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The differences between accounting associates and accounting assistants 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 associate and an accounting assistant. Additionally, an accounting associate has an average salary of $50,537, which is higher than the $39,569 average annual salary of an accounting assistant.
The top three skills for an accounting associate include reconciliations, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an accounting assistant are data entry, customer service, and reconciliations.
| Accounting Associate | Accounting Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,537 | $39,569 |
| Hourly rate | $24.30 | $19.02 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 49,143 | 63,945 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An accounting associate is responsible for supporting the operations of the accounting department, ensuring the stability of the financial services and status of an organization. Accounting associates process invoices, update client accounts on the database, manage financial reports, assist with tax auditing and processing, monitoring the financial statements and activities of the organization, escalate financial disputes, and verify accounts receivable. An accounting associate must have excellent knowledge of the accounting industry, as well as exceptional analytical and time-management skills to perform clerical duties as needed under minimal supervision.
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.
Accounting associates and accounting assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Associate | Accounting Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,537 | $39,569 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $74,000 | Between $30,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Point72 | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between an accounting associate and an accounting assistant in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Associate | Accounting Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting associates' and accounting assistants' demographics:
| Accounting Associate | Accounting Assistant | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5% | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |