Accounting consultant vs accountant

The differences between accounting consultants and 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 accounting consultant and an accountant. Additionally, an accounting consultant has an average salary of $62,830, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for an accounting consultant include CPA, GAAP and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting consultant vs accountant overview

	Accounting Consultant	Accountant
Yearly salary	$62,830	$54,890
Hourly rate	$30.21	$26.39
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	74,894	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accounting consultant do?

An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization. It is also through the accounting consultant's help that improvements in the accounting process are proposed, the determination of problematic areas in the workflow, possible issues in the future, and everything that needs upgrading. The accounting consultant also helps businesses conform to legal policies set about by State and Federal legislation.

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.

Accounting consultant vs accountant salary

Accounting consultants and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Consultant	Accountant
Average salary	$62,830	$54,890
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $86,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Jordan Company	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between accounting consultant and accountant education

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

	Accounting Consultant	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting consultant vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accounting consultants' and accountants' demographics:

	Accounting Consultant	Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting consultant and accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounting consultant example responsibilities.

Work independently on line of business projects to automate derivative processes and system enhancement testing.
Share oversight for recruitment, human resources and advertising.
Provide support to accounts payable department in tagging and recording of fix assets during an ERP system transition
Work with governance and internal audit team ensuring SOX compliance during monthly & quarterly reviews as well as the annual audit.
Collaborate with accounting department in monthly closing process and development of internal controls to support SOX requirements.
Improve audit performance of major medical center by clearing backlog of account reconciliations across multiple medical billing systems.

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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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Accounting consultant vs accountant skills

Common accounting consultant skills

CPA, 15%
GAAP, 11%
Reconciliations, 8%
ERP, 4%
Shared Services, 4%
SOX, 4%

Common accountant skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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