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The differences between accounting assistants and accounting technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounting assistant and an accounting technician. Additionally, an accounting technician has an average salary of $41,337, which is higher than the $39,569 average annual salary of an accounting assistant.
The top three skills for an accounting assistant include data entry, customer service and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accounting technician are customer service, financial reports, and payroll.
| Accounting Assistant | Accounting Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,569 | $41,337 |
| Hourly rate | $19.02 | $19.87 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 63,945 | 39,972 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An accounting assistant is responsible for supporting the daily operations of the business' accounting department, from reviewing financial transactions to the submission of financial reports. Accounting assistants' duties include performing data entry and clerical tasks, maintaining a safe record of account statements, updating and analyzing transactions, verifying the accuracy of financial records, and managing customers and vendors' inquiries as immediate as possible. An accounting assistant must have a broad knowledge of the accounting principles and processes, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills, especially on meeting strict deadlines and doing complex tasks as needed.
An accounting technician is responsible for evaluating financial information procedures to support accounting and taxation tasks, verifying the accuracy of account statements for the reference of accountants. Accounting technicians manage the payroll processes, generate invoices, perform account reconciliations, analyze account receivables, prepare budget reports, and monitor the company's financial transactions. Accounting technicians should always adhere to taxation legislation, comply with accounting disciplines, and coordinate with the account management for any findings and concerns, requiring them to have excellent communication and analytical skills.
Accounting assistants and accounting technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Assistant | Accounting Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,569 | $41,337 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $50,000 | Between $31,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Oakland, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | W. R. Berkley |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an accounting assistant and an accounting technician in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Assistant | Accounting Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting assistants' and accounting technicians' demographics:
| Accounting Assistant | Accounting Technician | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% | Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |