Expense administrators are responsible for making sure that employees at companies generate expense reports that are in line with established rules and are accurate before these organizations can reimburse them. Professionals in this industry must have solid math and analytical skills and use good judgment constantly. If you want to become an expense administrator, you have to complete four years of post-secondary schooling. Gaining real-world experience also shows employers that you are passionate about the field and will make you more attractive to fiscal departments.
A person who desires to become an expense administrator needs to complete a bachelor’s degree in business at a college or university. This type of degree program lasts four years and accepts students who have their high school diplomas or the equivalent certifications. You also have to complete your school’s enrollment form, turn in your high school transcript, and submit any results that you have from recently-taken standardized tests.
Business and finance classes are foundational to a training program in this career area. You must learn how to regularly generate accounting reports as well as audit employee expense reports to make sure that they meet both company requirements and relevant industry fraud regulations. This is important because some employees inflate their expense reports or request reimbursements for job-related items that they never bought — both methods to steal money from their companies. You can get into trouble if you do not pay close attention to these personnel documents, so you must be detail-oriented and be willing to be confrontational when necessary if you plan to become an expense administrator.
Although some companies do not necessarily require field experience when hiring job candidates in this field, it does make you more competitive in the market. Internships are available at multiple private companies and even with government organizations. You must practice establishing strong relationships with people in various parts of your organization and strive to improve your communication skills. Acquiring experience with training staff on organizational expense protocol as well as comparing employee reports with company credit card statements is vital to become an expense administrator.
Staying current on industry requirements also is necessary to succeed in expense administration. You need to be willing to attend conferences or complete continuing education courses to keep your knowledge up-to-date on spreadsheet software and accounting systems, which you must use often if you seek to become an expense administrator. These training sessions will also give you information on critical new legislation in the accounting and finance industry.
