Grant accountant vs general accountant

The differences between grant accountants and general 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 grant accountant and a general accountant. Additionally, a grant accountant has an average salary of $59,472, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a grant accountant include reconciliations, grants management and GAAP. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Grant accountant vs general accountant overview

	Grant Accountant	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$59,472	$55,043
Hourly rate	$28.59	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	36,034	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a grant accountant do?

A grant accountant is responsible for overseeing financial and grant services in an organization. They are responsible for performing accounting and administrative tasks such as gathering and analyzing data, preparing and processing financial statements, conducting audits and assessments, identifying and resolving discrepancies, and handling taxes. They may also prepare forecasts and models, supervise budgets, and submit regular reports to managers. Moreover, a grant accountant must comply with the state, federal, and local financial laws and regulations, keeping abreast of the latest changes.

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.

Grant accountant vs general accountant salary

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

	Grant Accountant	General Accountant
Average salary	$59,472	$55,043
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $76,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Search for Common Ground	Apple
Best paying industry	Professional	Automotive

Differences between grant accountant and general accountant education

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

	Grant Accountant	General Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Grant accountant vs general accountant demographics

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

	Grant Accountant	General Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between grant accountant and general accountant duties and responsibilities

Grant accountant example responsibilities.

Manage sub-awards to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, and OMB circulars prior to payment process.
Manage all daily and biweekly payroll processes in accordance within establish deadlines.
Manage derivative accounting at global level and ensure accounting and economic hedging objectives are align.
Perform grant-related post-award functions, including budget and expense analysis, financial reporting and reconciliations.
Coordinate audit process with outside CPA firm, audit lead schedules, reports.
Supervise monthly payroll processing and tax calculations.

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.

Grant accountant vs general accountant skills

Common grant accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Grants Management, 5%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Financial Analysis, 4%
Expenditure Reports, 4%

Common general accountant skills

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

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Grant Accountant vs General Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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