Staff accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between staff accountants and senior 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 staff accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a senior staff accountant has an average salary of $65,019, 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 senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Staff accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Staff Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$54,216	$65,019
Hourly rate	$26.07	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	115,930	112,760
Job satisfaction	4	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
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 senior staff accountant do?

A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.

Staff accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

Staff accountants and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$54,216	$65,019
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $68,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Meta	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between staff accountant and senior staff accountant education

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

	Staff Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Staff accountant vs senior staff accountant demographics

Here are the differences between staff accountants' and senior staff accountants' demographics:

	Staff Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between staff accountant and senior staff 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.

Senior staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage month end close process including journal entries, departmental analysis and preparation of consolidate financial statements and account reconciliations.
Involve in revenue recognition research (ASC 985-605 vs. ASC 605-25).
Aid managers in performing AP duties, generate financial reports for CPA, and reconcile bank accounts for corporate office.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger analysis in accordance with GAAP.
Advance SaaS deal and rev accounting.
Cultivate productive, trustful relationship with external CPA firm, critical to producing successful audits and year-end reporting.

Staff accountant vs senior staff accountant skills

Common staff accountant skills

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

Common senior staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
CPA, 7%
GAAP, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 4%

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Staff Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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