Accountant vs Controller: What’s the Difference?

Feel free to ask for a target close date of each monthly close and the last time the controller missed that date. Bonus points for evidence that the prospect has reduced the closing timeline. This person has meaningful experience in your industry and in a company at your present and future growth stages. The common factor for those $500K companies is that they’re hungry to get and use financial insights. As a business grows, the complexity of accounting processes grows along with it.

• This technical role can include managing accounts receivable, conducting operations oversight analysis, and creating and monitoring internal controls.
• If your company’s accountant can’t keep up with the workload, a controller would be more beneficial than a second accountant, and more directly involved than a CFO who is probably not needed in this situation.
• But many CPAs have a focus on tax law, meaning that this focus will color their recommendation to your business to try to improve your business’ tax situation.
• Learn about the education and preparation needed to become an air traffic controller.
• The controller reports to either a CFO or CEO and supervises staff accountants and bookkeepers.

To become a CFO, you need to demonstrate that you’re a critical thinker and strategist that the organization needs for growth and long-term success. Job opportunities for top executives, such as CAOs, are forecast to grow by 8% between 2020 and 2030, according to the BLS. This approximately matches the average growth for the job market as a whole. A CFO and a controller are on different levels within a company’s organizational hierarchy . Typically, a business won’t enlist the services of an in-house CFO until they reach approximately $50M.

Controller vs CFO: What’s the Difference & Which Fits Your Business Needs?

Controllers should be able to complete various financial reports, such as balance sheets and monthly financial statements. They also direct the completion of reports for governmental agencies, including ensuring the correct tax codes are used on income tax forms. Controllers work to gather financial information and report on the economic health of the company, allowing stakeholders to make informed business decisions. Unlike financial controllers, most chief financial officers have a higher level of education. They may have started in finance or investment banking rather than accounting, although they have a thorough understanding of accounting procedures. Depending on a firm’s size, controllers may supervise the accounting department staff, participate in the accounting process during tax season, and coordinate the hiring and onboarding new additions to the finance team.

In a large organization, it is important to have divisional and sub-divisional heads to look after the smooth function of the various roles. That’s why heads like CFO and controller play a very important part in the functioning and decision-making of an organization. A CFO on paper is responsible for anything to do with finance in a company. A controller’s rank is similar to the ranks of treasurer and the tax manager of a company. Although there is quite a bit of crossover between the two roles, especially for smaller companies, the larger the business gets, the more distinct the jobs become from one another. Contact Signature Analytics today to find out how we can help you optimize your company’s financial future.

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Controllers often do not make good CFOs, as they lack the out-of-the-box thinking required to innovate financial strategy; whereas CFOs often lack the discipline and rigor required to be a good controller. The CAO is the second-highest ranking finance professional in an organization, reporting to and working directly with the CFO. As the role of CFO has become more demanding, CAOs oversee the tactical and operational tasks that CFOs once dominated.

• Due the historical nature of the job closing the books is necessary to planning and strategy, but is often not the key driver of future performance.
• It is common for controllers to have at least 10 years of experience in accounting to show an increase in responsibility and higher-level accounting function along the way.
• They also allocate funds to different projects and departments while maintaining an overall budget for the organization.
• However, it is common for CPAs to serve businesses as external independent consultants, supporting with financial audit services and preparing and filing business taxes.

For either position, compensation depends on factors including company size, industry, whether the business is public or private, staff size and location. Small businesses usually hire a controller with accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting responsibilities before they hire a CFO because they may not be able to afford a Chief Financial Officer. The controller performs some functions of the CFO like cash management cfo vs controller but usually does not have enough staffing and time to also function as a strategic CFO influencing business results. The key difference between controller vs CFO is that a CFO oversees a company’s financial health from a holistic view, whereas a controller manages the day-to-day financial management tasks. The controller reports to the CFO and the CFO reports to the CEO, and is a member of the executive team.