Accountant internship vs certified public accountant

The differences between accountant interns 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 internship and a certified public accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $33,484 average annual salary of an accountant internship.

The top three skills for an accountant internship include R, account management and powerpoint. The most important skills for a certified public accountant are CPA, customer service, and IRS.

Accountant internship vs certified public accountant overview

	Accountant Internship	Certified Public Accountant
Yearly salary	$33,484	$76,693
Hourly rate	$16.10	$36.87
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	82,924	78,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant internship do?

An accounting intern is responsible for assisting an organization's accounting department, observing practical applications and processes, and performing accounting duties under the supervision of tenured accounting staff. Accounting interns support the accounting operations by preparing and organizing financial reports, helping with accounts reconciliation, researching financial and stock market trends, utilizing various accounting software, and managing feedback from their mentors. An accounting intern must be detail-oriented and a fast-learner, immediately adjusting to the company's culture and actively cooperating with the team to ensure a smooth flow of operations.

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 internship vs certified public accountant salary

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

	Accountant Internship	Certified Public Accountant
Average salary	$33,484	$76,693
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $45,000	Between $49,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Bellevue, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	New Jersey
Best paying company	Novogradac	Applied Materials
Best paying industry	Media	Finance

Differences between accountant internship and certified public accountant education

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

	Accountant Internship	Certified Public Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant internship vs certified public accountant demographics

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

	Accountant Internship	Certified Public Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 18.4% White, 59.8% 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 internship and certified public accountant duties and responsibilities

Accountant internship example responsibilities.

Develop and manage CRM system to identify cross sell and up sell opportunities.
Create RFP responses for IDHN's to achieve a more compliant, long term agreement.
Work with manage care, medical reimbursement and Medicaid issues/challenges.
Perform market research, creating a client PowerPoint presentation with competitive intelligence.
Leverage senior role to train and mentor associates with day-to-day performance.
Support sales team to deliver presentations, premise visits and RFP preparations.

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 internship vs certified public accountant skills

Common accountant internship skills

R, 9%
Account Management, 8%
PowerPoint, 8%
Renewable Energy, 8%
Journal Entries, 5%
Payroll, 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%

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Accountant Internship vs Certified Public Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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