[Anonymous]

If you’re new to the public accounting, how would you suggest a new staff person to get more chargeable hours? At my firm we have a requirement of 1600 chargeable hours that have to be met in each year. If you receive a schedule from your manager with the jobs you’re scheduled to be on and you see that you have just as much available time than you do billable time, what should you do? Is it the managers responsibility to ensure that you at least have the number of hours that the firm requires?

[Anonymous]

We are the Delta Riders…

[krokofilen]

It's the responsibility of the managers, your counselor, staff planing and ultimately the office leadership to make sure you get enough on your agenda.

This is what you need to do:

1. Speak to your counselor, see if this is “normal” or if he/she could help you dig up some more work

2. Speak to the seniors and the managers on each of your teams, and let them know that you have unallocated time

3. Get to know people in the office by speaking to them by the coffee machine or whatever, that way letting them know that you exist and that you have unallocated time

If you do this, then you've done everything you can do. The rest will solve by itself, least thing you're gonna have to worry about is being out of work in the longrun.

Big 4 Audit Manager from Europe here to pass the CPA in the U.S. of A in 2014! Niiice!

AUD - 95 / Jul 15 / 130h over 4 weeks
FAR - 86 / Aug 14 / 240h over 4 weeks
(11 week break)

REG - 81 / Nov 14 / 200h over 4 weeks
BEC - 87 / Nov 17 / 30 h over 2.5 days

[Anonymous]

It is YOUR responsibility to make sure you get enough billable hours. But follow krokofilen's steps to get there, defnitely.

Just don't think that if you haven't met your hours, that when you sit down at your review it's going to fly for you to say, “But it's your responsibility to give me enough work!” Uh-uh. Seniors and managers are busy. They don't know what's going on with you on a day-to-day basis, so they expect you to speak up and offer your assistance when you have down time.

Either way, if you're a staff working in public and you're not meeting 1600, you have found a rare company. A lot of places I've seen want 2300 total hours including holidays, PTO, CPE, admin, etc., and 1800+ of those to be billable. My firm was like yours, where 1600 was the target, but it was common to hit your billable hours by mid-October.

Also, if you're new, they may just be leaving your schedule open, because they don't yet know what your strengths are, and will throw you in where they think you'll fit best later.

[krokofilen]

CPA means Cant Pass Again:

Dude, it's not a newly hired staff person's responsibility to be fully booked on engagements. That's pure BS. I've been a Manager within Big 4 long enough to be able to tell you that. It is, however, everyone's duty to communicate with others in the office to make sure everyone knows there's unallocated time… that's not the same thing as saying it's your own responsibility to make sure there's enough for you to do.

Big 4 Audit Manager from Europe here to pass the CPA in the U.S. of A in 2014! Niiice!

AUD - 95 / Jul 15 / 130h over 4 weeks
FAR - 86 / Aug 14 / 240h over 4 weeks
(11 week break)

REG - 81 / Nov 14 / 200h over 4 weeks
BEC - 87 / Nov 17 / 30 h over 2.5 days

[krschneids]

I agree with @krokofilen. Send out an email to the seniors and managers within your industry team letting them know you have availability to help out with anything.

You could also email the person in charge of scheduling and ask him/her to pass your name along to anyone needing assistance.

This will show some major initiative on your part!

AUD 79 (7/14)
FAR 78 (7/14)
REG 78 (8/14)
BEC 81 (10/14)

[Anonymous]

@krok: All I meant is that a staff person can't sit back idle and think it's okay that they don't have the required billable hours simply because they weren't assigned them when they received their schedule. It has been my experience that you speak up and offer your assistance when you are free, and it is not everyone else's responsibility to check on you to make sure you're on track to meet your goal. It's your OWN responsibility to speak up and get what's available. That's all.

[Ntw6817]

@CPA means Can't Pass Again I'm a tax staff associate at a 100 person public accounting firm and our billing requirement is 1450 for the year.

[Anonymous]

Come on folks. Back when my mother was in the Big Four, she cranked out several 3000+ billable hour years. Plus she taught audit entry. Stay late and wait for the 9-5ers leave, that'll give you some opportunities.

[UM1868]

Where in the world do you work?

We had people work 500 over your goal as a first year in Big 4?

Bec-76 (7/14)
Aud-81 (8/14)
Reg-82 (7/15)
Far- 82 (10/15)

Moral of the story, don't do your CPA while working in Big 4 Public Accounting.

[UM1868]

Also,

Do well on your engagements, and people will start picking you up if you ask them if they need help

Bec-76 (7/14)
Aud-81 (8/14)
Reg-82 (7/15)
Far- 82 (10/15)

Moral of the story, don't do your CPA while working in Big 4 Public Accounting.

[UM1868]

@CJ Soccer.

3000 Hours assuming she took some of her vacay, is roughly 64 hours a week, every week.

I would say I work over 50 hours half the year and 50 the rest. So 50 hours for half the year would be 1175 hours.

3000-1175=1825 hours for the othe half of the year.

1825/23.5 weeks=78 hour weeks for half the year.

-So my point is, I am calling you a liar. Also, I work for one of the highest utilization rate offices in my Big 4 firm. I was top 10 in utilization last month for my firm. (utilization is Hours worked/Scheduled Billable hours). I find your comment misleading.

Bec-76 (7/14)
Aud-81 (8/14)
Reg-82 (7/15)
Far- 82 (10/15)

Moral of the story, don't do your CPA while working in Big 4 Public Accounting.

[Author]

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