Comptroller vs accountant

The differences between comptrollers and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a comptroller, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a comptroller has an average salary of $81,446, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for a comptroller include payroll taxes, external auditors and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Comptroller vs accountant overview

	Comptroller	Accountant
Yearly salary	$81,446	$54,890
Hourly rate	$39.16	$26.39
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	20,780	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	8	4

Comptroller vs accountant salary

Comptrollers and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Comptroller	Accountant
Average salary	$81,446	$54,890
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $126,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Scotiabank	Meta
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between comptroller and accountant education

There are a few differences between a comptroller and an accountant in terms of educational background:

	Comptroller	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Comptroller vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between comptrollers' and accountants' demographics:

	Comptroller	Accountant
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.3% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between comptroller and accountant duties and responsibilities

Comptroller example responsibilities.

Work with the users for the UAT test phase and lead the UAT test sessions.
Complete responsibility for high-volume billing functions and managing client trust accounts, including bank reconciliations.
Manage payroll and all taxation matters, coordinate independent audit; communicate with outside organizations and agencies.
Coordinate CPA preparation of year-end financial statement compilation and tax returns.
Design and implement appropriate reports and procedures to monitor and control execution of monthly journal entries and account reconciliations.
Assist the users with the UAT test plan.

Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

Comptroller vs accountant skills

Common comptroller skills

Payroll Taxes, 11%
External Auditors, 7%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Reconciliations, 6%
CPA, 4%
Journal Entries, 4%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%