What Is a Staff Accountant?
Updated September 13, 2024
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Staff accountants perform a variety of technical, analytical, and strategic tasks for their employers. They typically hold a bachelor's or master's degree in accounting, along with many years of professional experience. However, unlike certified public accountants (CPAs) and certified management accountants (CMAs), staff accountants do not need a license or certification.
Staff accountants typically complete the following job duties:
- Maintain general ledgers
- Prepare financial documents and tax returns
- Track and reconcile simple and complex transactions
- Provide analytical and strategic insights
If you enjoy accounting but are unsure whether you want to pursue a CPA or CMA credential, the staff accounting path might appeal to you. Learn more about the role, how to prepare for it, and what to expect.
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Staff Accountant Duties
Staff accountant responsibilities primarily revolve around:
- Tracking financial transactions, assets and liabilities, and profits and losses
- Preparing financial statements and documents (typically for organizations not subject to Securities and Exchange Commission reporting requirements)
- Maintaining and updating internal financial records
In this capacity, they may perform job duties, including:
-
Maintaining General Ledgers
Businesses track their financial transactions in a master document known as a general ledger. Many staff accountant duties revolve around tracking and recording transactions in the general ledger and ensuring it is current and accurate. -
Applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) comprise a standardized, rules-based accounting framework widely used in the United States. Staff accountants apply these principles in their duties, requiring well-developed knowledge of the GAAP system. -
Preparing Specialized Financial Documents
Staff accountants often lead or participate in preparing specialized financial documents and statements, such as balance sheets, cash flow statements, and profit and loss statements. -
Reconciling Finances
Staff accountants reconcile business accounts, track payables and receivables, and verify account balances. They typically perform complete organizational financial reconciliations on monthly cycles. -
Preparing and Filing Tax Returns
In many organizations, a staff accountant's responsibilities extend to tracking tax liabilities, preparing tax documents and returns, and filing those documents with municipal, state, and federal authorities. However, staff accountants cannot formally represent their clients in tax-related matters without a CPA license.
Key Hard Skills for Staff Accountants
- GAAP: Staff accountants commonly apply GAAP in their duties, making proficiency a required skill. Many accounting degree programs teach GAAP standards, but you may need to learn them independently if they were not covered in your academic training.
- Accounting Software Proficiency: Employers use various accounting software platforms, mainly to automate routine calculations and improve efficiency. You will require an excellent working knowledge of common accounting software tools and spreadsheet programs.
- Financial Statement and Tax Document Preparation: You must be able to prepare balance sheets, profit and loss statements, income statements, and other financial documents in standard formats.
- Regulatory Compliance: Staff accountants must ensure compliance with tax laws, financial tracking and reporting standards, and other regulatory and legal measures. You need complete knowledge of all compliance requirements that apply to your employer(s).
Key Soft Skills for Staff Accountants
- Attention to Detail: All accountants need the ability to focus sharply on small details. In addition to numerical accuracy, they must ensure all transaction records and financial statements are internally consistent and free of omissions and discrepancies.
- Verbal and Written Communication: Staff accountants interact with other professionals and colleagues both within and outside accounting contexts. They need the ability to communicate technical details and insights in terms that non-accountants can understand, both verbally and in writing.
- Organization: To thrive as an accountant, you must be highly organized and take a systematic approach to your work. Disorganization makes it easier to commit errors and oversights, which could have serious consequences.
- Time Management: Many accounting duties run on regular monthly, bimonthly, semiannual, and annual cycles. You need the ability to prioritize tasks while still adhering to cyclical schedules and meeting tight deadlines.
What Is a Staff Accountant's Expertise?
Some staff accountants develop specialized expertise in targeted practice areas. Examples include taxation, internal auditing, and serving small businesses. Explore these specialization profiles to learn more.
Taxation
Staff accountants who specialize in taxation have a thorough knowledge of tax laws and compliance requirements. They also offer advanced insights and strategies for managing and reducing tax burdens and liabilities within the confines of all applicable laws. In some cases, this expertise helps tax specialists save their employers significant sums of money.
To prepare for this specialization, you can take taxation courses in your elective slots as you complete an undergraduate or graduate accounting degree. Many schools also offer concentrated master's programs in taxation.
Common Job Titles
Internal Auditing
Larger organizations and businesses with more complex accounting needs may employ accountants with specializations in internal auditing. Internal audits ensure that all recorded transactions and financial documents are accurate, complete, and legally compliant.
You have several options for developing an auditing specialization. First, you could earn an undergraduate or graduate accounting degree with an auditing concentration. Alternatively, you could complete a bachelor's degree in a related field, such as finance, business, or mathematics. From there, you can proceed into an auditing-focused graduate program.
Common Job Titles
Small Business
Staff accountants often work for small businesses, whose accounting needs vary in size, industry, and annual revenues.
Small businesses with straightforward needs may only employ bookkeepers who apply postsecondary education with on-the-job training in performing basic accounting duties. In other cases, businesses require accountants with deeper, broader knowledge and more technical and analytical skill. Accounting degree programs can prepare you to fill these roles.
