Accounting coordinator vs accountant

The differences between accounting coordinators and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounting coordinator, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $44,639 average annual salary of an accounting coordinator.

The top three skills for an accounting coordinator include customer service, reconciliations and data entry. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting coordinator vs accountant overview

	Accounting Coordinator	Accountant
Yearly salary	$44,639	$54,890
Hourly rate	$21.46	$26.39
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	63,129	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an accounting coordinator do?

An accounting coordinator is responsible for assisting the operations of the organization's accounting department, processing financial reports, and serving as a liaison between the accounting staff and other department personnel or external parties. Accounting coordinators maintain a record of accounts payable and receivables, issuing invoices, updating account statements, resolving account discrepancies, and managing bank reconciliations. They also help with tax audits, as well as performing bookkeeping functions and other administrative tasks as needed. An accounting coordinator must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of accounting principles and disciplines.

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 coordinator vs accountant salary

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Accountant
Average salary	$44,639	$54,890
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $58,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between accounting coordinator and accountant education

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting coordinator vs accountant demographics

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
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, 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 coordinator and accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounting coordinator example responsibilities.

Train and manage employees in payroll operations, and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Manage accounting in QuickBooks, scheduling and material purchasing
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Conduct online research, in order to acquire detail commission statements for commission ACH bank deposits and commission checks.
Perform complex account reconciliations and analysis to ensure proper support and documentation for balance sheet and income statement account balances.
Import previous day's invoices from POS system into QuickBooks using custom software correcting invoices as necessary to permit importing.

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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 coordinator vs accountant skills

Common accounting coordinator skills

Customer Service, 12%
Reconciliations, 9%
Data Entry, 8%
Purchase Orders, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
Credit Card Payments, 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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