Accountant/consultant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between accountant/consultants and general ledger 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/consultant and a general ledger accountant. Additionally, an accountant/consultant has an average salary of $64,298, which is higher than the $60,034 average annual salary of a general ledger accountant.

The top three skills for an accountant/consultant include account management, product knowledge and strong analytical. The most important skills for a general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

Accountant/consultant vs general ledger accountant overview

	Accountant/Consultant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$64,298	$60,034
Hourly rate	$30.91	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	38,916	81,408
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 a general ledger accountant do?

A general ledger accountant is in charge of ensuring the accuracy of a company's overall accounting processes and information. It is their responsibility to communicate with different departments and officials to gather necessary data, conduct extensive audits, prepare documentation and reports, maintain financial data on the company ledger, and interpret financial information. Furthermore, like a general ledger accountant, it is essential to monitor the progress of accounting processes, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Accountant/consultant vs general ledger accountant salary

Accountant/consultants and general ledger accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant/Consultant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$64,298	$60,034
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $86,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	IBM	Citi
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between accountant/consultant and general ledger accountant education

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

	Accountant/Consultant	General Ledger Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant/consultant vs general ledger accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accountant/consultants' and general ledger accountants' demographics:

	Accountant/Consultant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant/consultant and general ledger accountant 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.

General ledger accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Perform account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; research and recommend transaction corrections.
Maintain ERP general ledger and data in sub module, and perform the expenditure review according to budgeting.
Prepare monthly, reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
Reconcile general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidate financial reports.
Prepare various monthly journal entries to record prepay insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.

Accountant/consultant vs general ledger accountant skills

Common accountant/consultant skills

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

Common general ledger accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
GAAP, 6%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Accruals, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

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Accountant/Consultant vs General Ledger Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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