Chief accountant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between chief 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 chief accountant and a general ledger accountant. Additionally, a chief accountant has an average salary of $61,481, which is higher than the $60,034 average annual salary of a general ledger accountant.

The top three skills for a chief accountant include external auditors, reconciliations and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for a general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

Chief accountant vs general ledger accountant overview

	Chief Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$61,481	$60,034
Hourly rate	$29.56	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	52,287	81,408
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a chief accountant do?

Chief accountants develop financial strategies, oversee the accounting department, make investment decisions, and develop financial strategies. They provide assistance to departments with their reviews and budgets, tax studies, and internal control. It is part of their job to respond to the accounting questions from time management. They take charge of monitoring and recording financial transactions based on corporate regulations and policies. Also, they recommend changes to the procedures of accounting.

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.

Chief accountant vs general ledger accountant salary

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

	Chief Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$61,481	$60,034
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $87,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	IBM	Citi
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between chief accountant and general ledger accountant education

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

	Chief 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

Chief accountant vs general ledger accountant demographics

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

	Chief Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.3% White, 61.6% 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 chief accountant and general ledger accountant duties and responsibilities

Chief accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Prepare monthly trial balance, balance sheets, and profit and loss statements according to GAAP.
Prepare monthly account reconciliations (bank reconciliation, accounts receivable reconciliation, accounts payable reconciliation, and general ledger reconciliation).
Research, advise and resolve accounting and business issues, ensuring compliance with U.S. GAAP and head office requirements.
Monitor deposits and withdrawals of revenue and expenses, review payroll, and ensure accurate processing and timely bank reconciliations.
Prepare daily SOX audit documentation, ensuring that bank account activity have been reconcile and to identify any outstanding variances.

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.

Chief accountant vs general ledger accountant skills

Common chief accountant skills

External Auditors, 13%
Reconciliations, 10%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 7%
Financial Reports, 5%
Internal Controls, 4%

Common general ledger accountant skills

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

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Chief Accountant vs General Ledger Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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