Forensic accountant vs staff accountant

The differences between forensic 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 forensic accountant and a staff accountant. Additionally, a forensic accountant has an average salary of $66,833, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.

The top three skills for a forensic accountant include CPA, litigation and forensic accounting. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Forensic accountant vs staff accountant overview

	Forensic Accountant	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,833	$54,216
Hourly rate	$32.13	$26.07
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,176	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
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 staff accountant do?

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.

Forensic accountant vs staff accountant salary

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

	Forensic Accountant	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$66,833	$54,216
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New York
Best paying company	Berkeley Research Group	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between forensic accountant and staff accountant education

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

	Forensic Accountant	Staff 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 staff accountant demographics

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

	Forensic Accountant	Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 8.5% 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%

Differences between forensic accountant and staff 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.

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Staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Contribute revenue accruals using job cost system, fix assets including reclassification, reconciliation and depreciation.
Prepare month-end journal entries and assist in compilation of financial statements, reconcile bank statements and general ledgers.
Complete audit-quality account reconciliations monthly for balance sheet accounts including the capital projects in progress accounts and miscellaneous revenue accounts.
Assume responsibility for cash management encompassing wire and ACH transfers processing, bank activity confirmation, and monthly bank account reconciliations.
Handle all A/R and A/P, payroll, change orders, collections, lien placement and release, vendor account management.

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Forensic accountant vs staff accountant skills

Common forensic accountant skills

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

Common staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
GAAP, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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