Accounting staff vs accountant

The differences between accounting staff 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 staff, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $53,322 average annual salary of an accounting staff.

The top three skills for an accounting staff include reconciliations, journal entries and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting staff vs accountant overview

	Accounting Staff	Accountant
Yearly salary	$53,322	$54,890
Hourly rate	$25.64	$26.39
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	108,836	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an accounting staff do?

The accounting staff works alongside the head accountant in an organization, company, or business. Proper accounting is essential for all companies as it will help management assess areas of the company that needs adjustments, especially budget-wise. Aside from this, a competent accounting staff assists in the company's bookkeeping and filing its taxes. The accounting staff must be highly organized, communicate well with colleagues, and generate accurate reports for the executives and management.

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 staff vs accountant salary

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

	Accounting Staff	Accountant
Average salary	$53,322	$54,890
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $73,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Oregon	New York
Best paying company	Essex Property Trust	Meta
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between accounting staff and accountant education

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

	Accounting Staff	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting staff vs accountant demographics

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

	Accounting Staff	Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 31.9% Female, 68.1%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% 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 staff and accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounting staff example responsibilities.

Manage accounts payable activities such as receiving and processing invoices, preparing relate journal entries and completing monthly reconciliations.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Administer management of AR transactions in support of optimizing cash-inflow, including establishing and maintaining account reconciliations.
Ensure accuracy of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and internal policies.
Audit reports and approve invoices to ensure proper coding are done in compliance with GAAP.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.

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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 staff vs accountant skills

Common accounting staff skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Journal Entries, 8%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Payroll Taxes, 6%
Cash Management, 5%
Accounts Payable Processing, 5%

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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