Reporting specialist vs staff accountant

The differences between reporting specialists 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 reporting specialist and a staff accountant. Additionally, a reporting specialist has an average salary of $56,129, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.

The top three skills for a reporting specialist include customer service, data analysis and powerpoint. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Reporting specialist vs staff accountant overview

	Reporting Specialist	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$56,129	$54,216
Hourly rate	$26.99	$26.07
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	50,543	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a reporting specialist do?

A reporting specialist, also known as a marketing analyst, is an individual who is responsible for examining the current trends and marketing conditions for an organization. Reporting specialists are required to gather information about their potential customers, business competitors, and economic conditions. They examine databases and new reports as well as initiate questionnaires and opinion polls with the help of survey researchers. Reporting specialists must also present the information they gather to the management of the organization.

What does a staff accountant do?

Staff accountants are employees who are part of the company's accounting department. They are usually certified public accountants (CPAs). Staff accountants should be familiar with accounting tasks. Previous accounting experiences play a huge advantage in their success. They perform a variety of accounting responsibilities such as information verification and analysis, financial report preparation and presentation, financial account reconciliation, billing and payment receiving activities, vendor database management, and invoice processing requirements. They should also know how to do bookkeeping. Staff accountants should have good communication skills, analytical skills, and decision-making skills. They should also be organized and trustworthy since they will be handling confidential information.

Reporting specialist vs staff accountant salary

Reporting specialists and staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Reporting Specialist	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$56,129	$54,216
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $80,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Citi	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between reporting specialist and staff accountant education

There are a few differences between a reporting specialist and a staff accountant in terms of educational background:

	Reporting Specialist	Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Reporting specialist vs staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between reporting specialists' and staff accountants' demographics:

	Reporting Specialist	Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.1% Female, 57.9%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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	7%	7%

Differences between reporting specialist and staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Reporting specialist example responsibilities.

Manage risks and ensure compliance with SOX controls relate to selection and contracting of suppliers.
Manage coordination, implementation and installation of next generation telemarketing system, an nt-base, client server environment.
Create VBA macros to streamline existing reporting processes.
Assist with developing and updating VBA code as necessary.
Analyze operating reports with Cognos, VendorScape and DRI.
Promote current HIPAA compliance beyond the minimum legally mandate.

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.

Reporting specialist vs staff accountant skills

Common reporting specialist skills

Customer Service, 10%
Data Analysis, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
BI, 5%
QA, 5%
SME, 4%

Common staff accountant skills

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

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Reporting Specialist
Reporting Specialist vs Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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