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What does a Junior Accountant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted Expert
Terri Walsh
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.

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Junior accountant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real junior accountant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Create and process journal entries for bank fees, electronic debits/credits, and other require monthly ACH transactions.
  • Process and approve automatic clearinghouse (ACH) reports and do manual wire transfers for non-repetitive and repetitive transactions.
  • Assist with individual tax returns by compiling information and completing various schedules to support CPA firm partners during tax season.
  • Process payroll using automatic data processing software (ADP) along with monthly journals entries for accrual payroll and benefits.
  • Revise the lockbox reconciliation process so that reconciling items that have to be resolve by other departments are more easily understand.
  • Process payroll weekly and semi-monthly and implement electronic filing process.
  • Deliver accounting and financial system reporting and posting through QuickBooks for the organization.
  • Monitor hotel revenues/ expenses and ensure the accurate recording as per GAAP establish guidelines.
  • Compare and prepare quarterly financial statements, general & subsidiary ledgers and other supporting schedules.

Junior accountant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Junior Accountants are proficient in Reconciliations, General Ledger Accounts, and Account Reconciliations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Junior Accountants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Reconciliations, 18%

    Prepared financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detailed financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.

  • General Ledger Accounts, 8%

    Facilitated month end close process including reconciling general ledger accounts, updating financial spreadsheets and confirming accuracy of entries.

  • Account Reconciliations, 5%

    Assisted with monthly financial close process, including preparation of ledger account reconciliations and assistance with bank reconciliations.

  • Data Entry, 5%

    Completed multifaceted clerical tasks, including data entry, records management and billing in busy tour operations office.

  • QuickBooks, 4%

    Identified hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and presented monthly financial reports

  • Payroll Taxes, 4%

    Enrolled clients in EFTPS and NJBGS in order to make timely deposits for sales and payroll taxes.

Common skills that a junior accountant uses to do their job include "reconciliations," "general ledger accounts," and "account reconciliations." You can find details on the most important junior accountant responsibilities below.

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform junior accountant duties is communication skills. Junior accountants responsibilities require that "accountants and auditors must be able to listen to and discuss facts and concerns from clients, managers, and other stakeholders." Junior accountants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "improved communication gaps between hr and payroll. "

Organizational skills. junior accountants are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to junior accountant responsibilities, because "strong organizational skills are important for accountants and auditors, who often work with a range of financial documents for a variety of clients." A junior accountant resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "used prior experience and organizational capabilities to research client and customer accounts for reconciliation and accountability purposes. "

Detail oriented. junior accountant responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "accountants and auditors must pay attention to detail when compiling and examining documents." This resume example shows what junior accountants do with detail oriented on a typical day: "prepare journal entries, financial statements, as well as, detailed management of trial balances. "

Math skills. Another crucial skill for a junior accountant to carry out their responsibilities is "math skills." A big part of what junior accountants relies on this skill, since "accountants and auditors must be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures." How this skill relates to junior accountant duties can be seen in an example from a junior accountant resume snippet: "prepared and submitted financial reports for senior leadership review including statistics reports. "

See the full list of junior accountant skills

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Compare different junior accountants

Junior accountant vs. Accounting administrator

An accounting administrator is responsible for reviewing and analyzing account statements, managing deposits, and resolving bank discrepancies and financial disputes. Accounting administrators handle the efficient and accurate cash flow within an organization, including payroll release and filing of petty cash. They maintain an organized record of payments and billing statements for reference and audit purposes to generate reports for the management. An accounting administrator must have extensive knowledge of the accounting principles, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills to perform duties effectively, even under minimal supervision.

We looked at the average junior accountant salary and compared it with the wages of an accounting administrator. Generally speaking, accounting administrators are paid $2,376 lower than junior accountants per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both junior accountant and accounting administrator positions are skilled in reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between junior accountants and accounting administrator. For instance, junior accountant responsibilities require skills such as "accruals," "balance sheet accounts," "hr," and "income statement." Whereas a accounting administrator is skilled in "customer service," "journal entries," "credit card payments," and "office equipment." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Accounting administrators really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $49,796. Comparatively, junior accountants tend to make the most money in the construction industry with an average salary of $56,091.accounting administrators tend to reach similar levels of education than junior accountants. In fact, accounting administrators are 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Junior accountant vs. Accounting coordinator

An accounting coordinator is responsible for assisting the operations of the organization's accounting department, processing financial reports, and serving as a liaison between the accounting staff and other department personnel or external parties. Accounting coordinators maintain a record of accounts payable and receivables, issuing invoices, updating account statements, resolving account discrepancies, and managing bank reconciliations. They also help with tax audits, as well as performing bookkeeping functions and other administrative tasks as needed. An accounting coordinator must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of accounting principles and disciplines.

Accounting coordinator positions earn lower pay than junior accountant roles. They earn a $5,805 lower salary than junior accountants per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Junior accountants and accounting coordinators both require similar skills like "reconciliations," "general ledger accounts," and "account reconciliations" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, junior accountant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "income statement," "powerpoint," "ledgers," and "sales tax returns." Meanwhile, an accounting coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "credit card payments," "bank reconciliations," and "process invoices." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Accounting coordinators earn a lower average salary than junior accountants. But accounting coordinators earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $48,363. Additionally, junior accountants earn the highest salaries in the construction with average pay of $56,091 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Accounting coordinators tend to reach similar levels of education than junior accountants. In fact, they're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Junior Accountants in the next 3-5 years?

Terri WalshTerri Walsh LinkedIn Profile

Professor/Program Manager, Accounting, Seminole State College of Florida

I think EXCEL is a must for all business graduates, especially for accounting graduates, but often they have not been exposed to much of it in their degree. Besides, with technology continually changing, a dual major in accounting and information technology will be sought after, so I recommend a bachelor's degree accounting major NOT pursue an MBA, but an information technology degree or programming data. The rise of Big Data and issues surrounding cybersecurity risks will require the accounting profession, and accounting roles, to rely more on students with strong computer skills and logic/analytical thinking. As mentioned before, they will need to master EXCEL, as spreadsheets are widely used in accounting and are the foundation for more advanced software. We are already seeing TABLEAU being used in accounting books, even in the foundational courses which have EXCEL already. There is powerful interrogation software, such as IDEA and ACL, which can pull data from multiple sources; and knowing these tools or their capabilities will be required in the future. Also, strong technological skills need to be communicated once data is retrieved, and this will require persuasive writing and verbal skills.

Junior accountant vs. Account administrator

An account administrator receives and verifies goods and services billing and requisitions in an organization. Account administrators review and reconcile accounts, maintain up-to-date receipts and invoice records, and process payments to the company's external partners. Often, they need to contact vendors and clients to be able to perform their tasks. They should be equipped with skills in payroll administration, management, and business expertise. There are also tools that they need to be proficient with, such as accounting software and quality management tools.

On average scale, account administrators bring in lower salaries than junior accountants. In fact, they earn a $10,295 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on junior accountants and account administrators resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "reconciliations," "data entry," and "quickbooks.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a junior accountant is likely to be skilled in "general ledger accounts," "account reconciliations," "payroll taxes," and "accruals," while a typical account administrator is skilled in "customer service," "financial statements," "customer inquiries," and "computer system."

Account administrators earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $48,732. Comparatively, junior accountants have the highest earning potential in the construction industry, with an average salary of $56,091.Most account administrators achieve a similar degree level compared to junior accountants. For example, they're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Junior accountant vs. Accounting clerk

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Accounting clerks tend to earn a lower pay than junior accountants by an average of $11,761 per year.While their salaries may vary, junior accountants and accounting clerks both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "reconciliations," "general ledger accounts," and "account reconciliations. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A junior accountant uses "accruals," "balance sheet accounts," "gaap," and "income statement." Accounting clerks are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "credit card payments," "cash receipts," and "bank statements. "The government industry tends to pay the highest salaries for accounting clerks, with average annual pay of $40,064. Comparatively, the highest junior accountant annual salary comes from the construction industry.The average resume of accounting clerks showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to junior accountants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of junior accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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