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The differences between accountant assistants and senior 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 senior accountant. Additionally, a senior accountant has an average salary of $71,967, 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 senior accountant are reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP.
| Accountant Assistant | Senior Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,537 | $71,967 |
| Hourly rate | $19.49 | $34.60 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 63,247 | 76,816 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A senior accountant is responsible for organizing financial reports, analyzing cost estimates, reviewing budget goals regularly, and making adjustments with the company's account statements as necessary. Senior accountants' duties also include managing account reconciliations, preparing tax documents, maintaining audit records and balance sheets, generating invoices, and providing recommendations to minimize possible financial loss. A senior accountant must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of accounting and financial principles.
Accountant assistants and senior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accountant Assistant | Senior Accountant | |
| Average salary | $40,537 | $71,967 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $58,000 | Between $55,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Rodeo Realty | |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between an accountant assistant and a senior accountant in terms of educational background:
| Accountant Assistant | Senior Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accountant assistants' and senior accountants' demographics:
| Accountant Assistant | Senior Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% |
| 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, 14.5% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |