Reading these stress me out sometimes. Iām a 12 year experienced accountant with MBA and CPA thatās barely clearing 100k. 35-year old hearing these barely 20 year olds making close to me is crazy! I need to start looking around! Good job and congrats to all though. Keep up the good work.
I was thinking the same thing. Iām 38, MBA/CPA, 8 year experienced tax accountant. I work in private industry as a tax manager and I just got a pay bump to $93k. With my bonus this year Iāll come close to grossing $100kā¦but these babies make me feel so sad about where I am in life. š
CFO for company that sells franchises in southeastern US. $150k + 3% equity shares. BS in accounting. Was 5th employee they hired as a bookkeeper for 65k at the time. That was 3 years ago.
Changed my career path, staff accountant job fell into my lap. Local CPA firm, just passed 3 months. I literally do the same thing youāre doing. Do the books/sales tax/payroll tax/quarterlyās/ clients have started contacting me directly for whatever they need, etc. Iām hungry to learn more. Oddly enough, friend of my parents is a controller. Does some books on the side. Told me the SAME thing about easily clearing 100k. How would you guide someone with my experience, or lack thereof, to get to YOUR level? Teach me your ways!
What goes into bookkeeping/payroll, tax company? Iāve been a controller for about 5 years and Iāve always thought that it would be fun to start a company to do bookkeeping for small businesses that have need help but I donāt even know where to begin. Im currently pulling over $130K as a controller and I work a max of 40 hours a week. I feel like I have at least 10-20 hours more a week in me to work.
95k in Dallas, around 3.5 yoe. Math undergrad and I took basically all undergrad accounting classes in my spare time during my last job but would need 24 more credit hours for the CPA, so I gave up. Working in PA
That doesnāt seem bad for Florida but now itās become expensive? How are you and everyone around you handling the price increases in nearly everything?
65k, right outside of Raleigh so MCOL. I am three promotions in at my CPA firm with 3 years experience and just got my masters. Honestly donāt feel I am making enough for the level of responsibility i currently hold. I am thinking about starting my CPA this year but I ultimately I feel I will have to hop jobs to be compensated fairly. Also not sure if I want to stay in accounting or transition to financial analysis.
DM me if youāre looking for a job, my firm is hiring. Also willing to chat on the phone if youāre down!! Also, are you in tax or audit? 65k for 3 years of experience is definitely low.
Man, reading some of the comments makes me really consider if pursuing a CPA is worth or not. Iām 6 years into my career aiming for a senior acct position. If I were to pursue a license, Iād have to go back taking night courses at my local college for the next 2ish years, then study for the exam itself.
Just look at the wide swing in salaries here for people with roughly the same years of experience. If youāre struggling to find a better paying job, the cpa is a good leg up.
NY (but we are remote and pay the same regardless of location), 4 years, 125k base +10% bonus. i am receiving a promotion/raise but didnt get the updated salary amount yet so tbd
My pay is low too, but I already knew this. I live in an area that just doesn't pay well for accounting associates. And I have some things in my life that would make uprooting difficult.
Fintech controller with 12 yrs experience, MS but no CPA, making $150k based in the Mountain West. Hoping to be at $175k and VP of Finance in the next month or two š¤š½
I'm an independent EA. I have a fully remote financial analyst government contractor job for 75k. Then my SMLLC accounting firm is about to close another CFO client for 90k/yr. My profit margin is around 94% as a solo practicioner and overall profit is around 220k once I close that client. This includes my average tax season as well. Probably going to start hiring soon. All in all, I'm set to make almost 300k/yr this year.
VHCOL - 107k base, 1.5 years, MS in accounting. No CPA yet because im going to leave accounting career honestly. Hopefully by EOY. Itās not for everyone
49.5k Accounting Office Supervisor at a small university. No degree. 2.5 years experience. No public. Iāll have a degree soon. Hoping to make a lot more. MCOL.
$75k, Florida, 2 years experience graduated with BS Accounting in 2021. CFO Advisory company (basically bookkeeping and managing client relationships, small company)
Charlotte, 6 years exp, controller for a healthcare company, make little under 90k, way too little for what Iām doing but Iām gaining skills I otherwise would have to wait another 5-10 years to start learning.
