Payroll bookkeeper vs staff accountant

The differences between payroll bookkeepers and 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 payroll bookkeeper and a staff accountant. Additionally, a staff accountant has an average salary of $54,216, which is higher than the $46,087 average annual salary of a payroll bookkeeper.

The top three skills for a payroll bookkeeper include reconciliations, general ledger and journal entries. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Payroll bookkeeper vs staff accountant overview

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$46,087	$54,216
Hourly rate	$22.16	$26.07
Growth rate	-3%	6%
Number of jobs	8,176	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll bookkeeper vs staff accountant salary

Payroll bookkeepers and staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$46,087	$54,216
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $60,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between payroll bookkeeper and staff accountant education

There are a few differences between a payroll bookkeeper and a staff accountant in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll bookkeeper vs staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between payroll bookkeepers' and staff accountants' demographics:

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Staff Accountant
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between payroll bookkeeper and staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Payroll bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform financial management functions including monthly financial statement preparation and bank reconciliations.
Maintain accounts receivable/accounts payable including handling cash and deposits; process reconciliations and financial reports using SchoolFunds.
Process 1099 and W2's.
Process ACH rejections and stop payments.
Post receivables of checks, ACH and credit card payments.

Staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Contribute revenue accruals using job cost system, fix assets including reclassification, reconciliation and depreciation.
Prepare month-end journal entries and assist in compilation of financial statements, reconcile bank statements and general ledgers.
Complete audit-quality account reconciliations monthly for balance sheet accounts including the capital projects in progress accounts and miscellaneous revenue accounts.
Assume responsibility for cash management encompassing wire and ACH transfers processing, bank activity confirmation, and monthly bank account reconciliations.
Handle all A/R and A/P, payroll, change orders, collections, lien placement and release, vendor account management.

Payroll bookkeeper vs staff accountant skills

Common payroll bookkeeper skills

Reconciliations, 9%
General Ledger, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Tax Returns, 4%
Bank Reconciliations, 4%
Payroll Processing, 4%

Common staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
GAAP, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%