Comptroller vs plant controller

The differences between comptrollers and plant controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a comptroller and a plant controller. Additionally, a plant controller has an average salary of $99,550, 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 plant controller are internal controls, GAAP, and plant management.

Comptroller vs plant controller overview

	Comptroller	Plant Controller
Yearly salary	$81,446	$99,550
Hourly rate	$39.16	$47.86
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	20,780	47,555
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

Comptroller vs plant controller salary

Comptrollers and plant controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Comptroller	Plant Controller
Average salary	$81,446	$99,550
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $126,000	Between $72,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Reno, NV
Highest paying state	New York	Nevada
Best paying company	Scotiabank	Arkema
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between comptroller and plant controller education

There are a few differences between a comptroller and a plant controller in terms of educational background:

	Comptroller	Plant Controller
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Comptroller vs plant controller demographics

Here are the differences between comptrollers' and plant controllers' demographics:

	Comptroller	Plant Controller
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%	Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 7.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between comptroller and plant controller 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.

Plant controller example responsibilities.

Manage and correct balance sheet issues including property taxes, miscellaneous accruals, inventories, and capital work- in-progress accounts.
Implement Sarbanes-Oxley internal control policy and procedures which lead to successful annual internal and external audits.
Manage general accounting functions, including monthly financial statements and audit reports, and monthly account reconciliations.
Manage monthly closing process including, account reconciliations, account analysis, preparation of monthly financial statements and other management reports.
Participate in the implementation of an ERP system that accomplish key strategic initiatives including job costing and a perpetual inventory system.
SAP (at the plant level) and Hyperion (at the corporate level) are used in financial reporting.

Comptroller vs plant controller skills

Common comptroller skills

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

Common plant controller skills

Internal Controls, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Plant Management, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Analysis, 4%