Forensic accountant vs general accountant

The differences between forensic 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 forensic accountant and a general accountant. Additionally, a forensic accountant has an average salary of $66,833, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a forensic accountant include CPA, litigation and forensic accounting. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Forensic accountant vs general accountant overview

	Forensic Accountant	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,833	$55,043
Hourly rate	$32.13	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,176	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a forensic accountant do?

Working close together with law enforcement agencies, a forensic accountant specializes in investigating potential fraud and financial crimes. Their responsibilities typically include performing extensive research and analysis, gathering and analyzing various forms of financial data and storage, reviewing and validating documents, verifying information, and conducting internal and external financial audits. Most of the time, a forensic accountant presents research findings to lawyers and judges as evidence, which will require them to participate and testify in court proceedings.

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.

Forensic accountant vs general accountant salary

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Accountant
Average salary	$66,833	$55,043
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Jersey
Best paying company	Berkeley Research Group	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between forensic accountant and general accountant education

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Forensic accountant vs general accountant demographics

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.6% 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 forensic accountant and general accountant duties and responsibilities

Forensic accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Gain accounting and auditing experience with this CPA firm.
Select and roll out ERP software to meet company requirements.
Complete all tasks for a full service CPA firm independently with little supervision.
Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of GAAP to record transactions.
Prepare responses to interrogatories and requests for production documents.

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.

Forensic accountant vs general accountant skills

Common forensic accountant skills

CPA, 21%
Litigation, 16%
Forensic Accounting, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Fraud Investigations, 7%
CFE, 5%

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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Forensic Accountant vs General Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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