Iāve only ever worked in industry and Iām a non CPA with a masters in accounting. I have 20 years experience and Iām at VP level for a public company focused on space and defense. I make $210k plus eligible for 35% bonus based on my and my companyās performance. Receive LTI stock bonus as well as options as well yearly.
I'll put a base line down as I just accepted my first accounting position doing AR/AP. Only retail experience prior to this. $38K, HCOL. No degrees or certifications (working on bachelor's).
$64k. Finance manager at a nonprofit. VHCOL. 8 years experience. I donāt like networking, interviewing, etc., so Iāve been accepting low pay as a means to avoid job hopping. By the looks of these responses Iāve fucked up.
105K+Bonus as a senior accountant. Was an accounting manager before this for 82.5K + bonus. This job is much less stress, privately owned, no reporting requirements, no covenants, easy work, very secure/safe position too.
The thing about having the CPA (and working public accounting most importantly) is youāve got a good chance of hitting one of these high salaries even if your not naturally a good negotiator, not decent looking, not willing to move jobs, or tend to get complacent.
Not seeing any from Canada. How are they in Canada. I think they underpay greatly compared to US. I started at 36k and in 8 years just barely doubled. Extremely HCOL, bachelors, last phase of CPA
Florida, a year of experience, just got promoted from staff accountant to associate, now making $62k plus whatever our pay bump is at the end of the year (likely around $65k Iām hoping). I do plan to get my CPA but havenāt started yet
Southern California, live in LA County but work in Orange County. 11 years of experience (BS in Accounting in 2011). Making $110k as a senior accountant with 10% bonus (discretionary). Never passed CPA (did test a couple times), always worked in industry, from Fortune 500 to small and mid sized companies. Never felt urge to go out and get CPA.
For clarification I did a Macc and everything and decided to take my CFA instead of the CPA. Just graduated taking cfa L1 this year. I got a job out of the Macc at a high volume shop doing Corp Dev. My comp is roughly 90-95 (depends on the bonus) out of school no experience for it. Got extremely lucky landing an interview and getting the job.
HCOL. Started own firm after 15 years in public. CPA. Over 400k annual income in my 2nd year. Likely to double this in 2 more years. Iāll prob stop growing when I hit $1M a year in annual comp. Worked at large firms and livin the best life starting my own smaller firm. Still work a lot but zero stress.
Iām a CPA with 5 years experience working in a HCOL city think (SEA, SF, etc) and Iām only making 73k total comp. I think Iām getting underpaid lol
18 years experience, non-CPA, in public accounting, tax, audit, bookkeeping. Live in a small town of Victoria Texas and only make $30 per hour. Other than a 3% simple Ira match, no other benefits. I used to pursue the CPA exam but with three kiddos to raise back then (one who was extra difficult) , I eventually gave up. At 47 years old now Iām not interested in pursuing the certification any longer, but still do the work.
There are CPAs that I know that are at 90k-120k and are nearing retirement, experience and networking goes further (not saying the cpa doesnāt help but knowing people does as well)
Personally, it would require going back to school again to get an additional 30 credit hours. And school nearly burned me out just getting my Bachelor's. Not sure I have that in me.
For me personally, I'm not on track to become a CPA because I'm not currently in a state that has the "Once you pass all 4 exams within 18 months, they don't expire" clause and I'm not currently at a job where there's a CPA on staff for the work hour requirements.
Nobody will hire me to do independent work. So I have a CPA license but Iām the benefactor of that tax and investment knowledge. I even offered to do a pro bono audit, and they never got back to me.
$90K. Nebraska. 6 years of experience but working on studying (currently 2 for 2).
2 for 2 as well! Waiting for REG score on Monday. š¤š¼
Omaha? Creighton alumna [definitely had to Google āsingular female alumā lol] here
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Reading these stress me out sometimes. Iām a 12 year experienced accountant with MBA and CPA thatās barely clearing 100k. 35-year old hearing these barely 20 year olds making close to me is crazy! I need to start looking around! Good job and congrats to all though. Keep up the good work.
I was thinking the same thing. Iām 38, MBA/CPA, 8 year experienced tax accountant. I work in private industry as a tax manager and I just got a pay bump to $93k. With my bonus this year Iāll come close to grossing $100kā¦but these babies make me feel so sad about where I am in life. š
My dad was a city attorney. Thereās a lot of perks to local gov and Iāve thought about making the move.
You pension and work hours are (hopefully) vastly different from others on this thread
Lol thatās pretty good for local government. Go to corporate and youāll make 30% more. Most corporate jobs Iāve been in are laid back, too.
If you choose a low paying area you canāt be too surprised by the low pay.
CFO for company that sells franchises in southeastern US. $150k + 3% equity shares. BS in accounting. Was 5th employee they hired as a bookkeeper for 65k at the time. That was 3 years ago.
Some real good growth for only 3 years!
Wtf
How do you like it?
I was in public for years, couple controller positions for a couple years. Started my own bookkeeping/ payroll, tax company.
Dude. Teach me
Did you learn tax in public? I've been thinking about offering bookkeeping services on the side but my lack of tax knowledge is a major problem.
It's all about getting a name for yourself. Go to local business leads groups. Ask for referrals, you just have to build it.
Yes, teach me. I desperately want to get out of the shit hole that is the economic stink I am in.
What about an enrolled agent? Did you become that? I'm in a similar situation (business structure) but earlier in the process.
Changed my career path, staff accountant job fell into my lap. Local CPA firm, just passed 3 months. I literally do the same thing youāre doing. Do the books/sales tax/payroll tax/quarterlyās/ clients have started contacting me directly for whatever they need, etc. Iām hungry to learn more. Oddly enough, friend of my parents is a controller. Does some books on the side. Told me the SAME thing about easily clearing 100k. How would you guide someone with my experience, or lack thereof, to get to YOUR level? Teach me your ways!
What goes into bookkeeping/payroll, tax company? Iāve been a controller for about 5 years and Iāve always thought that it would be fun to start a company to do bookkeeping for small businesses that have need help but I donāt even know where to begin. Im currently pulling over $130K as a controller and I work a max of 40 hours a week. I feel like I have at least 10-20 hours more a week in me to work.
95k in Dallas, around 3.5 yoe. Math undergrad and I took basically all undergrad accounting classes in my spare time during my last job but would need 24 more credit hours for the CPA, so I gave up. Working in PA
Math undergrad chads, we just can't stop winning.
Yo im in the same boat Undergrad math If I canāt make the requirements Guess Iāll jsut keep at it in PA
Are you in an actuarial practice at an accounting firm?
$68K, Senior Accountant in Industry, 4.5 years experience, very low COL.
85k Florida (took a pay cut from $125k from my last gig for a job w zero stress). 15 yrs experience
That doesnāt seem bad for Florida but now itās become expensive? How are you and everyone around you handling the price increases in nearly everything?
BS in accounting?
If you donāt mind me asking, what was your last gig?
and I bet it's worth every penny for having no stress. Jealous.
Did you go to govt by chance?
65k, right outside of Raleigh so MCOL. I am three promotions in at my CPA firm with 3 years experience and just got my masters. Honestly donāt feel I am making enough for the level of responsibility i currently hold. I am thinking about starting my CPA this year but I ultimately I feel I will have to hop jobs to be compensated fairly. Also not sure if I want to stay in accounting or transition to financial analysis.
DM me if youāre looking for a job, my firm is hiring. Also willing to chat on the phone if youāre down!! Also, are you in tax or audit? 65k for 3 years of experience is definitely low.
Youāre underpaid about 25k
Man, reading some of the comments makes me really consider if pursuing a CPA is worth or not. Iām 6 years into my career aiming for a senior acct position. If I were to pursue a license, Iād have to go back taking night courses at my local college for the next 2ish years, then study for the exam itself.
Just look at the wide swing in salaries here for people with roughly the same years of experience. If youāre struggling to find a better paying job, the cpa is a good leg up.
The CPA is for mobility, not necessarily pay.
Sounds insane but I went frok $65k to $140k 4 months after getting my CPA and switching jobs. Analyst to Manager - startup company. Roughly 6 YOE.
50k. 1 year experience, Low to Mid COL
MCOL 75K, 3-years in position
Total comp $195K, 10 years experience, HCOL - Entertainment industry
I started out in the entertainment/creative industry. I should've stayed. Jeez.
NY (but we are remote and pay the same regardless of location), 4 years, 125k base +10% bonus. i am receiving a promotion/raise but didnt get the updated salary amount yet so tbd
Damn. What service line/industry is this?
Dream job
What is your role/title?
$107K, 4 years experience. All about networking and taking advantage of opportunities
64k base just hit 1 year out of college. MCOL area
$140k government. 6 yrs exp. MCOL.
$140k in government? Whatās your title if you donāt mind sharing? Typically pay is really low in government unless youāre a finance director.
85k + bonuses at my new role, fully remote accounting manager
Mind sharing your office's location?
90k, working fully remote out of Maryland for a company based in NY. Working in SEC Reporting, 2 years of experience.
65k, Florida, 6 years. Already looking for a new job and spending my free time studying for my license.
hey at least there's no income tax in fL!
Youāre underpaid
Mind if I ask how youāre still at 65 after 6 years? Seems like you should be able to earn more
TX. Industry. 70k. 2 yrs experience
May I ask region? COL varies wildly in Texas.
Wow, I am severely underpaid
I've learned that you need to job hop for pay increases.
3 yrs experience at a firm? Dude. Dm me. I can get you on at my firm for so much more. Remote gig
54k Same -! But I have never been promoted since I make mistakes
My pay is low too, but I already knew this. I live in an area that just doesn't pay well for accounting associates. And I have some things in my life that would make uprooting difficult.
68k NJ working on my masters in acct got a year left. Working in industry.
Denver, $115K, 5 years
what are you doing and does your company need someone else?
50kā¬ Germany Northrine Westfalia. Assistent
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$95k about 4 YOE. Remote but I live in southeast PA.
10K Georgia, but not that Georgia...
How is 10k over there?
180k 5 yrs exp. Got lucky and landed a spot at a big 3 consulting firm
Like MBB?
$120k, industry, 8 years experience, BS Accounting (2.9 overall GPA)
Col? Title?
150k so cal 4 years experience
Doing what/how?
What do you do?
South FL, $82K + 10%, 2.5 yrs. BS in accounting. Private industry (aerospace)
$130-150k living in North Carolina with 4 years experience.
$185K in Austin, Texas. 11 years experience, all at the same company. BS in Accounting.
Would love to see the title progression
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You work as an accountant?
How are you a senior associate with 3 yrs at B4 audit with no CPA? After senior itās up or out in terms of getting the designation.
72k canada 2.5 years
industry or public ?
129K including bonus. Industry controller. 20 years exp. MCOL
75k NYC-remote in public. I live in a MCOL area. 1 year of experience, graduated with my BS in 2021.
LCOL $95k + bonus (12%) + another $15k in 401(k)/HSA contributions. TC of $122k. Oh and industry with 8 years experience
Fintech controller with 12 yrs experience, MS but no CPA, making $150k based in the Mountain West. Hoping to be at $175k and VP of Finance in the next month or two š¤š½
0 years exp. Big 4 firm, southern state, first month today lol just graduated this past semester. 50K Salary
60K industry. 3 years experience, LCOL. Boss is in his mid 50s, Iāll be next in line for Controller.
4 years of exp mostly industry and bookkeeping in NYC no CPA I'm making $70K at new job.
LCOL, 65k, industry, 2 years
$70k in NY. 3 years. Govt accounting - easy to work your way up the chain
$78,000 salary in Houston. 6ish years experience. Already made a $2,000 mid-year bonus this year
74k. LCOL area in Missouri. Graduated with bachelors in May of 2020 so Iām right at 2 years of experience, plus a couple internships (non-big 4)
Self employed EA $120k
My non-cpa dad is in his 50s and is a vp of finance and makes over 200k. Not sure what the exact number is.
US Midwest : 52k Staff Tax Account - Fully Remote Finishing BS Accounting Capstone right now.
$115K + 10% bonus and equity (RSU) as a Sr. Accountant in California with 6 years experience. I work in industry and not public and am fully remote
All your YOE in industry?
74k non cpa almost 2 years in San diego small audit firm
I'm an independent EA. I have a fully remote financial analyst government contractor job for 75k. Then my SMLLC accounting firm is about to close another CFO client for 90k/yr. My profit margin is around 94% as a solo practicioner and overall profit is around 220k once I close that client. This includes my average tax season as well. Probably going to start hiring soon. All in all, I'm set to make almost 300k/yr this year.
185k 4 YOE in HCOL
Louisiana, 60k, Grants & Contracts, non-profit, 5 YOE
I was a controller, life happened and i had to quit... Intuit only pays $20 an hour. For a bookkeeper... I can make $21 at my local Wendy's...
75k. Accounts Payable + Revenue focus in corporate accounting. Main focus is tracking contract rebates etc.
64K per year in AP
There is some sus salaries in this thread for the titles / experience people have haha
Senior accountant. 130k fully remote. Company is in SF. 4 years experience.
Entry level tax position at a bank in Arkansas paying 26.50/hr itās hourly so I get paid any overtime :)
4-yr degree in Psychology, 2-yr Accounting Certificate program.
How are y'all getting paid so much teach me
VHCOL - 107k base, 1.5 years, MS in accounting. No CPA yet because im going to leave accounting career honestly. Hopefully by EOY. Itās not for everyone
Going to IT?
what are you leaving for?
$130k, 4 years, moved to IT.
Always take the CPA if u can
What if you just wanted to start in accounting and transition into FP&A? Also if you needed to go back to school and get 25 more credits
$215k base, 20-30% bonus. 8 years experience. HCOL
Southwest Florida, 4 years, $93k
LCOL, 3 years experience, 70k
110 total comp, 2.5 yrs, NYNY
114k 3 years experience staff accountant. If your wondering how, I have had breakfast in bed with the owner multiple times ;)
115, fully remote, 10 years experience. Passed all 4 exams, short on college credits
49.5k Accounting Office Supervisor at a small university. No degree. 2.5 years experience. No public. Iāll have a degree soon. Hoping to make a lot more. MCOL.
My boss just got a division controller role as a non-cpa. I am very proud of her. Sheās probably at about 160k
Fed Gov Audit at a public firm. 5 years. 105K.
130k film accountant in Honolulu
70k TX, 3 years but took half a year bc my husband died. Lost some raises but doing well now
$75k, Florida, 2 years experience graduated with BS Accounting in 2021. CFO Advisory company (basically bookkeeping and managing client relationships, small company)
71k 2.5 years in public. Started at 50k. Came from industry. MA in MCOL area
Charlotte, 6 years exp, controller for a healthcare company, make little under 90k, way too little for what Iām doing but Iām gaining skills I otherwise would have to wait another 5-10 years to start learning.
80 4 years experience San Antonio public
$77k base + 12% bonus. 0.5 YOE, financial analyst at F25, LCOL.
1 year accounting experience 85K industry, private equity. Definitely on the higher end of salary for my experience lol
Iāve only ever worked in industry and Iām a non CPA with a masters in accounting. I have 20 years experience and Iām at VP level for a public company focused on space and defense. I make $210k plus eligible for 35% bonus based on my and my companyās performance. Receive LTI stock bonus as well as options as well yearly.
I'll put a base line down as I just accepted my first accounting position doing AR/AP. Only retail experience prior to this. $38K, HCOL. No degrees or certifications (working on bachelor's).
$85k, Senior Accountant, 3 years of experience, Raleigh, NC.
Do you have your CPA?
90k in HCOL w 1 yoe
$64k. Finance manager at a nonprofit. VHCOL. 8 years experience. I donāt like networking, interviewing, etc., so Iāve been accepting low pay as a means to avoid job hopping. By the looks of these responses Iāve fucked up.
105K+Bonus as a senior accountant. Was an accounting manager before this for 82.5K + bonus. This job is much less stress, privately owned, no reporting requirements, no covenants, easy work, very secure/safe position too.
110 + 15% bonus. 7 years experience fortune 500 company. Working on CPA, getting back FAR scores Monday.
$140k base with a 20-30% bonus a year. Controller for a start up company in Colorado. BS in Finance, Masters in Accounting. 7 years of experience.
$118 + profit % (last year about $300 total). San Diego, CA š“šš“
Accounting for 3 years. Started as Controller 6 months ago. $75k/yr. BS Accounting.
$71k as Tax Asoicate with 2 years experience. Can't seem to pass a cpa exam. Looking into the EA so I can get promoted.
3 years experience, staff accountant, LCOL, $65k base with quarterly bonuses totaling about $50k for the first half of the year.
PNW, 3.5 years, 87k. Just an average accountant willing to do task no body wants to.
The thing about having the CPA (and working public accounting most importantly) is youāve got a good chance of hitting one of these high salaries even if your not naturally a good negotiator, not decent looking, not willing to move jobs, or tend to get complacent.
Charlotte, 75k, 1.5 YOE masters no cpa
83k + bonus out of college, really dreading on studying for cpa lol
$675,000/week in Dallas, TX. $1000 a week is from my accounting job and the rest comes from me standing on the corner of Walnut Hill and I 35.
80k. Iām 46, but only 4 years since I got my bachelors. Iām a senior accountant in industry.
Not seeing any from Canada. How are they in Canada. I think they underpay greatly compared to US. I started at 36k and in 8 years just barely doubled. Extremely HCOL, bachelors, last phase of CPA
Florida, a year of experience, just got promoted from staff accountant to associate, now making $62k plus whatever our pay bump is at the end of the year (likely around $65k Iām hoping). I do plan to get my CPA but havenāt started yet
Southern California, live in LA County but work in Orange County. 11 years of experience (BS in Accounting in 2011). Making $110k as a senior accountant with 10% bonus (discretionary). Never passed CPA (did test a couple times), always worked in industry, from Fortune 500 to small and mid sized companies. Never felt urge to go out and get CPA.
Massachusetts non-CPA here. I have a JD, and Iām 2 years into a Senior role at a midsize firm - $130k. I think I just got lucky.
Entry level AR analyst, 4 year general studies B.A, N.A.C.P.B, 1 year with the company, $20/hr
For clarification I did a Macc and everything and decided to take my CFA instead of the CPA. Just graduated taking cfa L1 this year. I got a job out of the Macc at a high volume shop doing Corp Dev. My comp is roughly 90-95 (depends on the bonus) out of school no experience for it. Got extremely lucky landing an interview and getting the job.
About a year and a half experience. 37k no raise yet- can't wait for more work!
HCOL. Started own firm after 15 years in public. CPA. Over 400k annual income in my 2nd year. Likely to double this in 2 more years. Iāll prob stop growing when I hit $1M a year in annual comp. Worked at large firms and livin the best life starting my own smaller firm. Still work a lot but zero stress.
Iām a CPA with 5 years experience working in a HCOL city think (SEA, SF, etc) and Iām only making 73k total comp. I think Iām getting underpaid lol
I live in vegas, NV. 2 years of accounting experience. Making $20 an hour
18 years experience, non-CPA, in public accounting, tax, audit, bookkeeping. Live in a small town of Victoria Texas and only make $30 per hour. Other than a 3% simple Ira match, no other benefits. I used to pursue the CPA exam but with three kiddos to raise back then (one who was extra difficult) , I eventually gave up. At 47 years old now Iām not interested in pursuing the certification any longer, but still do the work.
Why? Just get the CPA itās probably the easiest track to 200k out there
There are CPAs that I know that are at 90k-120k and are nearing retirement, experience and networking goes further (not saying the cpa doesnāt help but knowing people does as well)
Personally, it would require going back to school again to get an additional 30 credit hours. And school nearly burned me out just getting my Bachelor's. Not sure I have that in me.
For me personally, I'm not on track to become a CPA because I'm not currently in a state that has the "Once you pass all 4 exams within 18 months, they don't expire" clause and I'm not currently at a job where there's a CPA on staff for the work hour requirements.
145k after bonus, rustbelt.
I'm quite sure I know you from grad school.
Nobody will hire me to do independent work. So I have a CPA license but Iām the benefactor of that tax and investment knowledge. I even offered to do a pro bono audit, and they never got back to me.
250k
Username checks out
Pennsylvania, 5 years total experience, 2 years in my current service line - $90k.
Chicagoā¦10+ years experienceā¦in and out of job marketā¦non CPAā¦$76kā¦deciding to pursue CPA or side gig a bookkeeping businessā¦š¤
In small businesses a "bookkeeper/office manager" is getting $15-17 an hour.
Or just find a place where your skills are valued and you're compensated appropriately.
I wasnāt going to downvote you until the bit you added in your edit.
250k base. NYC Metro area. 17 years experience.
About tree fiddy
120k DC area