Account officer vs accountant

The differences between account officers and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an account officer, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an account officer has an average salary of $55,021, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for an account officer include payroll, KYC and external auditors. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Account officer vs accountant overview

	Account Officer	Accountant
Yearly salary	$55,021	$54,890
Hourly rate	$26.45	$26.39
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	135,559	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	8	4

Account officer vs accountant salary

Account officers and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Account Officer	Accountant
Average salary	$55,021	$54,890
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $80,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Citi	Meta
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between account officer and accountant education

There are a few differences between an account officer and an accountant in terms of educational background:

	Account Officer	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Account officer vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between account officers' and accountants' demographics:

	Account Officer	Accountant
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 10.0% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between account officer and accountant duties and responsibilities

Account officer example responsibilities.

Develop RFP responses and consistently demonstrate flawless execution to achieve continual growth in each account.
Perform payroll function such as maintaining timekeeping information, processing and submitting payroll.
Maintain staff payroll and ensure early remittance of statutory deductions to the relevant authorities.
Secure a promotion within one year by assuming journal entry and basic reconciliations responsibilities in addition to already performing AP functions.
Perform charge corrections on specific accounts requiring ICD-9 coding changes.
Review patient's explanation of benefits (EOB) to determine the specific financial obligation.

Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

Account officer vs accountant skills

Common account officer skills

Payroll, 8%
KYC, 7%
External Auditors, 7%
General Ledger Accounts, 7%
Loan Applications, 6%
Real Estate, 6%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%