually expenses, improvements that extend the life are assets. Straight-line depreciation is the most common; some assets wear out faster early on. When an asset loses value suddenly, for example a machine no longer used, an impairment test may write it down. Tax depreciation can differ from the accounts, which is why many groups keep two depreciation areas in the system.

A weak answer: "Anything expensive goes on the balance sheet." Follow-up: "The register shows assets nobody can find." Run a physical count, write off what is gone with approval, and agree with the business how disposals are reported in future.

What is a provision, and when do you book one?

What they check: judgement about uncertain costs, and the difference between rule sets.

Short answer: "A provision is a liability of uncertain amount or timing, such as a lawsuit the company will probably lose, warranty repairs, or an unused holiday balance. I book one when there is an obligation from a past event, a payment is likely, and the amount can be estimated reliably."

The full answer: Under IFRS a provision needs all three tests; under German HGB the list is wider, because the German code also requires provisions for some future expenses, such as repairs carried out early in the next year. The estimate must be supported: a lawyer's view, the warranty claims of past years, a calculation of holiday days. Each year the provision is checked, used for the costs it was made for, and released if it is no longer needed.

A weak answer: "We put some money aside in case." A provision with no obligation behind it is a hidden reserve, which the auditors will remove. Follow-up: "The lawsuit might go either way." If a loss is possible but not likely, it is disclosed in the notes, not booked.

Systems, Excel and the audit

Which accounting systems have you worked in, and how quickly do you learn a new one?

What they check: that you know at least one system well and understand what all of them do underneath.

Short answer: "I have posted and closed in SAP FI/COAsked in 3% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).SAP's finance (FI) and controlling (CO) modules: postings, the general ledger, payments and the close. and used DATEVAsked in 21% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).The standard accounting software of German tax advisers and many small and mid-sized German companies. for the German entities with our tax adviser. Every system does the same things underneath: a chart of accounts, subledgers for customers, suppliers and assets, and a period close. Once I know where those are, I am productive in a few weeks."

The full answer: Name the modules or tasks, not only the brand: in SAP, for example, the general ledger, accounts payable and receivable, asset accounting and the payment run. DATEV is the German standard among tax advisers, so in Germany many companies exchange their books with the adviser through it. Younger and international companies often use NetSuite or similar cloud systems. Very small German firms may run LexwareAsked in 3% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Accounting software for small German companies and the self-employed; simpler than DATEV.. Show that you can pull a report, check it in ExcelAsked in 33% of accountant ads (as of 5 Nov 2026).Reconciliations, lookups, pivot tables and checks on large exports from the accounting system., and trace a figure back to the posting.

A weak answer: "I am a fast learner." Everyone says it. Follow-up: "We are moving to a new ERP next year." Say how you would help: clean the open items and master data first, test the opening balances, and run the first close side by side.

How do you use Excel in your accounting work?

What they check: that you can check large amounts of data quickly and without errors.

Short answer: "For reconciliations, checks and analysis on exports from the accounting system: lookups to match two lists, pivot tables to sum by account or supplier, and filters to find duplicates and odd items. I build files so another accountant can follow them, with the source data, the workings and a check that the totals agree."

The full answer: The functions that matter most are a lookup (XLOOKUP or INDEX and MATCH) to match open items with payments, SUMIFS to total by condition, and pivot tables. A good working file has the raw export on one sheet, the workings on another, and a control total that must equal the ledger. For a recurring report, Power BIRead and build simple dashboards of the close, the open items and the cash position. or a saved query saves rebuilding it each month.

A weak answer: "I am an Excel expert." Without an example it means little. Follow-up: "Find the duplicates in a list of ten thousand payments." Sort by supplier, amount and date, or count each combination of supplier and amount and filter the ones that appear more than once.

How do you prepare for the year-end audit?

What they check: that you make the audit short and calm by having every figure ready with its proof.

Short answer: "I agree the timetable and the list of documents the auditors want, the PBC list (prepared by client), early. I make sure every balance sheet account is reconciled with its proof, the provisions and accruals have their workings, and the large or unusual items have a short note. During the audit I answer requests quickly and keep a log of open questions."

The full answer: External auditors test whether the accounts are free of material error. They will ask for samples of invoices and payments, bank confirmations, the asset register, the inventory count, and the reasoning behind every estimate. The fastest audits are the ones where each reconciliation is already filed with its proof. Agree difficult questions, such as a new type of contract, with the auditors before the year-end, not during the audit.

A weak answer: "We send them what they ask for." Follow-up: "The auditors propose an adjustment you disagree with." Ask for their reasoning, go back to the rules and the documents, and take the question to your manager with both views written down.

