Revenue accountant vs certified public accountant

The differences between revenue accountants and certified public 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 revenue accountant and a certified public accountant. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $66,015 average annual salary of a revenue accountant.

The top three skills for a revenue accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and pivot tables. The most important skills for a certified public accountant are CPA, customer service, and IRS.

Revenue accountant vs certified public accountant overview

	Revenue Accountant	Certified Public Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,015	$76,693
Hourly rate	$31.74	$36.87
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,874	78,792
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a revenue accountant do?

A revenue accountant is responsible for monitoring clients' payments, tracking financial transactions, and resolving billing discrepancies and reconciliations. Revenue accountants release invoices and collect payments from outstanding debts. They also identify business opportunities and client partnerships to generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability, keeping efficient and safe storage of all account information in the database. A revenue accountant writes comprehensive reports for management's reference, requiring them to have excellent communication skills and accounting principles knowledge.

What does a certified public accountant do?

A certified public accountant (CPA) acts as an advisor to small businesses and chief financial officers to Fortune 500 companies. They typically work for both small and large public accounting firms. They offer advice on many issues, such as accounting and taxation. They aid businesses and individuals to plan and achieve their financial goals. There are several requirements to become a CPA, including having a degree in accounting, passing the CPA examination, and obtaining a CPA license to practice.

Revenue accountant vs certified public accountant salary

Revenue accountants and certified public accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Revenue Accountant	Certified Public Accountant
Average salary	$66,015	$76,693
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $89,000	Between $49,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Google	Applied Materials
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between revenue accountant and certified public accountant education

There are a few differences between a revenue accountant and a certified public accountant in terms of educational background:

	Revenue Accountant	Certified Public Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Revenue accountant vs certified public accountant demographics

Here are the differences between revenue accountants' and certified public accountants' demographics:

	Revenue Accountant	Certified Public Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 40.0% Female, 60.0%	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 14.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.4% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between revenue accountant and certified public accountant duties and responsibilities

Revenue accountant example responsibilities.

Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Upload project statements of work and changes in scope into ERP system, ensuring accurate invoicing and revenue recognition.
Execute and maintain supporting documentation for SOX internal controls
Provide GAAP considerations for complex revenue transactions including audit documentation.
General accounting functions, including adjusting journal entries, reconciliations of global accounts including defer revenue and accruals.
Prepare monthly journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations for numerous domestic and international revenue accounts using foreign exchange rates.

Certified public accountant example responsibilities.

Mentor highly skil accounting and tax management team to achieve establish objectives including conformity with GAAP compliance.
Maintain monthly client bookkeeping including bank reconciliations, account payable and prepare preliminary financial statements for CPA review.
Conduct bookkeeping, bank reconciliations and generate general ledgers as well as raise concerns about expenditure classifications and revenue recognition.
Prepare and review month-end close, including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, and financial statement supporting documentation.
Gain a working knowledge of audit objectives and procedures in compliance with GAAP and GAAS.
Prepare and monitor audit programs, assist management in design and monitoring of SOX compliance programs.

Revenue accountant vs certified public accountant skills

Common revenue accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
GAAP, 10%
Pivot Tables, 5%
Financial Statements, 5%
SOX, 5%
Accruals, 5%

Common certified public accountant skills

CPA, 48%
Customer Service, 22%
IRS, 7%
State Tax Returns, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 2%
Financial Statement Preparation, 1%

Revenue Accountant vs. similar jobs

Revenue Accountant related careers

Revenue Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Revenue Accountant
Revenue Accountant vs Certified Public Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs