Sri Lanka
- Time zone
- UTC+5:30
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 4:30am in Colombo
- Typical shift to overlap
- Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST)
Bookkeeping & accounts · Full-time · Sri Lanka & Philippines
Offshore Accounting Support with a Full-Time Accounts Assistant
An offshore accounts assistant is an all-round finance team member who handles data entry, reconciliations, invoicing, expense claims and month-end schedules. Elephant Teams recruits accounts assistants, often accounting graduates, in Sri Lanka and the Philippines for Australian businesses and accounting firms. It's a common first step into offshore accounting.
Australian businesses building offshore teams with Elephant Teams
The generalist your finance team is missing
Specialist roles like AP officer or payroll officer suit businesses with enough volume in one area. Most growing businesses have a bit of everything instead: invoices to raise, receipts to code, a bank rec that's two weeks behind, and an accountant waiting on schedules. An accounts assistant takes that mixed load off the owner or financial controller, and grows into a specialist role later.
Accounting firms also use accounts assistants as offshore graduates. They take on bookkeeping clean-ups, data entry and year-end preparation, freeing senior accountants for advisory and review work.
What your offshore accounts assistant handles
- Data entry and coding. Bills, receipts and sales entered and coded daily, with supporting documents attached.
- Bank and credit card reconciliations. Kept current, with a short list of items that need your answer.
- Invoicing support. Raise customer invoices and send statements on a schedule you set.
- Expense claims. Check claims against your policy, chase missing receipts and process reimbursements for approval.
- Month-end schedules. Accruals, prepayments, fixed asset registers and balance sheet reconciliations prepared for review.
- File clean-ups. Fix miscoded transactions and duplicate contacts in neglected Xero or MYOB files.
- Ad-hoc finance admin. Supplier onboarding, filing, audit document requests and spreadsheet updates.
Software and tools
The skills assessment is matched to your systems. Common ones are Xero, MYOB Business, QuickBooks Online, Dext, Hubdoc, Expensify or Xero Expenses, and strong Excel. Firm-side candidates often know Xero Practice Manager and FYI Docs. Many accounting graduates in both countries have studied and worked with IFRS-based standards, which line up with Australia's AASB framework.
Qualifications we screen
- Sri Lanka: accounting and commerce graduates from universities such as Sri Jayewardenepura and Colombo, many studying CA Sri Lanka, CIMA or ACCA alongside work. They learn quickly and often grow into senior roles.
- Philippines: BS Accountancy graduates, including CPA board passers, and BS Accounting Technology graduates with one to three years in practice or industry.
- Everyone: a skills assessment that can cover coding, a reconciliation with deliberate errors, and a simple accruals schedule.
Sri Lanka vs the Philippines for an accounts assistant
| Sri Lanka | Philippines | |
|---|---|---|
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 | UTC+8 |
| Behind AEST / AEDT | 4.5 hrs / 5.5 hrs | 2 hrs / 3 hrs |
| 9:00am AEST is | 4:30am in Colombo | 7:00am in Manila |
| Typical shift to overlap | Early local start, e.g. 6:00am–3:00pm (10:30am–7:30pm AEST) | Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST) |
Philippines
- Time zone
- UTC+8
- Behind AEST / AEDT
- 2 hrs / 3 hrs
- 9:00am AEST is
- 7:00am in Manila
- Typical shift to overlap
- Standard local day, e.g. 7:00am–4:00pm (9:00am–6:00pm AEST)
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Sri Lanka (UTC+5:30) is 4.5 hours behind AEST and 5.5 behind AEDT. An accounts assistant in Colombo can clear yesterday's transactions and reconciliations before your team logs on, with an overlap window for questions. Sri Lanka's accounting graduates are often studying CIMA, ACCA or CA Sri Lanka alongside work, so they suit businesses that want someone to grow into a bookkeeper or management accountant.
The Philippines (UTC+8) is 2 hours behind AEST, 3 behind AEDT, giving almost full-day overlap. That suits accounts assistants who sit in your team's daily flow: answering colleagues' questions, chasing receipts from staff, or supporting an in-house accountant in real time. The Philippines produces a large number of accountancy graduates each year, and many have worked for Australian clients through outsourcing firms.
The people behind every placement
Our recruiters brief your role, run the skills assessment and interview every candidate before you see a shortlist.
How we screen candidates →
What a shortlist looks like
Example accounts assistant profiles
These illustrative profiles show the experience, qualifications and software we typically see on a accounts assistant shortlist. They are examples, not real candidates. Your shortlist is built from a fresh job ad for your role, and wages are confirmed with you before you commit.
Sri LankaExample profile
Accounts assistant (graduate)
- Experience
- 1–2 years
- Qualification
- BCom, studying CIMA
- Software
- Xero, MYOB Business, Excel
- Typical wage
- A$750–1,050 a month
- Data entry and bank coding
- Supplier statement reconciliations
- Quick learner, growing into bookkeeping
PhilippinesExample profile
Accounts assistant
- Experience
- 2 years
- Qualification
- BS Accounting Technology
- Software
- QuickBooks Online, Dext, Excel
- Typical wage
- A$1,400–1,900 a month
- Invoice processing and filing
- Expense claim checks
- Month-end checklist support
Plan options for an accounts assistant
Because the role is broad, results depend on a clear task list and someone to review the work. If you have that reviewer in-house, Ready for You (employ them yourself or through us) is the efficient choice. If the accounts assistant will be your first offshore hire and you want help writing the role, setting expectations and running check-ins, Managed for You includes that support for 12 months.
| Ready for You | Managed for You | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee | $0 recruitment fee |
| Ongoing | You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month) | $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage) |
| Who employs | You, or Elephant Teams (EOR) | Elephant Teams |
| Included | Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination | Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support |
| Replacement guarantee | 3 months | 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months |
Ready for You
- Upfront
- $5,999+GST one-off recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- You employ them ($0/month), or we employ them as Employer of Record ($350/month)
- Who employs
- You, or Elephant Teams (EOR)
- Included
- Sourcing, screening, interviews, offer and placement, IT setup coordination
- Replacement guarantee
- 3 months
Managed for You
- Upfront
- $0 recruitment fee
- Ongoing
- $1,000/month per team member, 12-month commitment (we employ and manage)
- Who employs
- Elephant Teams
- Included
- Everything in Ready for You, plus onboarding playbooks, HR policy templates, regular check-ins and advisory support
- Replacement guarantee
- 5 months, up to two free replacements in the first 12 months
Swipe to compare 2 options →
Team member wages are paid on top of either plan. Multi-hire savings are available.
IT options (pick any, with any plan): Self-managed, where you or your team member supply the equipment. Hardware coordination, where we buy and configure a laptop that you own. IT management, where we handle devices, setup and security, with leasing available. See IT security.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an accounts assistant and a bookkeeper?
An accounts assistant is a generalist who supports a finance team or accountant across many tasks. A bookkeeper usually owns the whole ledger. Many accounts assistants grow into bookkeeping or management accounting roles.
Can accounting firms hire offshore accounts assistants as graduates?
Yes. Firms often use offshore accounts assistants for data entry, bookkeeping clean-ups and year-end preparation, with senior accountants reviewing the work.
What does offshore accounting support cost?
A local accounts assistant costs about $6,300 a month including super, based on SEEK's median salary (our estimate). We confirm the offshore wage before you commit. Our fee is $5,999+GST once, or $1,000 a month.
Which qualifications do your accounts assistants have?
Typically accounting or commerce degrees. In Sri Lanka, many are studying CA Sri Lanka, CIMA or ACCA. In the Philippines, many are BS Accountancy graduates, including CPA board passers.
Is Sri Lanka or the Philippines better for an accounts assistant?
Sri Lanka suits businesses wanting someone to grow into a qualified accountant. The Philippines suits roles that need constant contact with your team during the day.
Related roles
Hire your accounts assistant in 3–4 weeks
A free 30-minute consultation. We'll recommend a country and setup, and price the role for you.