Accountant-contractor vs certified public accountant

The differences between accountant-contractors 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-contractor and a certified public accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $56,906 average annual salary of an accountant-contractor.

The top three skills for an accountant-contractor include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and payroll taxes. The most important skills for a certified public accountant are CPA, customer service, and IRS.

Accountant-contractor vs certified public accountant overview

	Accountant-Contractor	Certified Public Accountant
Yearly salary	$56,906	$76,693
Hourly rate	$27.36	$36.87
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	60,024	78,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant-contractor do?

An accountant contractor directly manages a customer's business. The contractor works exclusively on the company and organizes all its financial reports. The accountant contractor controls, inspects, and encodes all the company's financial transactions, ensuring that everything is well-accounted for and adequately documenting its activities. The contractor must be licensed, have expert skills in accountancy, be well-organized, have a high level of communication skills, and work under pressure.

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-contractor vs certified public accountant salary

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

	Accountant-Contractor	Certified Public Accountant
Average salary	$56,906	$76,693
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $73,000	Between $49,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Broadridge	Applied Materials
Best paying industry	Energy	Finance

Differences between accountant-contractor and certified public accountant education

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

	Accountant-Contractor	Certified Public Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant-contractor vs certified public accountant demographics

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

	Accountant-Contractor	Certified Public Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.3% 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-contractor and certified public accountant duties and responsibilities

Accountant-contractor example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Assist in preparing tax returns and financial statements and record various transactions in QuickBooks
Recommend processes and tasks to prepare SOX reviews and questions.
Assist CPA with all require tax documents, reports and follow up.
Assist in ACH process of setting up new vendor for direct deposit.
Consult with CPA on behalf of business presenting all financial materials to prepare for end-of-year taxes.

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-contractor vs certified public accountant skills

Common accountant-contractor skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Payroll Taxes, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 5%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Purchase Orders, 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%

Accountant-Contractor vs. similar jobs

Accountant-Contractor related careers

Accountant-Contractor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Accountant-Contractor
Accountant-Contractor vs Certified Public Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs