Account technician vs junior accountant

The differences between account technicians and junior accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an account technician, becoming a junior accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an account technician has an average salary of $51,115, which is higher than the $50,444 average annual salary of a junior accountant.

The top three skills for an account technician include veterans, financial statements and patients. The most important skills for a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Account technician vs junior accountant overview

	Account Technician	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$51,115	$50,444
Hourly rate	$24.57	$24.25
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	94,413	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an account technician do?

Account technicians are skilled professionals who are responsible for gathering data and preparing financial statements and reports from the account records they have maintained. These technicians are required to settle accounts with insurance companies and maximize benefits payments received from those companies. They must maintain a client management system for multiple accounts and coordinate marketing outreach for potential and existing clients. Account technicians must also monitor and compile all documents of the department, such as invoices, checks, and financial records.

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Account technician vs junior accountant salary

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

	Account Technician	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$51,115	$50,444
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $97,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Microsoft	Fuhu
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between account technician and junior accountant education

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

	Account Technician	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Account technician vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between account technicians' and junior accountants' demographics:

	Account Technician	Junior Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between account technician and junior accountant duties and responsibilities

Account technician example responsibilities.

Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
Process medical claims and workman compensation claims and Medicare & Medicaid claims.
Review accounts, record payments from first and third party billing to include Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
Close patient contact, appropriate decision-making concerning patient financial affairs and coordination between patients and third-party sponsorship for further financial assistance.
Issue manual checks from QuickBooks as needed.
Construct payment scheduling through utilization of QuickBooks.

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Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

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Account technician vs junior accountant skills

Common account technician skills

Veterans, 13%
Financial Statements, 10%
Patients, 8%
Data Entry, 6%
HR, 5%
Reconciliations, 5%

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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