Salaries in Accounting

I’m interviewing for a Big 4 role after working in industry, and I'm worried about the offer. If you made a similar move, did the firm match your corporate salary or expect you to take a pay cut? … more

Looking back, what was the single decision that had the biggest impact on your career trajectory? First job? Leaving public? Switching industries? It feels like a few key moments matter more than ever… more

Accounting feels like the definition of a steady career. You rarely see huge spikes, but you also don’t see huge drops. The tradeoff is that growth can feel slow compared to other fields. Curious if p… more

I feel like you don’t really know your market value in accounting unless you occasionally test it. Staying in one place too long can make it hard to tell if you’re ahead, behind, or right where you sh… more

I think staying loyal might be costing me. I've been at my company for six years and make $78k. One of my colleagues who left and just got rehired is starting at $88k for the same work. It's w… more

I’ve been thinking about the difference between chasing the next raise versus actually building a strong career foundation. Sometimes they align, but sometimes they don’t. How do you personally balanc… more

So I was told the pay range for a position I'm interested in is $85-$95k. Today I got the official offer for $86k. When I tried to negotiate, they told me everyone starts at the bottom of the band… more

I started at a local accounting firm about 6 months ago making around 90K as a manager. Great people, small firm, and the work is fairly easy which is great. I recently got an offer from a top 100 fir… more

What's the biggest raise you ever received at one time? Was there a specific event, like a big project win, or did you have to switch companies to make it happen?

I'm thinking about taking a pay cut to get out of a high-stress job. This new job has a much better schedule and a slower pace, which is what I need right now. It’s still tough to walk away from t… more

Sometimes I think about the opportunity cost of sticking in one path for too long. Accounting is stable, but that stability can make it easy not to explore other options. Have you ever seriously consi… more

Am I going crazy? I am trying to wrap my head around why the ROP seems to have gone down, but the cost of living keeps rising. Does anyone else see this?

Accounting almost feels like two different careers. The first 5–7 years where you’re grinding, learning, and trying to move up… and then everything after that looks completely different. Some people a… more

I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to just “coast” in accounting once you hit a certain level. The work is manageable, the pay is solid, and nothing is forcing you to change. But I can’t tell if … more

Is it smart to make a lateral move (for the same compensation) just to add a well-known company's name to your resume? I'm considering switching from the regional firm I work at to a position … more

If you left public accounting after 1–2 busy seasons, did your salary drop, stay flat, or actually go up? I'm debating whether to stick it out another year or jump to industry sooner.

At what point does your salary become “good enough” where you stop chasing every incremental increase? Or does that point never really come in accounting because progression is so structured?

We’re having a debate about whether our office should move toward a fully transparent compensation model. After finding out that a few coworkers have much higher base pay than I do, I’m leaning toward… more

Do you ever look back and ask if accounting was actually “worth it”? Not just financially, but in terms of time, stress, and opportunity cost. It’s a solid path for sure, but I sometimes wonder what t… more

Does it seem that the salary range is getting lower for accounting positions? Is it because some job bs are being offered overseas ?

I'm a senior now after four years with my company. It's my first promotion, but the raise was barely 5%, which feels kind of low for the jump in title. Is this a typical increase for most peop… more

My firm is hinting at location-based pay for remote staff. I'm worried that they're going to scale back my comp since I'm fully remote and not living near a major office. Has anyone actual… more

When I first started in accounting, I had a pretty clear picture in my head of how salary progression would work. Work hard, get promoted, and the comp naturally follows. But the reality seems more co… more

Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how different accounting careers can look even when people start at the same place. A few years in, some people are in leadership tracks while others prior… more

I got an offer +10K than my actual salary + bonus of 6%.
Only issue is that the insurance coverage is not great (offering 75% for therapists, that I use often vs 90% coverage of my current employer).
Do… more

I'm interviewing for an accounting manager role, and the offer just says bonus eligible without any numbers. What's a typical percentage at this level? Is 10% to 15% the norm, or is it usually… more

Is anyone else hesitant to negotiate right now? I’m currently unemployed with zero income and just got an offer that's a $20k bump from my last job. I almost always counter, but I have no other le… more

I’ve been noticing how differently people approach the pace of their careers in accounting. Some are very aggressive about promotions and job changes, while others are perfectly content staying in a s… more

I received 2 offers and very conflicted. One is fully remote 150k all in fund admin fully imbedded into one client (option to go to their office) but the other is at direct fund 184k including profit … more

What is a good premium for a lateral transfer? A competitor offers me $20k, which is ok but only translates into 15% pay bump and I feel asking for more is unrealistic.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how much of accounting is built around delayed gratification. Study for the CPA, grind busy seasons, wait for promotions. You keep telling yourself the next stage will … more

Does it make more sense to ask for a raise before your review or let the review happen first? Mine's coming up in a few weeks, and I keep going back and forth on whether to say something now or ho… more

So I got a below expectation evaluation as a senior manager in industry. I realized even though I have 10 years of experience, I was never good at my job. I jump every time and get a pay and title b… more

2 Years of experince in Data Center construction, with MBA. Turner Scheduler , Base 110,000, Paid Benefits 80%, Other Job Electric Sub is paying is 120k. Is this good pay?

Would you take a new job paying $122k, no sign on bonuses, 4 times a week in office from 9 to 4pm and Friday WFH, commute would be a total of 1.25 hours back and forth per day or stay where you are at… more

When did you personally feel like you “made it” in accounting? Was it a salary number, a title, or just finally having control of your schedule? I’m realizing the emotional payoff doesn’t always match… more

I'm in the process of interviewing for a remote GL role and just found out it covers multiple entities. I've only ever worked single-entity, so I have no frame of reference for what that's… more

I’m starting to care less about pure comp and more about optionality — flexibility, remote work, control over my time. Has anyone intentionally taken less money for better quality of life and not regr… more

I’ve switched firms twice in six years, and the pay bumps were great, but I’m worried about hitting a ceiling. If you've done more job hopping, does the salary keep going up every time, or does it… more

Lately I’ve been thinking about how much of our identity gets tied to comp in accounting. I catch myself measuring progress purely by salary jumps instead of skill growth. Anyone else feel that?