General accountant vs public accountant

The differences between general accountants and public 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 public accountant. Additionally, a public accountant has an average salary of $58,843, 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 public accountant are CPA, real estate, and audit procedures.

General accountant vs public accountant overview

	General Accountant	Public Accountant
Yearly salary	$55,043	$58,843
Hourly rate	$26.46	$28.29
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	87,663	46,295
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
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 public accountant do?

A public accountant handles duties relating to financial planning, bookkeeping, and preparing government taxes and audits. Besides overseeing financial management and budget management, a public accountant also maintains and audits an organization's financial records. Other duties performed by public accountants include creating and analyzing budgets and recommending fiscally practical techniques to save the company's money. A public accountant reports financial information to the organization management and audits its accounts for overspending, fraud, errors, and misinformation.

General accountant vs public accountant salary

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

	General Accountant	Public Accountant
Average salary	$55,043	$58,843
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $73,000	Between $43,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Apple	Citi
Best paying industry	Automotive	Professional

Differences between general accountant and public accountant education

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

	General Accountant	Public Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General accountant vs public accountant demographics

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

	General Accountant	Public Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between general accountant and public 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.

Public accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform write-ups, analysis of general ledger, adjusting journal entries and reconciliations.
Ensure accuracy and completeness of write-ups and monthly bank reconciliations.
Handle tax matters with the IRS for clients and business owners.
Assist clients with IRS correspondence, accounting and recording business transactions.
Collaborate in the resolution of taxation disputes with federal, state and local tax agencies.

General accountant vs public 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 public accountant skills

CPA, 17%
Real Estate, 9%
Audit Procedures, 9%
Financial Statement Preparation, 7%
Payroll Tax, 6%
Partnerships, 5%

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General Accountant vs Public Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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