How many hours do accountants work?

While most accountants work a standard 40-hour work week, overtime is extremely common during busy seasons such as tax season. During the annual tax season, it is not uncommon for a public accountant to work 60 or 80 hours per week. After the tax season finishes, most accountants have lighter workloads for a few weeks to offset the business of the season.

Accountants typically work overtime or extra hours when they need to complete work before a specific deadline, but other than those busy times, they often have a fairly typical work week. There are not often surprises that keep an accountant at work later than normal.