The average accountant salary ranges vary depending on the area of accounting in which the individual practices. There are many different specialties and licenses within the accounting profession that allow some to command a higher salary than others. The salaries may also differ depending on the amount of time an individual has been in practice as an accountant or with a particular firm before changing jobs.
Average salary ranges within the private sector will be substantially higher than those in the public sector. The private sector positions include jobs working for large corporations and high finance arenas, such as Wall Street firms or major worldwide companies. These will command a much higher salary because the individuals will be dealing with a much more specialized field of auditing and reporting.
Private sector salary ranges are anywhere from an entry level of $55,000 to $75,000 annually for a more experienced individual. The median salary for this type of position within a large company is usually around $61,000 per year. Of course, one can increase this salary by gaining experience from within the company and furthering education by taking college courses or doing self-study at home. The self-study, as with any other courses, will require that individuals complete a test in order to show that they have actually completed the training.
By entering a position in a company with both previous work experience and a CPA license, an individual can command a much higher starting rate than someone who may have passed the exam but not gotten the real world experience that many companies desire in a new employee. However, there is an option to advance within most companies by taking seminars and continuing education courses to better oneself and many corporations will even pay for this education.
The public sector positions will bring in a slightly lower starting salary of around $45,000 per year. It is not that these positions are any less important, they simply require less real-world experience. These positions are generally found in smaller accounting firms and tax preparation offices that specialize in only one or two different forms of accounting and can utilize someone with a basic, rather than high-level, knowledge of accounting.
Smaller firms may only deal with tax audits or preparation as well as basic business accounting that does not deal in large amounts of funds or multi-national finances. These services will be just as important to the people who need them but the amount of money involved simply does not allow for a larger fee to be charged. These services are especially important to a company facing a government audit, which can be a scary and stressful experience.
In order to get a more complete grasp on the average accountant salary ranges that are available, one only needs check the nearest computer. Here, those interested will find many different reporting entities such as the Department of Labor that reflect the salary ranges for various levels of accountants. The different levels depend greatly on the years of experience an individual has along with the possession of any certifications or licenses.
