Senior cost accountant vs fixed asset accountant

The differences between senior cost 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 senior cost accountant and a fixed asset accountant. Additionally, a senior cost accountant has an average salary of $65,824, which is higher than the $59,691 average annual salary of a fixed asset accountant.

The top three skills for a senior cost accountant include reconciliations, variance analysis and GAAP. The most important skills for a fixed asset accountant are fixed assets, reconciliations, and asset system.

Senior cost accountant vs fixed asset accountant overview

	Senior Cost Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Yearly salary	$65,824	$59,691
Hourly rate	$31.65	$28.70
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	45,010	42,860
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 cost accountant do?

A senior cost accountant is an individual who maintains detailed costs in a company's system and provides cost analysis that supports operations and sales. Senior cost accountants are required to review inventory and deal with manufacturing personnel to control and analyze standard costs. They must record cost information to be used in controlling expenditures as well as recommend cost efficiencies in new product layouts. Senior cost accountants must also provide reports that specify and compare factors affecting prices and profitability of products or services to the management.

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.

Senior cost accountant vs fixed asset accountant salary

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

	Senior Cost Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Average salary	$65,824	$59,691
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $89,000	Between $46,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	OraSure Technologies	Apple
Best paying industry	Health Care	Energy

Differences between senior cost accountant and fixed asset accountant education

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

	Senior Cost Accountant	Fixed Asset 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 cost accountant vs fixed asset accountant demographics

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

	Senior Cost Accountant	Fixed Asset Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 59.7% Female, 40.3%	Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.3% White, 64.1% 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 senior cost accountant and fixed asset accountant duties and responsibilities

Senior cost accountant example responsibilities.

Manage quarterly inventory reserves in accordance with company policy which follows GAAP guidance.
Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Process month end close including journal entries, account reconciliations, variance analysis, financial statement preparation and corporate reporting.
Provide user training and technical support for ERP and payroll systems.
Implement process improvements for monthly close process and SOX documentation retention.
Complete account reconciliations in accordance with maintaining the integrity of assets and liabilities for balance sheet inventory accounts.

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.

Senior cost accountant vs fixed asset accountant skills

Common senior cost accountant skills

Reconciliations, 9%
Variance Analysis, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Account Reconciliations, 4%
SR, 4%
SOX, 3%

Common fixed asset accountant skills

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

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Senior Cost Accountant vs Fixed Asset Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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