Accounting consultant vs accounting analyst

The differences between accounting consultants and accounting 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 consultant and an accounting analyst. Additionally, an accounting consultant has an average salary of $62,830, which is higher than the $58,399 average annual salary of an accounting analyst.

The top three skills for an accounting consultant include CPA, GAAP and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accounting analyst are reconciliations, customer service, and account reconciliations.

Accounting consultant vs accounting analyst overview

	Accounting Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Yearly salary	$62,830	$58,399
Hourly rate	$30.21	$28.08
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	74,894	81,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
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 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.

Accounting consultant vs accounting analyst salary

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

	Accounting Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Average salary	$62,830	$58,399
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $86,000	Between $42,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Jordan Company	Google
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between accounting consultant and accounting analyst education

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

	Accounting Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting consultant vs accounting analyst demographics

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

	Accounting Consultant	Accounting Analyst
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting consultant and accounting analyst 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.

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.

Accounting consultant vs accounting analyst skills

Common accounting consultant skills

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

Common accounting analyst skills

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

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Accounting Consultant
Accounting Consultant vs Accounting Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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