Q: Do accounting managers make good money?

Yes, accounting managers make good money. The median salary for an accounting manager is around $70,000 a year. The middle 50% of accounting managers have salaries that range between $70,000 and $100,000.

Q: How much do account managers make on average?

Account managers make $54,213 on average. Depending on the clients and location, the salaries can be as low as $27,515 and as high as $270,000. These averages do alter if the account manager position allows commissions.

Question 1

Accounting Manager vs. Controller

Accepted Answer

An accounting manager is responsible for overseeing some or all of the staff in a company's accounting department, while a controller is responsible for providing financial data in reports.

Question 2

How long does it take to become an Accounting Manager?

Accepted Answer

It takes 7 years of professional experience to become an accounting manager. That is the time it takes to learn specific accounting manager skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 10 to 12 years years to become an accounting manager.

Question 3

What is the difference between an accountant and an accounting manager?

Accepted Answer

The difference between an accountant and an accounting manager is their level within the company. An accounting manager is more senior than an accountant and typically manages a few lower-level accountants at the company.

Question 4

What is a good starting salary for an Accounting Manager?

Accepted Answer

A good starting salary for an accounting manager is $59,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an accounting manager in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for accounting managers is $82,611, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an accounting manager can vary by state.

Question 5

Do accounting managers make good money?

Accepted Answer

Yes, accounting managers make good money. The median salary for an accounting manager is around $70,000 a year.

The middle 50% of accounting managers have salaries that range between $70,000 and $100,000.

Question 6

How much do account managers make on average?

Accepted Answer

Account managers make $54,213 on average. Depending on the clients and location, the salaries can be as low as $27,515 and as high as $270,000. These averages do alter if the account manager position allows commissions.

Question 7

What is a good salary for an accounting manager?

Accepted Answer

A good salary for an accounting manager is around $70,000 a year. Since the median salary for an accounting manager is approximately $70,000 a year, this is an excellent way to measure a good salary for this role.

Question 8

Can an accounting manager make 100k?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can make $100,000 per year as an accounting manager. The chances of earning over $100k for an accounting manager are actually pretty good because the highest-paid accounting manager positions typically pay at least $114,000 per year. The average annual salary is $82,611 for accounting manager jobs. For example, accounting managers in Vermont whose salaries are in the 90th percentile earn an average salary of $146,000.

Question 9

What are the qualifications of an accounting manager?

Accepted Answer

The qualifications of an accounting manager are education, professional experience, and skills. Here are some details on the qualifications of an accounting manager:

Education

The accounting manager role's education requirements will vary depending on the company, the industry it's in, specialization, and specific position. At the very least, all accounting managers need a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or another related field.

They must have knowledge pertaining to fundamental accounting theories and practices, and this can be gained from a bachelor's degree in one of the areas just mentioned. Most bachelor's programs take four years to complete.

Certain employers prefer, or even require, candidates for the accounting manager role to have a master's degree in accounting. Advanced accounting degrees give an individual a foundation of knowledge in advanced accounting areas, such as cost accounting, accounting ethics, fraud examination, and auditing.

A master's degree in accounting may take one to two years to complete, depending on the college or university. Professionals with a master's degree in accounting have specialized expertise and an easier time of eventually landing an accounting manager role.

Certifications for accounting managers

There are many different certifications someone can obtain to help them gain an accounting manager position. Certifications prove that you are qualified and sometimes possess special knowledge and skills for a specific area of accounting, such as tax preparation, fraud examination, and internal auditing.

Perhaps the most useful certification for those wanting to be an accounting manager is the certified management accountant (CMA) certification.

A CMA is globally recognized as a professional in financial accounting and strategic management. The certification for a CMA is offered by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). CMAs are instrumental in a company's financial planning, performance, analytics, and strategic financial management.

The CMA certification primarily focuses on managerial and high-level areas, like risk management, strategic management, investment advice and decisions, and financial planning. Obtaining a CMA is strongly encouraged if you are seeking an accounting manager role or other high-salary positions in accounting.

CMA candidates need at least a bachelor's degree or another professional accounting certification, along with at least two years of professional accounting experience, to apply for the CMA certification. They must also complete and pass parts I and II of the CMA exam. The IMA suggests applicants study for at least 300 hours before taking this test.

CMA holders also must renew their credentials annually. There is a yearly fee and 30 hours of required continuing education to renew this certification each year.

Another helpful one is the certified public accountant (CPA) certification.

A CPA is a tax specialist. CPA certification is offered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). CPAs give invaluable counsel on how to reduce the amount of taxes a company or client will owe each year.

In addition, if a client is worried about a possible IRS audit, a CPA is adept at minimizing the chance of such an audit. And if the audit does occur, a CPA can represent the client.

Many obtain a CPA certification before a CMA certification; however, this is not a requirement unless you do not meet the educational guidelines of the CMA certification.

Professional experience

Aspiring accounting managers must have specialized and relevant accounting experience before they can obtain the role at most companies. There are many that start out in lower-level accounting positions, like auditor, accountant, financial analyst, and budget analyst.

Many companies require at least five years of professional accounting or financial experience to be considered for the accounting manager role.

Accounting manager skills

There are many important skills that qualify an individual for the accounting manager role. These include obvious ones, such as financial analysis, communication, leadership, and problem-solving.

Here are descriptions of some of the essential skills that qualify an accountant manager:

Integrity. Accounting managers must possess the best possible ethics to avoid participation in dishonest or illegal accounting methods. They must exhibit strong values and communicate and instill these values and ethics into their accounting teams as well.

Leadership. Accounting managers' work often involves mediation whenever budgeting disputes occur between different departments at their company. They utilize their leadership skills, abilities, and understanding of their company's workflow and specific products of each department to provide key insights and arrange agreements.

Time management. Accounting managers often have to meet very tight deadlines and keep an extremely well-organized work calendar. They utilize time management skills to attend to many different company priorities. These skills are also used to delegate tasks to subordinates, as well as in scheduling with safety margins in case unforeseen scenarios occur.

Communication. Communication skills come into play often with accounting managers. Supervising accounting team members, interacting with department managers and other senior staff, and overseeing lower-level staff require excellent communication skills.

Accounting managers also need to present ideas and concepts in a logical and persuasive manner to ensure senior officials at the company agree with their solutions or ideas. They also frequently resolve workplace and external conflicts and engage in collaborations or negotiations with vendors and clients.

Flexibility. Accounting managers must remain flexible to make sure they comply with new or developing regulations and standards in the accounting industry. They often collaborate with a range of different professionals with unique personalities and quirks.

They must be able to work with these individuals on cross-functional projects and be mindful of how others inside the company, and outside the company, are taking in and adapting to these developments.

Question 10

What percentage of Accounting Managers are female?

Accepted Answer

58.8% of accounting managers are female in the United States. This is 1.6 percentage points higher than last year. Additionally, the percentage of female accounting managers has increased by 2.6 percentage points since 2010. That means there are a total of 237,330 female accounting managers in the U.S. and 166,294 male accounting managers in the United States. Note that Zippia's estimate accounts only for the 403,624 people with the specific job title of accounting manager and doesn't include grouping similar job titles, or people with potentially similar credentialing.

Frequently asked questions about accounting managers

Questions about becoming an accounting manager