Corporate accountant vs general accountant

The differences between corporate accountants and general 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 corporate accountant and a general accountant. Additionally, a corporate accountant has an average salary of $64,300, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a corporate accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Corporate accountant vs general accountant overview

	Corporate Accountant	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$64,300	$55,043
Hourly rate	$30.91	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	54,174	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a corporate accountant do?

A corporate accountant is an individual who prepares financial statements and maintains financial records of an organization to ensure that they comply with laws, regulations, and the organization's policies. Corporate accountants are required to analyze financial statements to help executives make financial decisions for the organization. They must collect ledgers and financial reports from divisional offices and prepare corporate financial statements for executives. Corporate accountants must also prepare budgets to allocate funds for spending for each department.

What does a general accountant do?

A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.

Corporate accountant vs general accountant salary

Corporate accountants and general accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Accountant	General Accountant
Average salary	$64,300	$55,043
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $89,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Putnam Investments	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between corporate accountant and general accountant education

There are a few differences between a corporate accountant and a general accountant in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Accountant	General Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Corporate accountant vs general accountant demographics

Here are the differences between corporate accountants' and general accountants' demographics:

	Corporate Accountant	General Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 13.0% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between corporate accountant and general accountant duties and responsibilities

Corporate accountant example responsibilities.

Lead successful implementation of PeopleSoft fix asset software module.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform month-end closing responsibilities, month-end accruals, expense allocations across business units and legal entities, and account reconciliations.
Perform general accounting assignments including accruals, profit and loss reports and reconciliations.
Prepare monthly journal entries and variance reconciliations primarily relating to compensation, operational accruals, investments, and partnerships.
Perform detailed and extensive schedules and analysis for annual audits by an outside CPA firm as required by law.

General accountant example responsibilities.

Manage payroll functions, financial statements, accounts payable, basic job cost, account analysis, accruals, year-end audits.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Assist manager with cash flow, preparing financial statement, BBC, and report to CPA.
Create budget at beginning and coordinate CPA firm's audit at the end of year.
Assist in any kind of audit engagement (internal control, external, SOX, etc . )
Provide support for the controller with period-end close accruals and journal entries and assist in various duties and responsibilities.

Corporate accountant vs general accountant skills

Common corporate accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
GAAP, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
CPA, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

Common general accountant skills

Financial Data, 11%
Reconciliations, 10%
Cash Handling, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

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Corporate Accountant vs General Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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