Staff accountant vs general ledger accountant

The differences between staff accountants and general ledger 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 staff accountant and a general ledger accountant. Additionally, a general ledger accountant has an average salary of $60,034, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.

The top three skills for a staff accountant include reconciliations, account reconciliations and GAAP. The most important skills for a general ledger accountant are reconciliations, GAAP, and balance sheet accounts.

Staff accountant vs general ledger accountant overview

	Staff Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Yearly salary	$54,216	$60,034
Hourly rate	$26.07	$28.86
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	115,930	81,408
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does a general ledger accountant do?

A general ledger accountant is in charge of ensuring the accuracy of a company's overall accounting processes and information. It is their responsibility to communicate with different departments and officials to gather necessary data, conduct extensive audits, prepare documentation and reports, maintain financial data on the company ledger, and interpret financial information. Furthermore, like a general ledger accountant, it is essential to monitor the progress of accounting processes, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Staff accountant vs general ledger accountant salary

Staff accountants and general ledger accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average salary	$54,216	$60,034
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $68,000	Between $47,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Meta	Citi
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between staff accountant and general ledger accountant education

There are a few differences between a staff accountant and a general ledger accountant in terms of educational background:

	Staff Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Staff accountant vs general ledger accountant demographics

Here are the differences between staff accountants' and general ledger accountants' demographics:

	Staff Accountant	General Ledger Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%	Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between staff accountant and general ledger accountant duties and responsibilities

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.

General ledger accountant example responsibilities.

Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
Perform account analysis, cost accruals, bank reconciliations, inventory reconciliation and analysis; research and recommend transaction corrections.
Maintain ERP general ledger and data in sub module, and perform the expenditure review according to budgeting.
Prepare monthly, reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
Reconcile general ledger accounts which including preparing journal entries and accruals in preparation of consolidate financial reports.
Prepare various monthly journal entries to record prepay insurance amortization, payroll deduction liabilities and other liability accruals.

Staff accountant vs general ledger accountant skills

Common staff accountant skills

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

Common general ledger accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
GAAP, 6%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 6%
Payroll, 5%
Accruals, 5%
External Auditors, 4%

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Staff Accountant vs General Ledger Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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