Comptroller vs chief finance officer

The differences between comptrollers and chief finance officers 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 a chief finance officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief finance officer has an average salary of $143,947, which is higher than the $81,446 average annual salary of a comptroller.

The top three skills for a comptroller include payroll taxes, external auditors and general ledger accounts. The most important skills for a chief finance officer are payroll, CPA, and oversight.

Comptroller vs chief finance officer overview

	Comptroller	Chief Finance Officer
Yearly salary	$81,446	$143,947
Hourly rate	$39.16	$69.21
Growth rate	17%	6%
Number of jobs	20,780	145,184
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	46	52
Years of experience	8	-

Comptroller vs chief finance officer salary

Comptrollers and chief finance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Comptroller	Chief Finance Officer
Average salary	$81,446	$143,947
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $126,000	Between $80,000 And $257,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Scotiabank	Baker McKenzie
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Construction

Differences between comptroller and chief finance officer education

There are a few differences between a comptroller and a chief finance officer in terms of educational background:

	Comptroller	Chief Finance Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Comptroller vs chief finance officer demographics

Here are the differences between comptrollers' and chief finance officers' demographics:

	Comptroller	Chief Finance Officer
Average age	46	52
Gender ratio	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%	Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	12%

Differences between comptroller and chief finance officer 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.

Chief finance officer example responsibilities.

Lead management team in developing and executing a combination of pricing and cost savings strategies that improve EBITDA more than threefold.
Lead the consolidation of financial and operational systems for non-acute services including rehabilitation and psychiatry services.
Lead system conversion to Hyperion planning budgeting/forecasting software, responsible for training, developing and implementation.
Manage all firm banking relationships, treasury functions and retain signatory authority for all partnership and corporate accounts.
Lead implementation of new worldwide consolidation system, Hyperion, significantly reducing closing time and improving controls over the consolidation process.
Prepare annual general ledger reconciliations and consolidate financial reports for CPA tax preparation.

Comptroller vs chief finance officer skills

Common comptroller skills

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

Common chief finance officer skills

Payroll, 7%
CPA, 6%
Oversight, 5%
Financial Reports, 4%
Human Resources, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%

Comptroller vs. similar jobs

Comptroller related careers

Comptroller related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Comptroller
Comptroller vs Chief Finance Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs