What is a Recordkeeper?

A recordkeeper is an office employee who works with, organizes and stores information such as reports, files, meeting minutes, ledgers and miscellaneous correspondence. He or she is responsible for keeping records orderly as well as easily accessible for other workers, or outside parties such as lawyers who may need the information. A company's financial books, files and receipts must be kept in an up-to-date order by a recordkeeper for tax purposes.

Tax records must be maintained and constantly updated in a thorough manner, including breakdowns of expenses. Financial records such as receipts are needed to prove the information on company tax returns. Business financial record management is divided into the main categories of receivable and payable. Accounts receivable is payment made by customers, while payable transactions are equipment and other items the company purchases.

A recordkeeper must maintain a list of clients who are overdue in their payments, because this accounts for a deficit, or reduction, in what the company should have received for payments according to its invoicing. Invoices are issued at the time a customer receives a good or service and are numbered in consecutive order. Cash customers pay invoices immediately, while those with credit accounts pay their account total each month or other agreed upon schedule. Recordkeepers must be sure all invoices are accounted for; any canceled customer orders are marked as "void," while statements are issued to credit customers. Statements are documents sent regularly to credit clients that include the amounts they have or haven't paid toward invoices on their credit accounts.

Recordkeepers categorize cash, sales, payroll and company purchases into easy-to-locate information that fits into an overall system such as computerized accounting software. In computerized accounting systems, recordkeepers may be responsible for downloading a company's bank information into software programs. Backing up files in case of an office fire or other emergency is another common responsibility. In some cases, a recordkeeper may still need to hand record some receipts and items in a ruled ledger book. Recordkeepers are often in charge of petty cash and keeping track of office supply purchases.

An efficient recordkeeper organizes and files items daily rather than letting receipts and information pile up. Such daily recordkeeping is a main part of this type of office worker's job, but other administrative work may be assigned. Recordkeepers often take minutes at meetings, before distributing and later storing the information.