A treasurer looks after the money of an organisation that is not primarily a business: a club, a school governing body, a body corporate, a non-profit, a church or a committee. The duties come from the organisation’s constitution rather than from an employment contract, and the role is very often voluntary.
This guide covers treasurer duties and responsibilities, the annual cycle the role runs on, and how it differs between committees, schools and companies. It sits in the Management Leadership duties and responsibilities cluster, part of the wider job duties guide.
What Does a Treasurer Do?
The treasurer is accountable to the members for the organisation’s funds. That means keeping accurate records of what came in and went out, making payments only where they were properly authorised, and reporting the financial position honestly at each meeting.
The role carries a trust that is easy to underestimate. A treasurer usually has access to the bank account of an organisation whose members are not watching closely, which is precisely why proper authorisation, dual signatures and regular reporting matter so much.
Key Treasurer Duties and Responsibilities
- Maintaining accurate records of all income and expenditure.
- Banking receipts promptly and keeping supporting documentation for every transaction.
- Making payments only against properly authorised requests and valid invoices.
- Reconciling the bank account regularly and investigating differences.
- Preparing a financial report for each committee or members’ meeting.
- Drafting the annual budget with the committee and monitoring actual spend against it.
- Collecting subscriptions, levies or fees and following up arrears.
- Preparing the annual financial statements for audit, review or independent examination.
- Liaising with the auditor, accountant or examiner appointed by the organisation.
- Ensuring the organisation meets its tax, registration and reporting obligations.
- Safeguarding assets, keeping signatory lists current and maintaining dual authorisation.
- Handing over complete records to the incoming treasurer at the end of the term.
Daily Tasks of a Treasurer
Most treasurer roles are part-time or voluntary, so the work runs on a cycle rather than a working day.
- Ongoing: record income and expenditure as it happens, bank receipts and file supporting documents.
- Weekly or fortnightly: process authorised payments and follow up outstanding subscriptions or levies.
- Monthly: reconcile the bank account and prepare the report for the next meeting.
- At each meeting: present the financial position, answer questions and record decisions on spending.
- Annually: prepare the budget, close off the year, and produce statements for audit or examination.
Treasurer Skills and Competencies
- Accurate record keeping: every rand traceable to a document.
- Basic bookkeeping: enough to keep a cashbook, reconcile a bank account and prepare a simple statement.
- Plain reporting: explaining the financial position to members who are not financially trained.
- Firmness on process: refusing to pay without authorisation, including when the request comes from the chairperson.
- Discretion: handling arrears and members’ financial circumstances sensitively.
- Integrity: the role only works if the members can trust the numbers.
Treasurer Duties by Workplace or Industry
Clubs, Committees and Non-Profits
The constitution sets almost everything: signing authority, spending limits, reporting frequency and the term of office. Duties centre on subscriptions, event income, small payments and an annual set of statements for the members.
School Governing Bodies
Duties are shaped by education legislation and departmental requirements, covering school fees, exemptions, budgets approved by parents, and annual audited statements. Records must withstand departmental scrutiny.
Body Corporates and Homeowners Associations
Duties include levy collection and arrears management, the administrative and reserve funds, insurance renewals and budgets approved at the annual general meeting. Sectional title legislation governs much of the detail.
Companies and Corporate Treasury
In a company the title means something different: managing cash flow, banking relationships, funding and financial risk as a full-time finance role, rather than acting as an elected office bearer.
Treasurer Duties for a CV
A voluntary treasurer role is worth listing: it demonstrates financial responsibility and governance experience. Name the organisation type, the funds handled and the reporting you produced. Use the duties for a CV guide for the method.
- Managed the finances of a non-profit with an annual income of R1.8 million, including all banking and reconciliations.
- Prepared monthly financial reports and an annual budget for a committee of nine members.
- Produced annual financial statements and liaised with the independent examiner, with no findings raised.
- Reduced subscription arrears from 22% to 7% through a structured follow-up process.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
These guides cover the roles and next steps most closely related to this one.
- Chairperson duties and responsibilities
- Bookkeeper duties and responsibilities
- Accountant duties and responsibilities
- Segregation of duties
- Job description duties and responsibilities
Frequently Asked Questions About Treasurer Duties
What are the duties of a treasurer?
Keeping accurate records of income and expenditure, banking receipts, making authorised payments, reconciling the bank account, reporting to each meeting, preparing and monitoring the budget, collecting subscriptions or levies, preparing annual statements, and handing over complete records at the end of the term.
Is a treasurer personally responsible for the organisation’s money?
A treasurer is accountable to the members for keeping proper records and following the constitution. Personal liability depends on the organisation’s legal form and on whether the treasurer acted properly, which is exactly why authorisation, dual signatures and documentation protect the person in the role. Take advice on anything significant.
Does a treasurer need an accounting qualification?
Usually not. Most constitutions require competence and honesty rather than a qualification, and many organisations appoint an external accountant or examiner for the year end. Basic bookkeeping ability and careful record keeping matter more than credentials.
Can the treasurer make payments alone?
Good practice, and most constitutions, require a second authoriser above a low threshold. A treasurer who can both initiate and release payments alone creates a segregation of duties gap that auditors will raise and that exposes the treasurer personally to suspicion.
This page is general information, not legal or accounting advice. The organisation’s constitution and any applicable legislation, such as sectional title or schools legislation, govern the role and take precedence over this guide.
Last reviewed: 2 September 2026