General accountant vs accounting bookkeeper

The differences between general accountants and accounting bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a general accountant, becoming an accounting bookkeeper takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a general accountant has an average salary of $55,043, which is higher than the $51,406 average annual salary of an accounting bookkeeper.

The top three skills for a general accountant include financial data, reconciliations and cash handling. The most important skills for an accounting bookkeeper are data entry, reconciliations, and payroll taxes.

General accountant vs accounting bookkeeper overview

	General Accountant	Accounting Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$55,043	$51,406
Hourly rate	$26.46	$24.71
Growth rate	6%	-5%
Number of jobs	87,663	40,579
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	44	51
Years of experience	4	6

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.

What does an accounting bookkeeper do?

An Accounting Bookkeeper supervises the financial data and compliance of a company. Accounting Bookkeepers maintain accurate books on accounts receivable and payable, daily financial reconciliations and entries, and payroll. They are in charge of recording various transactions like income and outgoings and posting these transactions to different accounts.

General accountant vs accounting bookkeeper salary

General accountants and accounting bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Accountant	Accounting Bookkeeper
Average salary	$55,043	$51,406
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $73,000	Between $39,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Vallejo, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Delaware
Best paying company	Apple	GrowthForce
Best paying industry	Automotive	Professional

Differences between general accountant and accounting bookkeeper education

There are a few differences between a general accountant and an accounting bookkeeper in terms of educational background:

	General Accountant	Accounting Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General accountant vs accounting bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between general accountants' and accounting bookkeepers' demographics:

	General Accountant	Accounting Bookkeeper
Average age	44	51
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between general accountant and accounting bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

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.

Accounting bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Process bi-weekly payroll through ADP on-line system; manage distribution of live checks.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
General ledger entries for AR and AP, parts and sales of power equipment.
Prepare and print AP checks.
Report payroll to ADP system and reconcile payroll account.
Work with client's CPA firm for reporting and tax preparation.

General accountant vs accounting bookkeeper skills

Common general accountant skills

Financial Data, 11%
Reconciliations, 10%
Cash Handling, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

Common accounting bookkeeper skills

Data Entry, 8%
Reconciliations, 8%
Payroll Taxes, 8%
Journal Entries, 7%
Vendor Invoices, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%

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General Accountant vs Accounting Bookkeeper

Updated January 8, 2025

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