How To Become An Account Auditor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an account auditor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

An account auditor is a specialist who performs inspections and verification of financial accounts belonging to organizations in both commercial and public sectors.

Their principal role is to make sure that the organization's financial records are valid and legal, examining the money that goes in and out, and if the amounts have undergone the correct process. When they are done with their investigation, they will write and submit a report.

They may also assume advisory roles, as they provide recommendations of possible risk aversion measures and cost-saving options.

The demand for the account auditor is high across a huge spectrum of firms, having the typical 9-to-5 working hours during the regular workdays. They might render extra hours if there are tax audits and related works that need to be accomplished on a deadline.

Career opportunities vary depending on the candidates' preference between an internal or an external audit. Nonetheless, the account auditor needs to meet professional accounting qualifications.

ScoreAccount AuditorUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,369

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%

Asian 12.21%

Black or African American 8.54%

Hispanic or Latino 10.87%

Unknown 3.96%

White 63.97%

Gender

female 60.44%

male 39.56%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an account auditor

Explore account auditor education requirements

Most common account auditor degrees

Bachelor's

68.1 %

Associate

13.5 %

Master's

10.0 %

Start to develop specific account auditor skills

Skills	Percentages
Audit Reports	18.92%
Reconciliations	6.48%
CPA	6.23%
Internal Controls	6.23%
Audit Procedures	5.55%

Complete relevant account auditor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New account auditors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an account auditor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real account auditor resumes.

Research account auditor duties and responsibilities

Ensure all working files and relate supporting documents meet SOX compliance and audit trail requirement
Work in a small team, ensure SOX compliance and GAAP/SEC/FASB reporting guidelines are adhered to.
Perform monthly accounting services, prepare quarterly/yearly payroll tax reports.
Administer processing of payroll and compliance with federal/state tax reporting requirements.

Prepare your account auditor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your account auditor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an account auditor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable account auditor resume templates

Build a professional account auditor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your account auditor resume.