General accountant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between general 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 general accountant and a general ledger accountant. Additionally, a general ledger accountant has an average salary of $60,034, 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 general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

General accountant vs general ledger accountant overview

	General Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$55,043	$60,034
Hourly rate	$26.46	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	87,663	81,408
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

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 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.

General accountant vs general ledger accountant salary

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

	General Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$55,043	$60,034
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $73,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Apple	Citi
Best paying industry	Automotive	Technology

Differences between general accountant and general ledger accountant education

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

	General Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General accountant vs general ledger accountant demographics

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

	General Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
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, 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 general accountant and general ledger accountant 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.

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.

General accountant vs general ledger accountant skills

Common general accountant skills

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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