How to Increase Accounting Salaries

Depending on the type of accounting career, the education needed to become an accountant may include earning a Master of Business Administration degree or completing CPA requirements to become a certified public accountant. While it's standard for accountants to complete a bachelor's degree, the Accounting Salaries by Degree chart shows that there isn't much difference in accounting salaries based on undergraduate degree, but accountant salaries can be given a boost by getting a MBA. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth outlook for accounting positions is good, especially for CPAs and other accountants with advanced training. Whether you choose to stick with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or further your accounting education, it's now possible to complete Online Accounting Degrees, including an Online MBA Degree. Exploring accounting degree options is a strategic part of career planning; it's up to you to decide which accounting education path best suits your needs.

Accountant Salaries Add Up

Everyone has heard that old saying about the inevitability of death and taxes. For some people, it's almost a toss-up as to which they dread more! The upside to this little axiom is that accountants will always have plenty of business (so will morticians, but that's a topic for another time). An accountant can do wonders for an individual's peace of mind when it comes to sorting out their money matters, but there are also opportunities for accountants at the corporate level, where budgets must be drafted and monitored closely. When you spend all day handling other people's money, you naturally want to make sure your accountant salary is at the level it should be, compared to other accounting salaries in your geographical area and field of expertise. PayScale's accountant salary data can help. You can research accounting salaries by city, state, experience, and much more.

Researching Accountant Salaries by State, we can see that New York and California currently offer the highest accountant salary; drill down further into Accountant Salary Data by City, and you can see that New York City and Los Angeles continue the trend with high accounting salaries. However, a good accountant knows that how much money people make isn't the only thing that affects how much money they have. The cost of living in New York City and Los Angeles is high enough that it may be worth setting up shop in other areas. The PayScale Advice section for accountant salary also suggests getting your CPA license. As accountants spend more time on the job, they not only hone their accounting skills, but also build connections and receive client referrals, so it's no surprise that measuring Accountant Salaries by Years Experience shows a direct correlation between experience and a higher accountant salary.

Accountant Salary Story

To further your research into accounting salaries, and get an insider's perspective on the life of an accountant, read the interview with Christine White, "Accountant Career Path: Accountant Average Salary," in the Salary Stories blog. Christine shares her experience as an accountant after 20 years in the field.