Public accountant vs fixed asset accountant

The differences between public accountants and fixed asset 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 public accountant and a fixed asset accountant. Additionally, a fixed asset accountant has an average salary of $59,691, which is higher than the $58,843 average annual salary of a public accountant.

The top three skills for a public accountant include CPA, real estate and audit procedures. The most important skills for a fixed asset accountant are fixed assets, reconciliations, and asset system.

Public accountant vs fixed asset accountant overview

	Public Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Yearly salary	$58,843	$59,691
Hourly rate	$28.29	$28.70
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	46,295	42,860
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a public accountant do?

A public accountant handles duties relating to financial planning, bookkeeping, and preparing government taxes and audits. Besides overseeing financial management and budget management, a public accountant also maintains and audits an organization's financial records. Other duties performed by public accountants include creating and analyzing budgets and recommending fiscally practical techniques to save the company's money. A public accountant reports financial information to the organization management and audits its accounts for overspending, fraud, errors, and misinformation.

What does a fixed asset accountant do?

A fixed asset accountant is responsible for processing statement reports for the company's assets, organizing account records, and handling bank reconciliations and disputes. Fixed asset accountants must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to determine and track the assets dispositions in various accounting systems for reference. They also ensure the accurate balance and calculate the value of all fixed assets for reports. A fixed asset accountant should be highly analytical to measure asset obligations and provide recommendations for asset acquisition.

Public accountant vs fixed asset accountant salary

Public accountants and fixed asset accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Average salary	$58,843	$59,691
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $80,000	Between $46,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Citi	Apple
Best paying industry	Professional	Energy

Differences between public accountant and fixed asset accountant education

There are a few differences between a public accountant and a fixed asset accountant in terms of educational background:

	Public Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Public accountant vs fixed asset accountant demographics

Here are the differences between public accountants' and fixed asset accountants' demographics:

	Public Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.4% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 13.0% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between public accountant and fixed asset accountant duties and responsibilities

Public accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform write-ups, analysis of general ledger, adjusting journal entries and reconciliations.
Ensure accuracy and completeness of write-ups and monthly bank reconciliations.
Handle tax matters with the IRS for clients and business owners.
Assist clients with IRS correspondence, accounting and recording business transactions.
Collaborate in the resolution of taxation disputes with federal, state and local tax agencies.

Fixed asset accountant example responsibilities.

Lead the discussions on the level of asset componentization with respect to compliance IFRS standards.
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Monitor purchase orders and calculate month-end accruals.
Support internal and external audit requirements and verify SOX documentation.
Calculate and reconcile deferred rent liability accruals for office leases.
Set up a consolidate and centralize SOX depository for require documentation.

Public accountant vs fixed asset accountant skills

Common public accountant skills

CPA, 17%
Real Estate, 9%
Audit Procedures, 9%
Financial Statement Preparation, 7%
Payroll Tax, 6%
Partnerships, 5%

Common fixed asset accountant skills

Fixed Assets, 16%
Reconciliations, 8%
Asset System, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Financial Statements, 4%
Account Reconciliations, 4%

Public Accountant vs. similar jobs

Public Accountant related careers

Public Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Public Accountant
Public Accountant vs Fixed Asset Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs