How to hire a senior accountant

How to hire a senior accountant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior accountant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior accountant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior accountant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior accountant do?

Post a senior accountant job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The senior accountant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect senior accountant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of senior accountant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Senior Accountant	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Accountant	Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure that financial records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time... Show more	$26-44
   Accounting Supervisor	Account supervisors are in charge of the accounting and financial operations within an organization's accounting department. They supervise the account team and provide feedback about their performance and recommend improvements when necessary... Show more	$24-44
   Account Leader	Account leaders are assigned to work on specific client accounts and assist these clients with their needs. They should treat their clients as partners... Show more	$36-75

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Reconciliations
   • CPA
   • GAAP
   • External Auditors
   • Internal Controls
   • Payroll
   • SOX
   • Strong Analytical
   • Fixed Assets
   • Accruals
   • General Ledger Accounts
   • Balance Sheet Accounts
   • ERP
   • Close Process

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage complex pricing structure and maintain SalesForce CRM funnel for forecasting accuracy.
   • Prepare internal financial reports for treasury manage accounts include in external compliance reports.
   • Manage the review, enhancement, and creation of department policy and procedure documentation require for Sarbanes-Oxley auditing and compliance.
   • Compile and analyze financial information to prepare monthly accruals, payroll journal, general journal and bank reconciliations.
   • Research and develop policies around Medicaid and Medicare billings and prepare Medicaid cost reports.
   • Coordinate submissions of financial data from regional divisions and prepare the consolidated company financial statement using Hyperion program.

   More senior accountant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior accountant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior accountant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior accountants' average salary in wyoming is 49% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior accountants 40% less than senior-level senior accountants.
   • Certifications. A senior accountant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior accountant's salary.

   Average senior accountant salary

   $71,967yearly

   $34.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior accountant salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

   Average senior accountant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$89,005	$43
   2	California	$85,193	$41
   3	New York	$84,235	$41
   4	New Jersey	$81,106	$39
   5	Virginia	$75,595	$36
   6	Massachusetts	$74,597	$36
   7	Maryland	$73,433	$35
   8	North Carolina	$70,609	$34
   9	Delaware	$69,709	$34
   10	Washington	$68,172	$33
   11	Georgia	$67,579	$32
   12	Texas	$67,502	$32
   13	Pennsylvania	$67,447	$32
   14	Illinois	$62,819	$30
   15	Michigan	$62,804	$30
   16	Oregon	$62,188	$30
   17	Nevada	$61,857	$30
   18	Indiana	$61,838	$30
   19	Arizona	$61,503	$30
   20	Ohio	$61,353	$30

   Average senior accountant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$109,092	$52.45	36
   2	PayPal	$106,996	$51.44	1
   3	Apple	$105,839	$50.88	16
   4	Microsoft	$103,913	$49.96
   5	AEA Investors	$102,968	$49.50
   6	eBay	$102,312	$49.19	3
   7	Rubrik	$101,456	$48.78	4
   8	Edelman Financial Engines	$101,093	$48.60
   9	AARP	$100,703	$48.41
   10	TIBCO Software	$100,382	$48.26
   11	Lindsey & Associates	$100,276	$48.21
   12	American Tower	$100,236	$48.19	4
   13	Uber Technologies	$100,178	$48.16
   14	Workday	$100,168	$48.16	2
   15	Airbnb	$99,875	$48.02
   16	Marathon Petroleum	$99,209	$47.70	9
   17	First Republic Bank	$98,468	$47.34
   18	Novartis	$97,692	$46.97
   19	Intuit	$97,629	$46.94	20
   20	CF Industries	$96,162	$46.23	4

4. Writing a senior accountant job description

   A good senior accountant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a senior accountant job description:

   Senior accountant job description example

   **This is a Full time position working day shift at Northwest Medical Center.**
   **Job Summary**
   
   Prepares balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and other financial reports. Responsibilities also include analyzing trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations incurred to predict future revenues and expenses. Reports organization's finances to management, and offers suggestions about resource utilization, tax strategies, and assumptions underlying budget forecasts. Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. May lead and direct the work of others. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to a manager or head of a unit/department.
   
   **Requirements**
   
   Bachelor's degree in area of specialty and 2-4 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures.
   
   _Northwest Medical Center is comprised of a 300-bed hospital, four urgent care facilities, a freestanding emergency center and a large physician group, offering you a variety of settings in which to work. Every location is dedicated to providing safe, quality patient care, but more than that is the commitment to employees. It strives to provide a culture of teamwork, respect and appreciation for all staff, whether they care for patients directly or work in a support role. With employee appreciation celebrations throughout the year, opportunities for growth and the satisfaction that you are part of a hospital leading the way with accessible, convenient healthcare in Tucson, Northwest is a great place to work. NMC is accredited by The Joint Commission and is an equal opportunity employer: race, gender, disability and Veteran status, and VEVRAA Federal Contractor - priority referral Protected Veterans requested._
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Education**
   
   **Required**
   
   + Bachelors or better
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior accountants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior accountant job on Zippia to find and recruit senior accountant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior accountants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior accountant

   Once you've selected the best senior accountant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior accountant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior accountant?