Certified public accountant vs project accountant

The differences between certified public accountants and project 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 project accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $60,467 average annual salary of a project accountant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a project accountant are reconciliations, project management, and contract terms.

Certified public accountant vs project accountant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	Project Accountant
Yearly salary	$76,693	$60,467
Hourly rate	$36.87	$29.07
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	78,792	43,672
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
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 project accountant do?

A project accountant is primarily in charge of overseeing the budget and expenditures allocated for various projects within a company. Their responsibilities revolve around reviewing financial data and work plans, managing billing and financial reports, monitoring the flow of revenue, filing purchase orders and invoices, and processing payments to subcontractors, suppliers, and more. It is also vital to coordinate with all managing personnel to prepare necessary reports such as costs and taxes. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain data and records of all transactions, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Certified public accountant vs project accountant salary

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Project Accountant
Average salary	$76,693	$60,467
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $46,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Applied Materials	Perficient
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between certified public accountant and project accountant education

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Project Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Certified public accountant vs project accountant demographics

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Project Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%
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, 12.3% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified public accountant and project 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.

Project accountant example responsibilities.

Maintain general ledgers, manage cash flow, prepare financial statements and bank reconciliations for multiple development and construction projects.
Assure timely accurate filing of all Medicare, Medicaid and commercial insurance claims.
Review the collection of Medicare, Medicaid and other receivables to ensure monthly goals are met.
Used DelTek to find discrepancies in employee charge hours.
Serve as major contributor in system conversion to new web-base ERP system.
Identify and rectify accounting errors that have incurred in the past and ensure adherence to IFRS.

Certified public accountant vs project 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 project accountant skills

Reconciliations, 8%
Project Management, 6%
Contract Terms, 5%
Purchase Orders, 4%
Deltek, 4%
Revenue Recognition, 4%

Certified Public Accountant vs. similar jobs

Certified Public Accountant related careers

Certified Public Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant vs Project Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs