Accounting coordinator vs staff accountant

The differences between accounting coordinators and staff 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 a staff accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a staff accountant has an average salary of $54,216, 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 a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Accounting coordinator vs staff accountant overview

	Accounting Coordinator	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$44,639	$54,216
Hourly rate	$21.46	$26.07
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	63,129	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 a staff accountant do?

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 coordinator vs staff accountant salary

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$44,639	$54,216
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $58,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
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	Government

Differences between accounting coordinator and staff accountant education

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting coordinator vs staff accountant demographics

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

	Accounting Coordinator	Staff Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 8.5% 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%

Differences between accounting coordinator and staff 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.

Staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Contribute revenue accruals using job cost system, fix assets including reclassification, reconciliation and depreciation.
Prepare month-end journal entries and assist in compilation of financial statements, reconcile bank statements and general ledgers.
Complete audit-quality account reconciliations monthly for balance sheet accounts including the capital projects in progress accounts and miscellaneous revenue accounts.
Assume responsibility for cash management encompassing wire and ACH transfers processing, bank activity confirmation, and monthly bank account reconciliations.
Handle all A/R and A/P, payroll, change orders, collections, lien placement and release, vendor account management.

Accounting coordinator vs staff 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 staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
GAAP, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%

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Accounting Coordinator vs Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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