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The differences between finance reporting accountants and senior staff 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 finance reporting accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a finance reporting accountant has an average salary of $67,545, which is higher than the $65,019 average annual salary of a senior staff accountant.
The top three skills for a finance reporting accountant include GAAP, reconciliations and external auditors. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Senior Staff Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $67,545 | $65,019 |
| Hourly rate | $32.47 | $31.26 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 112,234 | 112,760 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A finance reporting accountant is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and accuracy of the company's financial reporting procedures. Finance reporting accountants analyze the financial statements of the company, including its expenses, balance sheets, revenues, cash flow, and other related financial information and discuss it to the management. They also provide strategic recommendations to minimize loss through cost-reduction operational processes and identifying business opportunities to increase profits. A finance reporting accountant should have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines, evaluating financial forecasts and resolving account discrepancies.
A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.
Finance reporting accountants and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Senior Staff Accountant | |
| Average salary | $67,545 | $65,019 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $90,000 | Between $48,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | Western Alliance Bank | Calumet Specialty Products Partners |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Professional |
There are a few differences between a finance reporting accountant and a senior staff accountant in terms of educational background:
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Senior Staff Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance reporting accountants' and senior staff accountants' demographics:
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Senior Staff Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.3% Female, 54.7% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.6% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |