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The differences between cash accountants and general accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cash accountant and a general accountant. Additionally, a cash accountant has an average salary of $57,971, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.
The top three skills for a cash accountant include reconciliations, cash management and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.
| Cash Accountant | General Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $57,971 | $55,043 |
| Hourly rate | $27.87 | $26.46 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 40,765 | 87,663 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Cash accountants are accounting professionals who are responsible for recording revenues and expenses during the period when cash is received and paid, respectively. These accountants are required to prepare journal entries and perform cash account reconciliations to balance bank and book balances during month-end closing activities. They must prepare all bank deposits and generate financial and payroll reports that are submitted to the operational and executive management team. Cash accountants must also provide analysis and resolution about the discrepancies in the bank and general ledger entries to internal departments and bank representatives.
A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.
Cash accountants and general accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cash Accountant | General Accountant | |
| Average salary | $57,971 | $55,043 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $76,000 | Between $40,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a cash accountant and a general accountant in terms of educational background:
| Cash Accountant | General Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between cash accountants' and general accountants' demographics:
| Cash Accountant | General Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8% | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |