Comptroller vs auditor

The differences between comptrollers and auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a comptroller has an average salary of $81,446, which is higher than the $54,853 average annual salary of an auditor.

The top three skills for a comptroller include payroll taxes, external auditors and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for an auditor are audit reports, customer service, and financial statements.

Comptroller vs auditor overview

	Comptroller	Auditor
Yearly salary	$81,446	$54,853
Hourly rate	$39.16	$26.37
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	20,780	20,325
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	46	44
Years of experience	8	-

Comptroller vs auditor salary

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

	Comptroller	Auditor
Average salary	$81,446	$54,853
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $126,000	Between $35,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Scotiabank	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Professional

Differences between comptroller and auditor education

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

	Comptroller	Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Comptroller vs auditor demographics

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

	Comptroller	Auditor
Average age	46	44
Gender ratio	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%	Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between comptroller and auditor 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.

Auditor example responsibilities.

Lead FDA readiness audits and participate in regulatory inspections.
Manage the collection, analysis and verification of managerial payroll information to detect fraud and/or unethical practices.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Perform semi-annual financial audits w/ externally contract CPA to validate accounts payable and receivables.
Develop and facilitate training for SOX process owners and other stakeholders using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Work efficiently and effectively with various process owners to develop SOX specific business processes and mating documentation controls.

Comptroller vs auditor skills

Common comptroller skills

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

Common auditor skills

Audit Reports, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Statements, 6%
Audit Findings, 5%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Payroll, 5%