Certified public accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between certified public accountants and senior staff 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 senior staff accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $65,019 average annual salary of a senior staff accountant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Certified public accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$76,693	$65,019
Hourly rate	$36.87	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	78,792	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
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 senior staff accountant do?

A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.

Certified public accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$76,693	$65,019
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Applied Materials	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between certified public accountant and senior staff accountant education

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Senior Staff 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 senior staff accountant demographics

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between certified public accountant and senior staff 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.

Senior staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage month end close process including journal entries, departmental analysis and preparation of consolidate financial statements and account reconciliations.
Involve in revenue recognition research (ASC 985-605 vs. ASC 605-25).
Aid managers in performing AP duties, generate financial reports for CPA, and reconcile bank accounts for corporate office.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger analysis in accordance with GAAP.
Advance SaaS deal and rev accounting.
Cultivate productive, trustful relationship with external CPA firm, critical to producing successful audits and year-end reporting.

Certified public accountant vs senior staff 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 senior staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
CPA, 7%
GAAP, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 4%

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Certified Public Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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