Certified public accountant vs cost accountant

The differences between certified public accountants and cost 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 certified public accountant and a cost accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $60,528 average annual salary of a cost accountant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a cost accountant are reconciliations, variance analysis, and GAAP.

Certified public accountant vs cost accountant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	Cost Accountant
Yearly salary	$76,693	$60,528
Hourly rate	$36.87	$29.10
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	78,792	39,925
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a certified public accountant do?

A certified public accountant (CPA) acts as an advisor to small businesses and chief financial officers to Fortune 500 companies. They typically work for both small and large public accounting firms. They offer advice on many issues, such as accounting and taxation. They aid businesses and individuals to plan and achieve their financial goals. There are several requirements to become a CPA, including having a degree in accounting, passing the CPA examination, and obtaining a CPA license to practice.

What does a cost accountant do?

A cost accountant specializes in determining the total cost incurred by a company from producing goods and services. Through the various financial data they collect, the cost accountant will devise plans and strategies that will be a vital factor in the next budget and marketing preparations of a company. Aside from this, a cost accountant is responsible for various tasks such as conducting research and analysis in different areas, keeping financial records and inventory, producing financial reports involving profitability and expenditures, and proposing a budget and other financial plans.

Certified public accountant vs cost accountant salary

Certified public accountants and cost accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Public Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average salary	$76,693	$60,528
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $45,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Edison, NJ
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Applied Materials	Google
Best paying industry	Finance	Energy

Differences between certified public accountant and cost accountant education

There are a few differences between a certified public accountant and a cost accountant in terms of educational background:

	Certified Public Accountant	Cost Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Certified public accountant vs cost accountant demographics

Here are the differences between certified public accountants' and cost accountants' demographics:

	Certified Public Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.4% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified public accountant and cost accountant duties and responsibilities

Certified public accountant example responsibilities.

Mentor highly skil accounting and tax management team to achieve establish objectives including conformity with GAAP compliance.
Maintain monthly client bookkeeping including bank reconciliations, account payable and prepare preliminary financial statements for CPA review.
Conduct bookkeeping, bank reconciliations and generate general ledgers as well as raise concerns about expenditure classifications and revenue recognition.
Prepare and review month-end close, including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, and financial statement supporting documentation.
Gain a working knowledge of audit objectives and procedures in compliance with GAAP and GAAS.
Prepare and monitor audit programs, assist management in design and monitoring of SOX compliance programs.

Cost accountant example responsibilities.

Manage ledgers and perform month end journal entries.
Manage the payroll with ADP system and account receivable.
Manage costing control as well as accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R).
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Prepare raw material and WIP inventory reconciliations.
Develop tracking of GAAP inventory valuation for all inventory inherit from the bankrupt former company.

Certified public accountant vs cost accountant skills

Common certified public accountant skills

CPA, 48%
Customer Service, 22%
IRS, 7%
State Tax Returns, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 2%
Financial Statement Preparation, 1%

Common cost accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Variance Analysis, 6%
GAAP, 4%
Account Reconciliations, 3%
Cost Analysis, 3%
Financial Analysis, 3%

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Certified Public Accountant vs Cost Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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