Senior Trust Accountant

The role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Trust Accountant to own the full accounting and tax-compliance cycle for an allocated portfolio of South African trusts. You will take each file from source records and reconciled books through to management accounts, annual financial statements, tax calculations, SARS submissions and year-end closure.

This is not a bookkeeping-only or tax-return-only role. You must understand what sits behind every balance, reconcile the trust's accounting records to its bank accounts, investments, loan accounts and trustee decisions, and ensure the financial statements and SARS filings tell the same defensible story. You will work closely with AMG's Trust Administrator, the trustees, clients, tax reviewers and external advisers.

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Portfolio accounting and month-end control

• Own the accounting timetable and deliverables for an allocated portfolio, with the frequency and depth of reporting matched to each trust's activities and agreed service level.

• Maintain complete and accurate general ledgers in Xero or the approved accounting system, including properly supported journals and a clear audit trail.

• Prepare and review bank, credit-card and investment reconciliations and investigate unreconciled or unusual items promptly.

• Maintain and reconcile founder, trustee, beneficiary and related-party loan accounts, inter-entity balances and interest calculations; identify potential section 7C or other tax issues for review.

• Account correctly for investment income, rental income, operating income, expenses, asset acquisitions and disposals, distributions and other trust transactions.

• Maintain fixed-asset and investment schedules and reconcile them to external statements and the general ledger.

• Prepare monthly or quarterly management accounts for active, property-holding and trading trusts, with clear commentary on material movements, cash flow and tax exposures where required.

2. Annual financial statements and working papers

• Prepare annual trial balances, lead schedules, reconciliations and complete year-end working-paper files to AMG's review standard.

• Compile annual financial statements in Draftworx or the approved financial-statement software using the reporting framework and disclosures appropriate to the trust.

• Reconcile opening balances and comparatives and ensure that all material balance-sheet and income-statement items are supported.

• Ensure the annual financial statements agree to the accounting records, tax computations, investment and asset schedules, loan accounts, distribution schedules and duly approved trustee resolutions.

• Clear review notes promptly, resolve prior-year differences and maintain a permanent file containing the trust deed, amendments, Letters of Authority and other accounting-relevant governance records.

• Liaise with independent reviewers, auditors and external advisers where an assurance engagement or specialist input is required.

3. Trust income tax and SARS compliance

• Prepare accurate trust income-tax computations and ITR12T returns, including the required financial, demographic and beneficial-ownership information and supporting schedules.

• Prepare provisional-tax calculations and IRP6 submissions for provisional trusts, monitor payments and flag material estimate risk before submission.

• Prepare and reconcile IT3(t) data and submissions for reportable amounts vested or distributed to beneficiaries, ensuring consistency with the annual financial statements, trustee resolutions, beneficiary schedules and ITR12T.

• Calculate and document the tax treatment of retained income, vested income, capital gains, investment income, donations, loan arrangements and distributions; escalate uncertain or high-risk positions for technical review.

• Maintain each trust's SARS compliance calendar and eFiling status and ensure all returns, payments and supporting documents are submitted by the applicable deadlines.

• Prepare complete responses to SARS verifications, audits and requests for relevant material; assist with objections and other tax-administration remedies under senior review.

• Coordinate tax registrations, profile corrections, deregistrations and registered-representative matters with the Trust Administrator where administrative action or trustee documentation is required.

4. Distributions, vesting and year-end planning

• Prepare year-end tax forecasts and distribution or vesting schedules early enough for the trustees and AMG's tax reviewers to consider the available options before the relevant deadline.

• Model and explain the accounting and tax consequences of proposed trustee decisions without making the decision on behalf of the trustees.

• Account for approved vesting and distributions by amount and character and reconcile the entries to signed trustee resolutions and beneficiary records.

• Ensure that beneficiary and third-party information required for ITR12T and IT3(t) reporting is complete, accurate and obtained in time.

• Identify unsupported, late, inconsistent or deed-sensitive instructions and stop and escalate them before they are processed.

5. Trading trusts, VAT and payroll compliance

• For trading trusts, manage the same disciplined monthly accounting cycle expected for an operating business, including revenue, supplier, debtor, payroll and cash controls where applicable.

• Prepare and submit VAT201 returns and maintain VAT reconciliations and supporting records for VAT-registered trusts.

• Process or review payroll and prepare EMP201 and EMP501 reconciliations, EasyFile submissions and related statutory schedules where the trust is an employer.

• Coordinate COIDA Return of Earnings and other employer-compliance information where included in AMG's engagement.

• Ensure tax submissions reconcile to the underlying ledger and that differences between accounting, VAT, payroll and income-tax records are identified and resolved.

6. Client service, collaboration and reporting

• Act as the primary accounting and tax contact for the allocated portfolio and explain trust financial and tax matters clearly and professionally.

• Request source documents and explanations early, follow up consistently and give clients reliable status updates rather than waiting for deadlines to become urgent.

• Work closely with the Trust Administrator so that the accounting records, trustee resolutions, Master records, beneficial-ownership information and SARS submissions remain aligned.

• Liaise professionally with trustees, beneficiaries, attorneys, independent trustees, auditors, banks, investment providers and SARS.

• Maintain an accurate portfolio dashboard showing accounting status, AFS progress, tax deadlines, SARS matters, review notes, blockers and next actions.

• Support and review junior accounting work where allocated, give clear feedback and remain accountable for the final quality of the file.

• Improve recurring checklists, working papers, templates and controls and identify process or technical risks before they affect a client or deadline.

Desired Experience & Qualification

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

• A relevant accounting degree or diploma and completed SAICA or SAIPA articles, or demonstrably equivalent public-practice accounting experience.

• At least four years' accounting and tax experience, including meaningful hands-on responsibility for South African trust accounting, annual financial statements and income-tax returns.

• Direct experience preparing ITR12T returns, trust tax computations, provisional-tax calculations, distribution or vesting schedules and responses to SARS verifications.

• Strong practical experience with Xero or equivalent accounting software, Draftworx or equivalent financial-statement software, SARS eFiling and Microsoft Excel.

• A proven ability to manage a portfolio independently, produce complete review-ready files and meet concurrent accounting and statutory dead