Accounting analyst vs finance analyst

The differences between accounting analysts 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 accounting analyst and a finance analyst. Additionally, a finance analyst has an average salary of $69,887, which is higher than the $58,399 average annual salary of an accounting analyst.

The top three skills for an accounting analyst include reconciliations, customer service and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a finance analyst are financial analysis, financial models, and financial data.

Accounting analyst vs finance analyst overview

	Accounting Analyst	Finance Analyst
Yearly salary	$58,399	$69,887
Hourly rate	$28.08	$33.60
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	81,097	138,600
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accounting analyst do?

An accounting analyst is responsible for supporting the accounting operations of an organization, analyzing financial transactions and financial statements, and resolving account discrepancies. Accounting analysts interpret financial data by consolidating account transactions, performing account reconciliation, and managing account receivables. They also assist in preparing and releasing invoices, issuing billing statements, and creating comprehensive financial reports on the company's budget and expenses. An accounting analyst must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines, as well as extensive analytical and communication skills to perform duties and meet deadlines under minimal supervision.

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.

Accounting analyst vs finance analyst salary

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

	Accounting Analyst	Finance Analyst
Average salary	$58,399	$69,887
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $79,000	Between $46,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Connecticut
Best paying company	Google	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accounting analyst and finance analyst education

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

	Accounting Analyst	Finance Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting analyst vs finance analyst demographics

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

	Accounting Analyst	Finance Analyst
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%	Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.3% White, 61.6% 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 accounting analyst and finance analyst duties and responsibilities

Accounting analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and process all ACH, EFT and wire transfer transactions daily (debit or credits).
Manage reconciling monthly discrepancies between ERP transfers.
Manage budget submissions by subsidiaries in Europe/AFNE region in Hyperion.
Establish investment objectives to efficiently manage IPO proceeds within state risk parameters.
Maintain accounting controls by following GAAP and internal accounting policies; maintain financial security by following internal controls.
Review and approve monthly general ledger and bank account reconciliations for special condition accounts to ensure procedural consistency and compliance.

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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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Accounting analyst vs finance analyst skills

Common accounting analyst skills

Reconciliations, 12%
Customer Service, 7%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Strong Analytical, 4%
Payroll, 4%

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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