Accountant assistant vs certified public accountant

The differences between accountant assistants and certified public accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an accountant assistant and a certified public accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $40,537 average annual salary of an accountant assistant.

The top three skills for an accountant assistant include customer service, data entry and payroll taxes. The most important skills for a certified public accountant are CPA, customer service, and IRS.

Accountant assistant vs certified public accountant overview

	Accountant Assistant	Certified Public Accountant
Yearly salary	$40,537	$76,693
Hourly rate	$19.49	$36.87
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	63,247	78,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant assistant do?

An accountant assistant is responsible for assisting the operations of a finance department, performing administrative and clerical tasks as advised. Accountant assistants create budget reports, process invoices, and manage accounts receivable. They also document purchase orders, monitor the payroll release, complete bank reconciliations, update the company's account statements and escalate discrepancies, assist with audit preparations, and sort financial documents. An accountant assistant must be familiar with the accounting processes and financial industry, as well as have strong analytical and time-management skills to perform tasks under minimal supervision.

What does a certified public accountant do?

A certified public accountant (CPA) acts as an advisor to small businesses and chief financial officers to Fortune 500 companies. They typically work for both small and large public accounting firms. They offer advice on many issues, such as accounting and taxation. They aid businesses and individuals to plan and achieve their financial goals. There are several requirements to become a CPA, including having a degree in accounting, passing the CPA examination, and obtaining a CPA license to practice.

Accountant assistant vs certified public accountant salary

Accountant assistants and certified public accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant Assistant	Certified Public Accountant
Average salary	$40,537	$76,693
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $49,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Rodeo Realty	Applied Materials
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between accountant assistant and certified public accountant education

There are a few differences between an accountant assistant and a certified public accountant in terms of educational background:

	Accountant Assistant	Certified Public Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant assistant vs certified public accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accountant assistants' and certified public accountants' demographics:

	Accountant Assistant	Certified Public Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 16.8% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.4% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant assistant and certified public accountant duties and responsibilities

Accountant assistant example responsibilities.

Manage international client's accounts by contacting leads and entering contacts into SalesForce database.
Monitor daily competitors blogs, twitter handles, Facebook pages.
Create wire frame and conceive design of home page call-out and Facebook page.
Publish content regularly on Instagram and YouTube as a part of the social media strategy.
Maintain internal pricing standards by using tariffs, customer contracts and regulations from ACH and IATA.
Develop innovative PowerPoint presentation used by the agent as marketing tools as well as spreads sheets for larger risk.

Certified public accountant example responsibilities.

Mentor highly skil accounting and tax management team to achieve establish objectives including conformity with GAAP compliance.
Maintain monthly client bookkeeping including bank reconciliations, account payable and prepare preliminary financial statements for CPA review.
Conduct bookkeeping, bank reconciliations and generate general ledgers as well as raise concerns about expenditure classifications and revenue recognition.
Prepare and review month-end close, including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, and financial statement supporting documentation.
Gain a working knowledge of audit objectives and procedures in compliance with GAAP and GAAS.
Prepare and monitor audit programs, assist management in design and monitoring of SOX compliance programs.

Accountant assistant vs certified public accountant skills

Common accountant assistant skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 13%
Payroll Taxes, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Credit Card, 4%

Common certified public accountant skills

CPA, 48%
Customer Service, 22%
IRS, 7%
State Tax Returns, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 2%
Financial Statement Preparation, 1%

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Accountant Assistant vs Certified Public Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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