Accountant
Prepare and audit financial statements, manage tax obligations and advise clients on business performance.
Registration: CPA Australia or Chartered Accountants ANZ for senior practice
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Accountants (2211) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1841 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $74,000 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Accountant (General) (221111), the closest official match for accountant, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 139,100
- Future demand
- Strong
- Work full-time
- 78%
- Average full-time hours
- 43 a week
- Women
- 54%
- Median age
- 40
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 38% |
| VIC | 28% |
| QLD | 15.6% |
| WA | 9.3% |
| SA | 5.5% |
| TAS | 1.3% |
| ACT | 2% |
| NT | 0.5% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 28.8% |
| Bachelor degree | 56.7% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 5.8% |
| Certificate I-IV | 1.9% |
| Year 12 | 3.9% |
| Below Year 12 | 0.9% |
What an accountant actually does
Most accountants split the day between client work and internal compliance. Mornings often go to reviewing journals, chasing missing receipts, and preparing or signing off on BAS, FBT and payroll tax submissions. Afternoons can be heavier on client calls, audit walkthroughs, or putting together management reports for a monthly close. Public-practice firms run busier in May-July (tax season) and October-November (audit). In-house corporate accountants hit peaks at month-end and at half-year and full-year reporting. Hours sit at 38-45 per week in normal periods and stretch to 50-60 in busy season at the larger firms. Most of the day is desk-based in an open-plan office or hybrid from home, with mid-tier and Big Four staff spending more time on client sites during audit and advisory engagements.
Typical tasks
- Prepare financial statements for entities.
- Conduct statutory and management reporting.
- Advise on tax obligations and planning.
Skills you'll use
- Double-entry bookkeeping and reconciliations
- Australian tax law (income tax, GST, FBT, payroll)
- Excel including pivot tables and Power Query
- Reading and applying AASB accounting standards
- Writing clear explanations of numbers for non-finance audiences
- Working to deadlines without dropping accuracy
- Using cloud ledgers like Xero, MYOB or NetSuite
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English plus Maths Advanced or Methods (Maths Standard is accepted by some unis but limits your options)
- 2Complete a 3-year accredited Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Accounting, or Bachelor of Business with an accounting major
- 3Join a graduate programme in public practice, industry, or government (most large firms recruit a year before graduation)
- 4Enrol in the CPA Program (CPA Australia) or CA Program (CA ANZ). Both run 3-4 years part-time alongside full-time work
- 5Pass the foundation exams (CPA has six, CA has three plus a capstone) and complete the required mentored practical experience hours
- 6Apply for CPA or CA membership once exams and experience are complete. This is when most accountants step up to senior pay
Where you can work
- Big-four accounting firms
- Mid-tier and boutique public-practice firms
- Finance teams inside ASX-listed corporates
- Federal and state government finance departments
- The Australian Taxation Office
- Not-for-profits and government-business enterprises
- Self-employed sole practitioner serving small business
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Graduate0-2 yearsTypical roles: Audit graduate, Tax graduate, Assurance analyst
- Senior3-5 yearsTypical roles: Senior accountant, Senior auditor, Senior tax consultant
- Manager6-9 yearsTypical roles: Audit manager, Tax manager, Financial controller
- Partner or CFO12+ yearsTypical roles: Audit partner, Tax partner, Chief Financial Officer
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like getting numbers to reconcile to the cent
- You can explain a tax or accounting rule to a non-expert without making them feel stupid
- You're willing to study heavily for 3-4 years after your degree
- You're patient with rules and process
- You can hold a confidential conversation without leaking detail
This might not suit you if
- You hate detail and want to work mostly in big-picture strategy
- You can't stand sitting at a desk for long stretches
- You want fully remote work with no client interaction
- You want a job that's done at 5pm every day year-round (busy season is real)
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for accountant. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.