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The differences between general accountants and business partners 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 a business partner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business partner has an average salary of $96,324, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.
The top three skills for a general accountant include financial data, reconciliations and cash handling. The most important skills for a business partner are analytics, project management, and customer service.
| General Accountant | Business Partner | |
| Yearly salary | $55,043 | $96,324 |
| Hourly rate | $26.46 | $46.31 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 87,663 | 106,251 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
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.
A business partner is an individual who is involved in a legal business partnership with other individuals to manage a business as co-owners. Business partners invest their money into the business, and each partner benefits from any profits and sustains part of any losses. They must file with the state in which they do business and are governed mostly by state laws. Business partners can also be either liable or not for the actions taken by the company.
General accountants and business partners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Accountant | Business Partner | |
| Average salary | $55,043 | $96,324 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $73,000 | Between $66,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a general accountant and a business partner in terms of educational background:
| General Accountant | Business Partner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between general accountants' and business partners' demographics:
| General Accountant | Business Partner | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |