Senior corporate accountant vs cost accountant

The differences between senior corporate accountants and cost 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 senior corporate accountant and a cost accountant. Additionally, a senior corporate accountant has an average salary of $73,008, which is higher than the $60,528 average annual salary of a cost accountant.

The top three skills for a senior corporate accountant include reconciliations, GAAP and SOX. The most important skills for a cost accountant are reconciliations, variance analysis, and GAAP.

Senior corporate accountant vs cost accountant overview

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Cost Accountant
Yearly salary	$73,008	$60,528
Hourly rate	$35.10	$29.10
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	57,895	39,925
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior corporate accountant do?

A senior corporate accountant is responsible for reviewing financial transactions and account statements of an organization, reconciling accounts receivable, managing accounts payable, and resolving bank discrepancies. Senior corporate accountants handle clients' outstanding payments, allocate budget to the department heads, and identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and minimize financial loss. They write accurate financial reports to discuss with the senior management, respond to the team's inquiries and concerns, and strategize to improve financial processes.

What does a cost accountant do?

A cost accountant specializes in determining the total cost incurred by a company from producing goods and services. Through the various financial data they collect, the cost accountant will devise plans and strategies that will be a vital factor in the next budget and marketing preparations of a company. Aside from this, a cost accountant is responsible for various tasks such as conducting research and analysis in different areas, keeping financial records and inventory, producing financial reports involving profitability and expenditures, and proposing a budget and other financial plans.

Senior corporate accountant vs cost accountant salary

Senior corporate accountants and cost accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average salary	$73,008	$60,528
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $92,000	Between $45,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Edison, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Amazon	Google
Best paying industry	Construction	Energy

Differences between senior corporate accountant and cost accountant education

There are a few differences between a senior corporate accountant and a cost accountant in terms of educational background:

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Cost Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior corporate accountant vs cost accountant demographics

Here are the differences between senior corporate accountants' and cost accountants' demographics:

	Senior Corporate Accountant	Cost Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%	Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior corporate accountant and cost accountant duties and responsibilities

Senior corporate accountant example responsibilities.

Manage CAPEX and Hyperion reporting.
Manage Sarbanes-Oxley documentation and perform the related testing in accordance with policy.
Manage all treasury activity for corporate entities including daily cash management, monthly earn fee calculations, and property relate reimbursements.
Prepare documentation in support of financial statements for SOX regulations, internal and external auditors.
Initiate financial analysis, budgeting, management planning, capital expenditure monitoring, and revenue recognition according to GAAP.
Research and implement functionality within ERP system.

Cost accountant example responsibilities.

Manage ledgers and perform month end journal entries.
Manage the payroll with ADP system and account receivable.
Manage costing control as well as accounts payable (A/P) and accounts receivable (A/R).
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Prepare raw material and WIP inventory reconciliations.
Develop tracking of GAAP inventory valuation for all inventory inherit from the bankrupt former company.

Senior corporate accountant vs cost accountant skills

Common senior corporate accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
GAAP, 9%
SOX, 5%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%
Strong Analytical, 4%

Common cost accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Variance Analysis, 6%
GAAP, 4%
Account Reconciliations, 3%
Cost Analysis, 3%
Financial Analysis, 3%

Senior Corporate Accountant vs. similar jobs

Senior Corporate Accountant related careers

Senior Corporate Accountant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Senior Corporate Accountant
Senior Corporate Accountant vs Cost Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs