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The differences between accounting consultants and staff 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 a staff accountant. Additionally, an accounting consultant has an average salary of $62,830, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.
The top three skills for an accounting consultant include CPA, GAAP and reconciliations. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.
| Accounting Consultant | Staff Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $62,830 | $54,216 |
| Hourly rate | $30.21 | $26.07 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 74,894 | 115,930 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Staff accountants are employees who are part of the company's accounting department. They are usually certified public accountants (CPAs). Staff accountants should be familiar with accounting tasks. Previous accounting experiences play a huge advantage in their success. They perform a variety of accounting responsibilities such as information verification and analysis, financial report preparation and presentation, financial account reconciliation, billing and payment receiving activities, vendor database management, and invoice processing requirements. They should also know how to do bookkeeping. Staff accountants should have good communication skills, analytical skills, and decision-making skills. They should also be organized and trustworthy since they will be handling confidential information.
Accounting consultants and staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Consultant | Staff Accountant | |
| Average salary | $62,830 | $54,216 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $86,000 | Between $42,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Jordan Company | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Government |
There are a few differences between an accounting consultant and a staff accountant in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Consultant | Staff Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting consultants' and staff accountants' demographics:
| Accounting Consultant | Staff Accountant | |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |