Post Job

What does a Certified Public Accountant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted Expert
Terri Walsh
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.

On This Page

Certified public accountant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real certified public accountant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Apply applicable accounting and auditing standards while performing audits and reviews, under U.S. GAAP and GAAS standards.
  • Coordinate accounting transactions to company CPA.
  • Book transactions make adjusting entries and analyze financial statements in QuickBooks.
  • Complete projects as requested including participating in gathering information for IRS audit requests.
  • Perform audit, review and compilation procedures including relate IRS filings for diversify clientele.
  • Perform accounting functions to record business transactions utilizing QuickBooks in order to reflect business results.
  • Prepare FS footnotes requiring in-depth research to determine proper GAAP treatment for multifacete attestation situations.
  • Review of contract documentation to determine billing requirements, reporting requirements and ERP setup for automate invoicing.
  • Provide business advisory and tax compliance services, specializing in international taxation and employee compensation and benefits plans.

Certified public accountant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 48% of Certified Public Accountants are proficient in CPA, Customer Service, and IRS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Certified Public Accountants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • CPA, 48%

    Maintained monthly client bookkeeping including bank reconciliations, account payable and prepared preliminary financial statements for CPA review.

  • Customer Service, 22%

    Provided customer service solutions for incoming inquiries regarding paychecks, direct deposits, and miscellaneous requests regarding wages and accounting.

  • IRS, 7%

    Performed audit, review and compilation procedures including related IRS filings for diversified clientele.

  • State Tax Returns, 5%

    Prepared individual and small business federal and state tax returns including Maryland personal property tax returns.

  • Payroll Tax Returns, 2%

    Directed preparation of financial statements, financial and statistical analyses, budgeting, payroll tax returns and Medicare/Medicaid cost reporting.

  • Financial Statement Preparation, 1%

    Planned and supervised audit fieldwork and financial statement preparation for not-for-profit organizations, insurance companies, and employee benefit plans.

Common skills that a certified public accountant uses to do their job include "cpa," "customer service," and "irs." You can find details on the most important certified public accountant responsibilities below.

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform certified public accountant duties is communication skills. Certified public accountants responsibilities require that "accountants and auditors must be able to listen to and discuss facts and concerns from clients, managers, and other stakeholders." Certified public accountants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed communication system between cpa's and computer department to improve work flow. "

Detail oriented. certified public accountants are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to certified public accountant responsibilities, because "accountants and auditors must pay attention to detail when compiling and examining documents." A certified public accountant resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "keep the ar account updated to give details to ca (charter accountant, same as cpa) on timely basis. "

Math skills. certified public accountant responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "accountants and auditors must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures." This resume example shows what certified public accountants do with math skills on a typical day: "assist cpa with monthly statistics report. "

Organizational skills. Another common skill required for certified public accountant responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of certified public accountants all the time, as "strong organizational skills are important for accountants and auditors, who often work with a range of financial documents for a variety of clients." An excerpt from a real certified public accountant resume shows how this skill is central to what a certified public accountant does: "improved tax return preparation and planning at the individual and organizational levels by creating standardized reports to enhance clarity. "

Most common certified public accountant skills

The three companies that hire the most certified public accountants are:

Choose from 10+ customizable certified public accountant resume templates

Build a professional certified public accountant resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your certified public accountant resume.
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume
Certified Public Accountant Resume

Compare different certified public accountants

Certified public accountant vs. Tax professional

A tax professional is responsible for conducting tax procedures, ensuring that all tax documents are filed timely and accurately. Tax professionals review financial statements, verify adjustments, and resolve account discrepancies. They also handle financial reports and collate related account documents. A tax professional should be highly-communicative and analytical, especially on solving tax complexities, as well as preventing financial risks and excessive loss. A tax professional may also file for dispute on a case-to-case basis for any inaccuracies on tax statements.

If we compare the average certified public accountant annual salary with that of a tax professional, we find that tax professionals typically earn a $16,452 lower salary than certified public accountants make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both certified public accountant and tax professional positions are skilled in strong customer service, customer service, and irs.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, certified public accountant responsibilities require skills like "cpa," "payroll tax returns," "financial statement preparation," and "audit reports." Meanwhile a typical tax professional has skills in areas such as "taxable income," "audit support," "business growth," and "tax advice." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Tax professionals tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $73,335. In contrast, certified public accountants make the biggest average salary, $92,755, in the finance industry.The education levels that tax professionals earn slightly differ from certified public accountants. In particular, tax professionals are 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a certified public accountant. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Certified public accountant vs. Tax associate

Tax associates are responsible for helping businesses and individuals with state and federal income tax preparation and compliance. These professionals often work for accounting firms and financial services companies. They perform varied tasks that include reviewing income statements, financial records, and expenditures, interviewing clients about income and expenses, and minimizing their clients' tax liability. Tax associates also conduct research on tax issues and assist with tax audits, advise clients on compensation and tax information, and maintain accurate and current client records.

On average, tax associates earn a $14,227 lower salary than certified public accountants a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Certified public accountants and tax associates both require similar skills like "cpa," "strong customer service," and "irs" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that certified public accountant responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "payroll tax returns," "financial statement preparation," and "audit reports." But a tax associate might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "strong computer," "local tax returns," "tax compliance," and "tax regulations."

Tax associates earn a lower average salary than certified public accountants. But tax associates earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $72,775. Additionally, certified public accountants earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $92,755 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Tax associates tend to reach similar levels of education than certified public accountants. In fact, they're 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Certified Public Accountants in the next 3-5 years?

Terri WalshTerri Walsh LinkedIn Profile

Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida

I think EXCEL is a must for all business graduates, especially for accounting graduates, but often they have not been exposed to much of it in their degree. Besides, with technology continually changing, a dual major in accounting and information technology will be sought after, so I recommend a bachelor's degree accounting major NOT pursue an MBA, but an information technology degree or programming data. The rise of Big Data and issues surrounding cybersecurity risks will require the accounting profession, and accounting roles, to rely more on students with strong computer skills and logic/analytical thinking. As mentioned before, they will need to master EXCEL, as spreadsheets are widely used in accounting and are the foundation for more advanced software. We are already seeing TABLEAU being used in accounting books, even in the foundational courses which have EXCEL already. There is powerful interrogation software, such as IDEA and ACL, which can pull data from multiple sources; and knowing these tools or their capabilities will be required in the future. Also, strong technological skills need to be communicated once data is retrieved, and this will require persuasive writing and verbal skills.

Certified public accountant vs. Tax analyst

A tax analyst specializes in managing and filing tax forms and tax returns, all while devising strategies to reduce tax payments legally. A tax analyst may work as a member of a company or independently. Moreover, in a company setting, the responsibilities of a tax analyst revolve around coordinating with different departments to obtain all necessary documentation and financial information, maintaining accurate and extensive records of all transactions, and resolving any issues or concerns. Furthermore, it is essential to remain updated with all the tax laws, all while adhering to the policies and regulations of the company.

An average tax analyst eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of certified public accountants. The difference in salaries amounts to tax analysts earning a $14,948 lower average salary than certified public accountants.certified public accountants and tax analysts both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "irs," and "state tax returns," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, certified public accountants are more likely to have skills like "cpa," "strong customer service," "payroll tax returns," and "financial statement preparation." But a tax analyst is more likely to have skills like "tax audits," "tax compliance," "tax payments," and "onesource."

Tax analysts earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $79,702. Comparatively, certified public accountants have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $92,755.Most tax analysts achieve a similar degree level compared to certified public accountants. For example, they're 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Certified public accountant vs. Tax consultant

Tax consultants are experts in providing commercially centered tax advice and tax services to wide-ranging clients who function in all sectors of the economy. The work they do involves devising tax-efficient strategies for international and domestic-based clients in various business situations, including takeovers, company merges, and corporate reconstructions. They work continually to help clients ensure that the best business decisions are met. They also monitor and get ahead of possible changes concerning tax legislation and responding fast with guidance specific to their clients' tax requirements.

Tax consultants typically earn lower pay than certified public accountants. On average, tax consultants earn a $9,956 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, certified public accountants and tax consultants both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "cpa," "irs," and "state tax returns. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "strong customer service," "customer service," "payroll tax returns," and "financial statement preparation" are skills that commonly show up on certified public accountant resumes. On the other hand, tax consultants use skills like property tax, tax compliance, strong analytical, and payroll on their resumes.The finance industry tends to pay the highest salaries for tax consultants, with average annual pay of $73,553. Comparatively, the highest certified public accountant annual salary comes from the finance industry.In general, tax consultants hold similar degree levels compared to certified public accountants. Tax consultants are 4.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of certified public accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse business and financial jobs