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Description

Sole Accountant in an SME: Keeping the Books, Filing Returns and Managing Payroll Inputs

Take sole responsibility for the accounts, tax obligations and payroll administration of a small organisation

  • 3 days — 21 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

In a small organisation, one person records the invoices, monitors cash, prepares the VAT return, submits payroll data and answers directly to the owner. Nothing is reviewed by a second pair of eyes before the external accountant or auditor steps in, and omissions surface far too late.

Three days to organise the role as a whole: bookkeeping and regular controls, periodic tax obligations, payroll inputs and employee administration, the working relationship with the external accountant, and dashboards for the owner. The emphasis is on structuring a multi-skilled position rather than on individual journal entries.

Learning objectives

  • Organise the bookkeeping routine and the calendar of periodic obligations
  • Prepare value added tax returns and check their consistency
  • Submit reliable payroll inputs and track employee-related filings
  • Monitor cash position and alert the owner in good time
  • Organise exchanges with the external accountant through to year-end closing

What makes this programme different

An annual compliance calendar is built and then adapted to each organisation
A handover file template for the external accountant is created in session
A monthly dashboard for the owner is built during the programme

Programme

1Organising the role

Working alone without losing track

  • Annual calendar of filing and reporting obligations
  • Document flow and filing system
  • Regular control points on sensitive accounts
  • Securing continuity when the post holder is absent

2Bookkeeping and controls

Building reliability as you go

  • Recording the purchase, sales and cash cycles
  • Matching and substantiating receivable and payable accounts
  • Bank reconciliations and petty cash monitoring
  • Spotting anomalies before handover

3Routine tax obligations

Filing accurately and on time

  • Preparing the value added tax return
  • Consistency checks between the accounts and the return
  • Special treatments and cross-border transactions
  • Tracking the company's other tax deadlines

4Employee administration and payroll inputs

Submitting reliable data

  • Collecting payroll variables and plausibility checks
  • Accounting for payroll and related charges
  • Tracking payroll-related filings and deadlines
  • Managing absences, joiners and leavers

5Cash, external accountant and reporting

Informing the owner's decisions

  • Cash forecasting and monitoring of due dates
  • Assembling the handover file for the external accountant
  • Preparing year-end closing items
  • Monthly dashboard and useful indicators

Who is it for

Sole accountants, multi-skilled accounting assistants and administrative managers who handle the accounts of a small or medium-sized company on their own.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with everyday accounting entries.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.