Accountant vs senior accountant

The differences between accountants and senior 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 and a senior accountant. Additionally, a senior accountant has an average salary of $71,967, 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 senior accountant are reconciliations, CPA, and GAAP.

Accountant vs senior accountant overview

	Accountant	Senior Accountant
Yearly salary	$54,890	$71,967
Hourly rate	$26.39	$34.60
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	60,073	76,816
Job satisfaction	3	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	44	44
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 senior accountant do?

A senior accountant is responsible for organizing financial reports, analyzing cost estimates, reviewing budget goals regularly, and making adjustments with the company's account statements as necessary. Senior accountants' duties also include managing account reconciliations, preparing tax documents, maintaining audit records and balance sheets, generating invoices, and providing recommendations to minimize possible financial loss. A senior accountant must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of accounting and financial principles.

Accountant vs senior accountant salary

Accountants and senior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant	Senior Accountant
Average salary	$54,890	$71,967
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $72,000	Between $55,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Meta	Google
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between accountant and senior accountant education

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

	Accountant	Senior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant vs senior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accountants' and senior accountants' demographics:

	Accountant	Senior Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.5% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant and senior accountant 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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Senior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage complex pricing structure and maintain SalesForce CRM funnel for forecasting accuracy.
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Manage the review, enhancement, and creation of department policy and procedure documentation require for Sarbanes-Oxley auditing and compliance.
Compile and analyze financial information to prepare monthly accruals, payroll journal, general journal and bank reconciliations.
Research and develop policies around Medicaid and Medicare billings and prepare Medicaid cost reports.
Coordinate submissions of financial data from regional divisions and prepare the consolidated company financial statement using Hyperion program.

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Accountant vs senior accountant skills

Common accountant skills

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

Common senior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
CPA, 8%
GAAP, 7%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%
Payroll, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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