You find a mistake in a period that is already closed. What do you do?

What they check: honesty, judgement about size, and keeping the controls intact.

Short answer: "I work out how large it is and which periods it affects, and tell my manager the same day. A small error is usually corrected in the current period with a clear explanation. A large one, especially in audited accounts, may need the prior period corrected, which the manager and the auditors decide."

The full answer: Mistakes happen; hiding one is what ends careers. Document what happened, the amount, the accounts affected and why the controls did not catch it. The correcting entry is approved like any other. Then fix the cause, for example a missing review step or a wrong default account in the system, so the same error cannot return.

A weak answer: "I would quietly fix it next month." Follow-up: "The mistake was yours." Say so, and explain what you changed in your own checks.

Senior, chief accountant and head of accounting

These questions come up for senior accountant, chief accountant, accounting manager and head of accounting roles.

As a senior accountant, how would you shorten the month-end close?

What they check: that you can improve a process, not only run it.

Short answer: "I would map the close day by day, find the tasks on the critical path, and move work out of the first days: accruals from standing lists, reconciliations of stable accounts before month end, and automatic matching of bank items. Then I would set a target day and track it each month."

The full answer: Most close time is waiting: for invoices, for other departments, for intercompany partners, for one person who knows a task. A close calendar with an owner and a deadline for every task makes the waiting visible. Agree cut-off times with purchasing and sales, settle intercompany balances before month end, and use materiality, so small estimates do not hold up the whole close. Measure the day the figures are final, and the number of corrections after it.

A weak answer: "Everyone works late in the first week." Follow-up: "The faster close brought more errors." Add review points for the large accounts and keep the tolerance for small estimates.

How do you review a junior accountant's work and keep the controls in place?

What they check: for senior and accounting manager roles, quality through others, and the basics of internal control.

Short answer: "I review the reconciliations and the larger journal entries before the period closes, ask for the proof behind each, and give feedback on the work itself. The controls I insist on are the four-eyes principle, meaning a second person approves, and segregation of duties, so the person who creates a supplier cannot also pay it."

The full answer: Review by risk: the accounts with large balances, many estimates or a history of errors first. A review that only ticks boxes teaches nothing; ask the junior to walk you through one reconciliation and explain each item. In listed US companies the SOX rules in the US require these controls to be documented and tested; in other companies the auditors still look for them.

A weak answer: "I redo their work to be safe." That neither checks nor teaches. Follow-up: "A junior keeps making the same error." Find out whether it is training, the checklist or the system, and fix that.

As chief accountant or accounting manager, how do you prepare the group accounts?

What they check: that you understand consolidation, meaning the accounts of several companies combined as if they were one.

Short answer: "Each company closes its books and sends a reporting package in the group's rules, often IFRS. I agree the intercompany balances, remove sales, debts and profits between group companies, convert foreign currencies, and book the group adjustments. Then I check that the group equity and profit reconcile to the companies' figures."

The full answer: The hardest part is usually intercompany: if one company shows a receivable and the other a different payable, the group cannot close. Agree balances monthly, not only at the year-end, with a fixed date and a rule for who adjusts. Foreign subsidiaries' accounts are converted at the closing rate for the balance sheet and the average rate for the profit and loss. A consolidation tool helps, but a clear timetable and a standard package for every company matter more.

A weak answer: "We add up the companies." Follow-up: "Two group companies disagree on an intercompany balance at the year-end." Trace the open items on both sides, book the item in transit, and fix the process that let it grow.

As head of accounting, what do you report to the CFO each month, and how do you run the team?

What they check: for head of accounting roles and the CFO track, the view across the whole function.

Short answer: "Each month the CFO gets reliable accounts on a fixed day, a short commentary on what moved and why, the cash position, and the risks: open audit points, disputed items, late tax returns. I run the team with a close calendar, clear owners for each account, regular reviews, and a plan for each person to learn the next step."

The full answer: A head of accounting is measured on three things: accounts that are right, accounts that are early, and no surprises at the audit or the tax office. That needs good people, documented processes and systems that do the routine work. Keep a list of improvements, such as automatic bank matching or e-invoicing, and deliver a few each year. Work closely with controlling, tax and treasury, because most errors start where two teams meet.

A weak answer: "I make sure everyone does their job." Follow-up: "Your best accountant resigns a week before the year-end." Show the cover plan you already have: documented tasks, a second person trained on each critical account.

Your CV for these questions

Interviewers for accounting jobs read the CV line by line and ask about each claim, so the lines below set up the answers above. Write one of each under the job where you did it:

A score against a real accountant job then shows which of these lines that employer looks for, and which your CV still leaves unproved.