Certified public accountant vs general accountant

The differences between certified public 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 certified public accountant and a general accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Certified public accountant vs general accountant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$76,693	$55,043
Hourly rate	$36.87	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	78,792	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
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 general accountant do?

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.

Certified public accountant vs general accountant salary

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

	Certified Public Accountant	General Accountant
Average salary	$76,693	$55,043
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Applied Materials	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between certified public accountant and general accountant education

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

	Certified Public 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

Certified public accountant vs general accountant demographics

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

	Certified Public Accountant	General Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
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, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified public accountant and general 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.

General accountant example responsibilities.

Manage payroll functions, financial statements, accounts payable, basic job cost, account analysis, accruals, year-end audits.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Assist manager with cash flow, preparing financial statement, BBC, and report to CPA.
Create budget at beginning and coordinate CPA firm's audit at the end of year.
Assist in any kind of audit engagement (internal control, external, SOX, etc . )
Provide support for the controller with period-end close accruals and journal entries and assist in various duties and responsibilities.

Certified public accountant vs general 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 general accountant skills

Financial Data, 11%
Reconciliations, 10%
Cash Handling, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

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Certified Public Accountant vs General Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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