Accountant/consultant vs accounting analyst

The differences between accountant/consultants and accounting analysts 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/consultant and an accounting analyst. Additionally, an accountant/consultant has an average salary of $64,298, which is higher than the $58,399 average annual salary of an accounting analyst.

The top three skills for an accountant/consultant include account management, product knowledge and strong analytical. The most important skills for an accounting analyst are reconciliations, customer service, and account reconciliations.

Accountant/consultant vs accounting analyst overview

	Accountant/Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Yearly salary	$64,298	$58,399
Hourly rate	$30.91	$28.08
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	38,916	81,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant/consultant do?

Accountants/consultants perform accounting tasks for organizations or companies. The accountants improve accounting practices and prepare financial statements at the end of every year. They analyze financial data and offer advice on regulatory compliance issues to the finance department. It is their job to make sure that the online system is secure. Most of the day, they organize invoices, prepare statements, and supervising systems. They should be equipped with analytical skills, industry knowledge, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication.

What does an accounting analyst do?

An accounting analyst is responsible for supporting the accounting operations of an organization, analyzing financial transactions and financial statements, and resolving account discrepancies. Accounting analysts interpret financial data by consolidating account transactions, performing account reconciliation, and managing account receivables. They also assist in preparing and releasing invoices, issuing billing statements, and creating comprehensive financial reports on the company's budget and expenses. An accounting analyst must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines, as well as extensive analytical and communication skills to perform duties and meet deadlines under minimal supervision.

Accountant/consultant vs accounting analyst salary

Accountant/consultants and accounting analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant/Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Average salary	$64,298	$58,399
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $86,000	Between $42,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	IBM	Google
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accountant/consultant and accounting analyst education

There are a few differences between an accountant/consultant and an accounting analyst in terms of educational background:

	Accountant/Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant/consultant vs accounting analyst demographics

Here are the differences between accountant/consultants' and accounting analysts' demographics:

	Accountant/Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant/consultant and accounting analyst duties and responsibilities

Accountant/consultant example responsibilities.

Manage a staff of five to ensure their compliance with GAAP as well as best practices.
Manage company responsibilities for budgets, forecasting, payroll and accounts receivable.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Select and run weekly check run, ACH payments, and foreign payments.
Process bi-weekly ACH and EFT payment to vendors, reimbursement and rush check payments.
Coordinate with external CPA on financial tax filings i.e. , 990 for IRS regulations and maintain of IRS 501C status.

Accounting analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and process all ACH, EFT and wire transfer transactions daily (debit or credits).
Manage reconciling monthly discrepancies between ERP transfers.
Manage budget submissions by subsidiaries in Europe/AFNE region in Hyperion.
Establish investment objectives to efficiently manage IPO proceeds within state risk parameters.
Maintain accounting controls by following GAAP and internal accounting policies; maintain financial security by following internal controls.
Review and approve monthly general ledger and bank account reconciliations for special condition accounts to ensure procedural consistency and compliance.

Accountant/consultant vs accounting analyst skills

Common accountant/consultant skills

Account Management, 17%
Product Knowledge, 14%
Strong Analytical, 13%
Leveraged, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

Common accounting analyst skills

Reconciliations, 12%
Customer Service, 7%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Strong Analytical, 4%
Payroll, 4%

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Accountant/Consultant vs Accounting Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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