As a small business accountant, your staff accountant duties may extend to tax returns, compilations, spending projections, audits of benefit plans, and other related responsibilities.
Common Job Titles
How to Become a Staff Accountant
For most staff accountants, the journey begins with a bachelor's degree in accounting. You can also earn a related undergraduate degree, such as a bachelor's in finance, then enroll in a master's program in accounting.
A master's degree may be a good option if you want to develop advanced skills or qualify for specialized credentials like licenses or certifications.
Employers filling vacancies for staff accountants and similar roles generally prefer candidates with experience. You can earn this experience by working in entry-level and supporting positions, such as bookkeeper, accounting assistant, or accounting clerk.
Network as you build experience. Look for positions that offer mentorship and the chance to develop new or more advanced accounting skills.
Some staff accountants choose to obtain a CPA license or certification as a CMA or tax preparer. These credentials signal expertise in targeted areas and may help boost your employability.
Staff Accountant Salary and Career Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups accountants and auditors together in tracking salary and job growth projections. According to BLS data from May 2023, these professionals earn a median salary of $79,880 per year. From 2023-33, the BLS projects 6% job growth, which is faster than average.
Specialized credentials, such as a CPA license, can also impact your staff accountant salary. Payscale data from September 2024 reported an average CPA salary of about $78,370 per year. However, keep in mind that employers may not offer CPA-level salaries to staff accountant roles for which a CPA license is not required.
Career Spotlight: Tasha Averill, CPA
Why did you become a staff accountant? What initially interested you about the field?
I became an accountant because I liked the wide range of career opportunities that it made available. It's not only public accounting; you can also work in any industry as an accountant in a variety of ways.
What education did you need to pursue this career? How did it prepare you for your current role?
I needed a bachelor of science in accounting, but I continued on to get my master's in accounting and my CPA license. Continuing to get your master's isn't necessary, but I found it helped me to get a deeper understanding of accounting. I would say if you go into public accounting, a CPA license is needed. But even if you don't, the amount you learn studying for the exams is a big help.
What was the job search like after graduating with your degrees?
I did most of my job search while pursuing my degree through networking and interning. When I finished my master's, I had a full-time offer, so it wasn't a traditional job search.
What was the career path that led you to this position? What do you think helped you most on your journey to becoming a staff accountant?
I started off interning at Ernst & Young (EY) and working as a bookkeeper for my university during my undergraduate. During my graduate year, I worked as an internal auditor for my university, which became my full-time job after completing my master's.
I then started at EY full time for a year before joining Concannon Miller, where I have worked for about three years. I think each of these steps along my journey helped me find where in accounting I wanted to work. I was able to gain a lot of experience and ask questions to people with varied experiences.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
There is a lot of variety in my day-to-day work. I usually work on small business tax returns, reviews, and compilations. I also work on employee benefit plan audits, projections, and 990s throughout the year.
What are some of the most rewarding aspects of working as a staff accountant? Some of the most challenging aspects?
I like helping small business owners succeed by giving them a clear picture of their business through financial statements. The most challenging aspect is juggling the needs of multiple clients and managers. Sometimes it's overwhelming to balance it all, but it is easier with practice, and it keeps things interesting.
“I like helping small business owners succeed by giving them a clear picture of their business through financial statements.”
What do you think is the most important skill staff accountants need to succeed?
Organization is key to keeping track of all of your work. There are often open items causing you to put work down and go back to it. Staying organized is key to having a smooth transition back into the work after not looking at it and making sure the client is getting the information to you on time.
What advice would you give to students considering your career?
Get your CPA exams done during college if possible, or as soon as you can. It is a huge help to have it done, since it takes so much time and dedication.
Tasha Averill
Tasha Averill, CPA, works for Concannon Miller, a CPA and business advisory firm headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She has handled small business returns, reviews, and compilations, along with tax projections and employee benefit plan audits. She is a graduate of Binghamton University, with both a bachelor's and master's in accounting.
Questions About the Staff Accountant Responsibilities
What is the goal of a staff accountant?
Primary staff accountant responsibilities include tracking and recording financial transactions, updating the general ledger, and preparing financial statements and tax documents. In performing these duties, staff accountants often apply GAAP.
What comprises a typical day for a staff accountant?
Day-to-day duties vary according to where you are in your monthly and annual accounting and reporting cycles. Regular staff accountant duties include financial reviews and compilations, internal audits, financial projections, and preparing tax returns.
Is a staff accountant higher than an accountant?
It depends on your employer's organizational structure. In larger accounting departments, staff accountants generally hold mid-level roles below controllers, accounting managers, and CPAs, but above entry-level accountants, accounting assistants, clerks, and bookkeepers.
What is the difference between an accounting manager and a staff accountant?
Accounting managers focus more on supervising other accounting professionals, while staff accountants concentrate on technical accounting duties. However, the positions overlap, especially in smaller organizations.
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