Accountant/consultant vs junior accountant

The differences between accountant/consultants and junior 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 junior accountant. Additionally, an accountant/consultant has an average salary of $64,298, which is higher than the $50,444 average annual salary of a junior accountant.

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

Accountant/consultant vs junior accountant overview

	Accountant/Consultant	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$64,298	$50,444
Hourly rate	$30.91	$24.25
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	38,916	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
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 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.

Accountant/consultant vs junior accountant salary

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

	Accountant/Consultant	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$64,298	$50,444
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $86,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	IBM	Fuhu
Best paying industry	Finance	Construction

Differences between accountant/consultant and junior accountant education

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

	Accountant/Consultant	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant/consultant vs junior accountant demographics

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

	Accountant/Consultant	Junior Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
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, 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 accountant/consultant and junior 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.

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.

Accountant/consultant vs junior accountant skills

Common accountant/consultant skills

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

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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Accountant/Consultant vs Junior Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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