Junior accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between junior accountants and senior staff 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 junior accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a senior staff accountant has an average salary of $65,019, which is higher than the $50,444 average annual salary of a junior accountant.

The top three skills for a junior accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Junior accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Junior Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$50,444	$65,019
Hourly rate	$24.25	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	57,892	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

What does a senior staff accountant do?

A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.

Junior accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

Junior accountants and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Junior Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$50,444	$65,019
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $66,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Fuhu	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between junior accountant and senior staff accountant education

There are a few differences between a junior accountant and a senior staff accountant in terms of educational background:

	Junior Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Junior accountant vs senior staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between junior accountants' and senior staff accountants' demographics:

	Junior Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between junior accountant and senior staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

Senior staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage month end close process including journal entries, departmental analysis and preparation of consolidate financial statements and account reconciliations.
Involve in revenue recognition research (ASC 985-605 vs. ASC 605-25).
Aid managers in performing AP duties, generate financial reports for CPA, and reconcile bank accounts for corporate office.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger analysis in accordance with GAAP.
Advance SaaS deal and rev accounting.
Cultivate productive, trustful relationship with external CPA firm, critical to producing successful audits and year-end reporting.

Junior accountant vs senior staff accountant skills

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

Common senior staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
CPA, 7%
GAAP, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 4%

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Junior Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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