Certified public accountant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between certified public accountants and general ledger 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 ledger accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $60,034 average annual salary of a general ledger accountant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

Certified public accountant vs general ledger accountant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$76,693	$60,034
Hourly rate	$36.87	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	78,792	81,408
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 ledger accountant do?

A general ledger accountant is in charge of ensuring the accuracy of a company's overall accounting processes and information. It is their responsibility to communicate with different departments and officials to gather necessary data, conduct extensive audits, prepare documentation and reports, maintain financial data on the company ledger, and interpret financial information. Furthermore, like a general ledger accountant, it is essential to monitor the progress of accounting processes, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Certified public accountant vs general ledger accountant salary

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

	Certified Public Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$76,693	$60,034
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Applied Materials	Citi
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between certified public accountant and general ledger accountant education

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

	Certified Public Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Certified public accountant vs general ledger accountant demographics

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

	Certified Public Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified public accountant and general ledger 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 ledger accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Perform account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; research and recommend transaction corrections.
Maintain ERP general ledger and data in sub module, and perform the expenditure review according to budgeting.
Prepare monthly, reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
Reconcile general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidate financial reports.
Prepare various monthly journal entries to record prepay insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.

Certified public accountant vs general ledger 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 ledger accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
GAAP, 6%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Accruals, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

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Certified Public Accountant vs General Ledger Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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