Accountant vs finance analyst

The differences between accountants and finance analysts 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 and a finance analyst. Additionally, a finance analyst has an average salary of $69,887, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for an accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a finance analyst are financial analysis, financial models, and financial data.

Accountant vs finance analyst overview

	Accountant	Finance Analyst
Yearly salary	$54,890	$69,887
Hourly rate	$26.39	$33.60
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	60,073	138,600
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

What does a finance analyst do?

A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios. Finance analysts must have excellent critical and analytical thinking skills to identify the best actions for the company's profitability.

Accountant vs finance analyst salary

Accountants and finance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant	Finance Analyst
Average salary	$54,890	$69,887
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $72,000	Between $46,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Connecticut
Best paying company	Meta	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between accountant and finance analyst education

There are a few differences between an accountant and a finance analyst in terms of educational background:

	Accountant	Finance Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant vs finance analyst demographics

Here are the differences between accountants' and finance analysts' demographics:

	Accountant	Finance Analyst
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%	Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant and finance analyst duties and responsibilities

Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

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Finance analyst example responsibilities.

Manage company asset accounts, wire funds to clients and record and structure amounts into QuickBooks.
Manage the UAT team involve in the testing of an enterprise accounting and project management software.
Manage customer portfolio to department KPI's, target balance, aging metrics, cash recovery and write-off tolerance.
Manage contract database and SalesForce for historical research and financial reporting purposes.
Manage and maintain information in worldwide-military database which include exemptions, transfers, retirements, and payroll records.
Accomplish project accounting functions including project costing, time reporting, project accruals and proper capitalization of development costs.

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Accountant vs finance analyst skills

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common finance analyst skills

Financial Analysis, 9%
Financial Models, 5%
Financial Data, 5%
Strong Analytical, 4%
Variance Analysis, 4%
Hyperion, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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