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The differences between accountant-contractors 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-contractor and a general ledger accountant. Additionally, a general ledger accountant has an average salary of $60,034, 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 general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.
| Accountant-Contractor | General Ledger Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $56,906 | $60,034 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $28.86 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,024 | 81,408 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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-contractors and general ledger accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accountant-Contractor | General Ledger Accountant | |
| Average salary | $56,906 | $60,034 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $73,000 | Between $47,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Broadridge | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an accountant-contractor and a general ledger accountant in terms of educational background:
| Accountant-Contractor | General Ledger Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accountant-contractors' and general ledger accountants' demographics:
| Accountant-Contractor | General Ledger Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1% |
| 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, 8.4% 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% |