Forensic accountant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between forensic accountants and general ledger 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 ledger accountant. Additionally, a forensic accountant has an average salary of $66,833, which is higher than the $60,034 average annual salary of a general ledger accountant.

The top three skills for a forensic accountant include CPA, litigation and forensic accounting. The most important skills for a general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

Forensic accountant vs general ledger accountant overview

	Forensic Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,833	$60,034
Hourly rate	$32.13	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,176	81,408
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 ledger accountant do?

A general ledger accountant is in charge of ensuring the accuracy of a company's overall accounting processes and information. It is their responsibility to communicate with different departments and officials to gather necessary data, conduct extensive audits, prepare documentation and reports, maintain financial data on the company ledger, and interpret financial information. Furthermore, like a general ledger accountant, it is essential to monitor the progress of accounting processes, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Forensic accountant vs general ledger accountant salary

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$66,833	$60,034
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	California
Best paying company	Berkeley Research Group	Citi
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between forensic accountant and general ledger accountant education

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Forensic accountant vs general ledger accountant demographics

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

	Forensic Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
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, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between forensic accountant and general ledger 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 ledger accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Perform account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; research and recommend transaction corrections.
Maintain ERP general ledger and data in sub module, and perform the expenditure review according to budgeting.
Prepare monthly, reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
Reconcile general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidate financial reports.
Prepare various monthly journal entries to record prepay insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.

Forensic accountant vs general ledger accountant skills

Common forensic accountant skills

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

Common general ledger accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
GAAP, 6%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Accruals, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

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Forensic Accountant vs General Ledger Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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