Staff associate vs staff accountant

The differences between staff associates and staff accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff associate has an average salary of $64,997, which is higher than the $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.

The top three skills for a staff associate include customer service, informed consent and laboratory tests. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Staff associate vs staff accountant overview

	Staff Associate	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$64,997	$54,216
Hourly rate	$31.25	$26.07
Growth rate	-	6%
Number of jobs	291,340	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does a staff associate do?

The duties of a staff associate depend on their line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities include performing support tasks in an office such as creating and processing documents, disseminating and organizing files, answering calls and correspondence, greeting visitors, preparing reports and presentations, and participating in different projects and programs. They may liaise with clients through calls and office appointments, offer products and services, and address any issues or concerns, resolving them according to the company's policies and regulations.

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.

Staff associate vs staff accountant salary

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

	Staff Associate	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$64,997	$54,216
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $112,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Ewing, NJ	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	Massasoit Community College	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between staff associate and staff accountant education

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

	Staff Associate	Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Staff associate vs staff accountant demographics

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

	Staff Associate	Staff Accountant
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 8.2% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between staff associate and staff accountant duties and responsibilities

Staff associate example responsibilities.

Manage timely payment of vendors through invoicing (A/R).
Produce marketing materials to attract new patients, create materials for monthly specials, and manage Facebook account.
Advocate compliance with all HIPAA, HSE and OSHA policies and procedures.
Examine internal controls over financial reporting by testing cash disbursements, receipts, and payroll reconciliation.
Work on brochures and PowerPoint presentations for meetings.
Assign pole climbing and CPR classes for new technicians

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.

Staff associate vs staff accountant skills

Common staff associate skills

Customer Service, 11%
Informed Consent, 8%
Laboratory Tests, 7%
Test Results, 7%
OSHA, 6%
Sops, 6%

Common staff accountant skills

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

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Staff Associate
Staff Associate vs Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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