Accounting internship vs junior accountant

The differences between accounting interns and junior 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 internship, becoming a junior accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a junior accountant has an average salary of $50,444, which is higher than the $30,642 average annual salary of an accounting internship.

The top three skills for an accounting internship include reconciliations, data entry and payroll. The most important skills for a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting internship vs junior accountant overview

	Accounting Internship	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$30,642	$50,444
Hourly rate	$14.73	$24.25
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	80,299	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an accounting internship do?

An accounting internship is a trainee who reports to an organization's accountant in order to learn about the accounting field, complete financial projects and files taxes, and financial reports. An intern should be a graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting and should have an aptitude for mathematics and proficiency with computers. In order to prepare financial reports, an intern should possess knowledge with bookkeeping software. An intern must also know how to handle sensitive information with honesty and integrity.

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Accounting internship vs junior accountant salary

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

	Accounting Internship	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$30,642	$50,444
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	BWX Technologies	Fuhu
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Construction

Differences between accounting internship and junior accountant education

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

	Accounting Internship	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting internship vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accounting interns' and junior accountants' demographics:

	Accounting Internship	Junior Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting internship and junior accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounting internship example responsibilities.

Acquire training on the automated ADP payroll system which lead to a recommendation for the payroll manager position.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Prepare and process accounts payable checks and ACH payments.
Code diagnosis and add appropriate modifiers to CPT codes.
Prepare and maintain monthly departmental reports to maintain SOX compliance.
Demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9 codes, and CPT codes.

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

Accounting internship vs junior accountant skills

Common accounting internship skills

Reconciliations, 14%
Data Entry, 7%
Payroll, 6%
First Hand, 6%
Work Ethic, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

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Accounting Internship vs Junior Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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