Business & Finance
Accountants and Auditors
Also called: Accountant, Accounting Officer, Audit Partner, Auditor
US median pay
$83,680
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+5%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
115,300
1,595,200 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 4/5 · Considerable preparation
What this job is
Examine, analyze, and interpret accounting records to prepare financial statements, give advice, or audit and evaluate statements prepared by others. Install or advise on systems of recording costs or other financial and budgetary data.
What they do day to day
- Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.
- Process invoices for payment.
- Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences.
- Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements.
- Prepare adjusting journal entries.
- Inspect account books and accounting systems for efficiency, effectiveness, and use of accepted accounting procedures to record transactions.
- Prepare detailed reports on audit findings.
- Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning.
- Collect and analyze data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud, or non-compliance with laws, regulations, and management policies.
- Review data about material assets, net worth, liabilities, capital stock, surplus, income, or expenditures.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.5/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.2/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Persuasion3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Negotiation2.9/5
Knowledge
- Economics and Accounting4.4/5
- English Language3.6/5
- Mathematics3.5/5
- Law and Government3.3/5
- Administration and Management3.3/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.3/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Who this job suits
Mostly Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Enterprising
Leading, persuading and starting things
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.