If you've got an accounting background and would like to get into the travel business, an income auditor position could be a good match for you. Although some restaurants use income auditors, the position is usually found as a part of a hotel's accounting team. Income auditors review the income that comes in from all of a hotel's or other organization's various revenue streams and report to management on their findings.
Data Collection
An income auditing position starts with collecting data on a hotel or restaurant's income. This includes reviewing cash accounting statements, as well as credit card transaction logs. As an income auditor, you'll also have to pull data from multiple departments to reflect what the facility earned from rooms, food and beverage and even farther-flung departments such as the health club. You also review the work of the night auditor to ensure that it's accurate.
Reporting
After auditing the data you collect, you'll report to the hotel's management on what you found. You'll report out on when you find a cash drawer that is short or that has more money than it should. Verifying deposits, tracking department rebates and checking the accounting coding of the previous day's transactions are all your responsibility. Income auditors also usually check and distribute daily gross revenue reports.
Skills
You'll have to be skilled at accounting and finance to be an income auditor. These skills also include the ability to do math and computer skills that let you operate your company's accounting systems. As an auditor, you spend time working with people, as well as with computers and reports. It'll be your responsibility not just to track down inconsistencies, but also to figure out where they came from and how to fix them. This means that you'll be working with people throughout your organization, as well as reporting up the chain on what you find.
Education and Experience
Many hotels prefer that their income auditors hold a college degree, and a degree in hotel or hospitality management or finance is preferable. However, others will allow applicants to substitute experience for education. Experience is also desirable, with some organizations looking for applicants who have already spent time as a part of a hotel's accounting staff or working in an accounting department in another field.
References
Writer Bio
Steve Lander has been a writer since 1996, with experience in the fields of financial services, real estate and technology. His work has appeared in trade publications such as the "Minnesota Real Estate Journal" and "Minnesota Multi-Housing Association Advocate." Lander holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Columbia University.