Audit specialist vs auditor

The differences between audit specialists and auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an audit specialist has an average salary of $58,291, which is higher than the $54,853 average annual salary of an auditor.

The top three skills for an audit specialist include audit reports, patients and customer service. The most important skills for an auditor are audit reports, customer service, and financial statements.

Audit specialist vs auditor overview

	Audit Specialist	Auditor
Yearly salary	$58,291	$54,853
Hourly rate	$28.02	$26.37
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	40,071	20,325
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does an audit specialist do?

An audit specialist is responsible for evaluating the reports by a professional auditor that will assist in improving the growth of the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. Audit specialists aid in the development of the company by using a systematic approach to reach the goals set by the company. Primary responsibilities include operating complex and difficult audit projects and conducting audits of control, financial, and other operating records. Also, they develop, implement distinct audit strategies, programs, and procedures for intricate assignments.

What does an auditor do?

An auditor is responsible for reviewing financial statements and making sure that the reports align with the accounting principles and legislative standards. Some of the important duties of an auditor are verifying the company's account statements, ensuring that the business is free from fraud and other unusual activities, providing recommendations to boost operations' performance, and creating financial reports for the board. An auditor should have excellent analytical and decision-making skills to spot inaccuracies of financial statements and resolve financial issues immediately.

Audit specialist vs auditor salary

Audit specialists and auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Audit Specialist	Auditor
Average salary	$58,291	$54,853
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $99,000	Between $35,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	SAP	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between audit specialist and auditor education

There are a few differences between an audit specialist and an auditor in terms of educational background:

	Audit Specialist	Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Audit specialist vs auditor demographics

Here are the differences between audit specialists' and auditors' demographics:

	Audit Specialist	Auditor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%	Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between audit specialist and auditor duties and responsibilities

Audit specialist example responsibilities.

Manage vendor billing disputes for southwestern region from initiation to documentation of resolution while ensuring compliance with SOX guidelines.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Review and verify the submitted documentation for completeness to verify the company is in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX).
Coordinate delivery of mortgage back securities with internal and external stakeholders.
Monitor and maintain automated report generation and distribution via Cognos NoticeCast.
Prepare monthly incentive payment and quarterly incentive bonus data for payroll department.

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Auditor example responsibilities.

Lead FDA readiness audits and participate in regulatory inspections.
Manage the collection, analysis and verification of managerial payroll information to detect fraud and/or unethical practices.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Perform semi-annual financial audits w/ externally contract CPA to validate accounts payable and receivables.
Develop and facilitate training for SOX process owners and other stakeholders using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Work efficiently and effectively with various process owners to develop SOX specific business processes and mating documentation controls.

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Audit specialist vs auditor skills

Common audit specialist skills

Audit Reports, 11%
Patients, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Internal Audit, 6%
Audit Findings, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%

Common auditor skills

Audit Reports, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Statements, 6%
Audit Findings, 5%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Payroll, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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