Control accountant vs cost accountant

The differences between control accountants and cost 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 control accountant and a cost accountant. Additionally, a control accountant has an average salary of $66,563, which is higher than the $60,528 average annual salary of a cost accountant.

The top three skills for a control accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and payroll taxes. The most important skills for a cost accountant are reconciliations, variance analysis, and GAAP.

Control accountant vs cost accountant overview

	Control Accountant	Cost Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,563	$60,528
Hourly rate	$32.00	$29.10
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	75,702	39,925
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a control accountant do?

A Control Accountant is in charge of managing a company's accounting records and spearheads the development of financial reports. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically includes coordinating with different teams to gather and analyze data, conduct audits and risk analyses, monitor budgets and expenditures, review documents and other transactions and develop strategies to optimize operations. A Control Accountant leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a cost accountant do?

A cost accountant specializes in determining the total cost incurred by a company from producing goods and services. Through the various financial data they collect, the cost accountant will devise plans and strategies that will be a vital factor in the next budget and marketing preparations of a company. Aside from this, a cost accountant is responsible for various tasks such as conducting research and analysis in different areas, keeping financial records and inventory, producing financial reports involving profitability and expenditures, and proposing a budget and other financial plans.

Control accountant vs cost accountant salary

Control accountants and cost accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Control Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average salary	$66,563	$60,528
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $91,000	Between $45,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Edison, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Marathon Oil	Google
Best paying industry	Finance	Energy

Differences between control accountant and cost accountant education

There are a few differences between a control accountant and a cost accountant in terms of educational background:

	Control Accountant	Cost Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Control accountant vs cost accountant demographics

Here are the differences between control accountants' and cost accountants' demographics:

	Control Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%	Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between control accountant and cost accountant duties and responsibilities

Control accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Collect, analyze, interpret, and document information to support quarterly SOX reviews.
Ensure proper accounting in compliance with GAAP, regulatory reporting requirements and joint ownership contracts.
Identify variances between corporations, establish payable/receivable ledgers, and clear open variances in accordance with GAAP.
Control regional account analysis, provide explanations and backup to SOX reporting department.
Perform domestic and international roll forwards, quarterly schedules for goodwill, trademarks and acquisition activities utilizing Hyperion.

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Cost accountant example responsibilities.

Manage ledgers and perform month end journal entries.
Manage the payroll with ADP system and account receivable.
Manage costing control as well as accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R).
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Prepare raw material and WIP inventory reconciliations.
Develop tracking of GAAP inventory valuation for all inventory inherit from the bankrupt former company.

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Control accountant vs cost accountant skills

Common control accountant skills

Reconciliations, 11%
General Ledger Accounts, 7%
Payroll Taxes, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Accruals, 5%
Internal Controls, 5%

Common cost accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Variance Analysis, 6%
GAAP, 4%
Account Reconciliations, 3%
Cost Analysis, 3%
Financial Analysis, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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