Internal auditor vs account auditor

The differences between internal auditors and account auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an account auditor has an average salary of $76,369, which is higher than the $63,013 average annual salary of an internal auditor.

The top three skills for an internal auditor include CPA, risk management and SOX. The most important skills for an account auditor are audit reports, reconciliations, and CPA.

Internal auditor vs account auditor overview

	Internal Auditor	Account Auditor
Yearly salary	$63,013	$76,369
Hourly rate	$30.29	$36.72
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	25,571	89,144
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does an internal auditor do?

An internal auditor is an individual who takes responsibility for crucial accounting functions in an organization. Internal auditors have trusted consultants who advise upper management on how to handle corporate goals and risks. They review the business operations and processes of organizations. They have to assess the efficacy of the company's risk management procedures. They are expected to have superb communication skills, IT knowledge, and math aptitude. Also, they help protect the organization from potential theft and fraud of its assets.

What does an account auditor do?

The account auditor is the person tasked to conduct audits in sales accounts handled by the company. As with an auditor, this person checks all financial statements, investigates each entry, making sure everything is accounted for correctly. The auditor checks all receivables, attachments, and liquidation to ensure the financial report is accurate, which is vital for strategies that affect company expenses, calculate revenue, gains, and losses, and use those information to file taxes.

Internal auditor vs account auditor salary

Internal auditors and account auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Auditor	Account Auditor
Average salary	$63,013	$76,369
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $86,000	Between $53,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Meta	Apple
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Professional

Differences between internal auditor and account auditor education

There are a few differences between an internal auditor and an account auditor in terms of educational background:

	Internal Auditor	Account Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Internal auditor vs account auditor demographics

Here are the differences between internal auditors' and account auditors' demographics:

	Internal Auditor	Account Auditor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.9% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 12.2% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between internal auditor and account auditor duties and responsibilities

Internal auditor example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate annual external business evaluation in conjunction with CPA consultants.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Conduct complex performance audits, fraud investigations, special projects and routine follow-up reviews in accordance with IIA standards.
Perform tests of critical controls in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and report results utilizing company compliance tool to validate SOX checklist.
Develop company FDA policy & procedures for liquid oxygen small bulk delivery vessels.
Perform planning, compliance testing, substantive analysis and testing in accordance with GAAS.

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Account auditor example responsibilities.

Ensure all working files and relate supporting documents meet SOX compliance and audit trail requirement
Work in a small team, ensure SOX compliance and GAAP/SEC/FASB reporting guidelines are adhered to.
Perform monthly accounting services, prepare quarterly/yearly payroll tax reports.
Administer processing of payroll and compliance with federal/state tax reporting requirements.
Review and analyze Medicaid cost report data to determine Medicaid reimbursement.
Verify accounts and prepares statements for private pay residents and Medicaid long-term care eligibility.

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Internal auditor vs account auditor skills

Common internal auditor skills

CPA, 8%
Risk Management, 5%
SOX, 5%
Audit Findings, 5%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Internal Audit Function, 5%

Common account auditor skills

Audit Reports, 19%
Reconciliations, 6%
CPA, 6%
Internal Controls, 6%
Audit Procedures, 6%
Payroll, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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