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The differences between finance reporting accountants and 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 staff accountant. Additionally, a finance reporting accountant has an average salary of $67,545, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.
The top three skills for a finance reporting accountant include GAAP, reconciliations and external auditors. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Staff Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $67,545 | $54,216 |
| Hourly rate | $32.47 | $26.07 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 112,234 | 115,930 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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.
Staff accountants are employees who are part of the company's accounting department. They are usually certified public accountants (CPAs). Staff accountants should be familiar with accounting tasks. Previous accounting experiences play a huge advantage in their success. They perform a variety of accounting responsibilities such as information verification and analysis, financial report preparation and presentation, financial account reconciliation, billing and payment receiving activities, vendor database management, and invoice processing requirements. They should also know how to do bookkeeping. Staff accountants should have good communication skills, analytical skills, and decision-making skills. They should also be organized and trustworthy since they will be handling confidential information.
Finance reporting accountants and staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Staff Accountant | |
| Average salary | $67,545 | $54,216 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $90,000 | Between $42,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | Western Alliance Bank | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Government |
There are a few differences between a finance reporting accountant and a staff accountant in terms of educational background:
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Staff Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance reporting accountants' and staff accountants' demographics:
| Finance Reporting Accountant | Staff Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.3% Female, 54.7% | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% |
| 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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |