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Accountant Job Description (2026): Duties, Skills and Salary

An accountant records, checks and reports a company's financial transactions so the numbers are accurate, compliant and on time. Typical work includes journal entries, reconciliations, the month-end close, financial statements and audit support, following US GAAP or IFRS and the relevant tax rules.

Accountants in industry sit in a company's finance team, working on the general ledger, payables and receivables, revenue or tax; accountants in public practice work for audit, tax or advisory firms serving clients. The job runs on an ERP or accounting system such as NetSuite, SAP, QuickBooks, Xero or Sage, plus strong Excel.

Accountant job description template

Copy it, replace everything in [brackets] and cut what doesn't apply. Keep the requirements to what the job really needs.

Template · replace the [brackets]

Accountant

[Company] · [City and office days, or remote with the countries or time zones you hire in] · [Full-time]

About [Company]

[Two or three sentences on what your company does, who it serves and why this team matters now.]

About the role

[Company] is hiring an accountant to join our finance team. You'll own parts of the month-end close, keep our general ledger accurate, and help prepare financial statements and audit support under [US GAAP / IFRS].

What you'll do

  • Prepare journal entries, accruals and prepayments for the month-end close.
  • Reconcile balance sheet accounts, including bank, intercompany and clearing accounts.
  • Maintain the general ledger in [NetSuite / SAP / Xero].
  • Prepare financial statements and the schedules behind them.
  • Support the annual audit with schedules and answers to auditors' questions.
  • Help prepare sales tax, VAT and other filings.
  • Tighten close processes and internal controls.

What you'll bring

  • [X]+ years of accounting experience in industry or public accounting.
  • Working knowledge of [US GAAP / IFRS].
  • Hands-on experience with the month-end close and account reconciliations.
  • Strong Excel and care with detail.
  • Experience with an ERP or accounting system.
  • A degree in accounting or finance.

Nice to have

  • CPA, ACCA, ACA or CIMA, or progress toward one.
  • [Multi-entity, multi-currency or revenue recognition under ASC 606 or IFRS 15] experience.
  • Audit experience at an accounting firm.
  • Automating close tasks.

What we offer

  • [Pay range: e.g. $X–$Y base salary, plus bonus or equity if offered]
  • [Exam fees and study leave for professional qualifications, annual bonus, hybrid working]
  • [Health cover, retirement or pension plan, paid time off, parental leave]
  • [Work authorization: whether you can sponsor a visa or hire through an employer of record]

[Our process: a recruiter call, a technical interview on accounting scenarios, a short practical exercise such as a reconciliation or a set of journal entries, and a meeting with the finance manager.]

[Your equal opportunity statement, and how candidates can ask for adjustments during the process]

Put the pay range in the ad. Several US states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, require it in job postings, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive gives applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range before the interview.

What real accountant job ads ask for

The skills named most often in the 513 newest accountant job ads we analyzed (out of 4,295 live postings), as the share of ads that mention each. A skill most ads name is a fair must-have; one few ads name belongs under nice-to-have.

  1. 1Excel56%
  2. 2Reconciliation53%
  3. 3Auditing50%
  4. 4Financial reporting36%
  5. 5GAAP34%
  6. 6ERP32%
  7. 7Process improvement25%
  8. 8General ledger24%

Certifications mentioned most: CPA (38%), ACCA (8%). Degrees mentioned most: Bachelor's degree (54%), Accounting degree (46%).

From live job ads · computed November 2, 2026 · refreshed daily

Accountant duties by seniority

What the job usually looks like at each level. Pitch the ad at one level and say which in the title.

Junior

  • Posts entries, reconciles accounts and processes payables or receivables.
  • Prepares schedules for a senior to review.
  • Studies for a professional qualification.

Mid-level

  • Owns parts of the close and their reconciliations.
  • Prepares financial statements and audit schedules.
  • Spots process problems and proposes fixes.

Senior

  • Reviews others' work and owns complex areas such as revenue or consolidation.
  • Manages the audit relationship and the close timeline.
  • Improves controls and systems.

Accountant career path

  1. Staff Accountant
  2. Accountant
  3. Senior Accountant
  4. Accounting Manager or Controller

Most accountants start after an accounting degree, often in public accounting or a junior industry role, while working toward a CPA, ACCA, ACA or CIMA qualification. Later paths lead to accounting manager, controller and finance director, or sideways into FP&A, tax, audit or finance systems.

Advertised pay for accountant jobs

Median advertised base salary in Accountant job ads in the United States: $110,000 (middle half: $82,500–$147,500), from 800 job ads with a published salary in the last 90 days.

This is advertised pay, not total compensation: bonuses, commission, equity and benefits aren't included, and many ads publish no pay at all.

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Accountant job description FAQ

What does an accountant do?

Records and checks a company's financial transactions: journal entries, reconciliations, the month-end close, financial statements, audit support and tax compliance, following accounting standards such as GAAP or IFRS.

Do accountants need to be certified?

Not always. Plenty of accounting roles hire without a qualification, but a CPA in the US, or ACCA, ACA or CIMA in the UK and Europe, is often required for senior, audit and controller roles. Say whether it's required, preferred or supported with study leave.

What's the difference between an accountant and a bookkeeper?

Bookkeepers record day-to-day transactions. Accountants go further: reconciliations, adjustments, the close, financial statements, analysis and compliance. In small companies one person may do both.