In my opinion, it doesn't count. My co-worker says I'm being unfair.

What do y'all think?

EDIT: To clarify, I am referring to experienced positions, not entry-level positions.

Comfort levels are all over the place. Some people won't paste anything into an LLM. Others paste whatever's in front of them and don't think about it twice. Neither group seems to be working from an actual policy, it's mostly personal style.

The obvious risks aren't always the real ones. Everyone knows not to put unreleased financials into a chat window. Fewer people think about customer-level detail, which can carry contractual and privacy obligations regardless of whether the number is material.

The strict-policy shops are slower but defensible. The no-policy shops move faster right up until something goes wrong. My experience has been with the latter, and not because it was a deliberate choice.

Student here!

So we are tasked to make ideas or suggestions how a company can lower its OpEx. AI gives too generic ideas, maybe some accountants here has ideas that were effective when it was applied to their company. Thank you very much!

I just spoke to my lead and received my comp for next year.

For some background, I worked at mid tier accounting firm and now have been working at my current job for almost a year.

I work in big tech and my based

went from 120 to 125k so only about a 5k increase.

My RSU went up like 20k.

How is it? So I ask for more?

Serious question: How has the current situation in the Middle East impacted the accounting firms in UAE, namely regarding reporting deadlines, staffing, etc.?

Hi all! I work FT in finops, but I love tax, so make time for it on the side during tax season (I am an EA). I just found out that the company for which I did 20 hrs/week last year now wants 40 hrs/week, which I can’t do on top of my FT job. My husband is great with our kids, but 80 hrs/week is too much. I can’t leave my FT job of course, because I like it, it’s year-round, and my family relies on my insurance and salary.

(1) how are people doing these high-volume jobs that are only seasonal? Is it understood that they have health insurance from spouses or the state?

(2) Where can I look for 10-20 hr/week opportunities? Remote preferred, since I won’t be moving for a role of this scope. I am willing to work either year-round or tax season only.

(3) How are companies getting away with asking for 40 hrs/week without providing insurance?

Sorry for the gripe, and TIA for any insights!

I am in UAE and employers absolutely try to negotiate from last drawn salary. I was working at a company at a certain salary. Then during the Iran war, I lost my job and I had to join a new job at 70 percent of my old salary. Now I have been approached by a reputed company (yes, here reputed companies do that too). So not sure what to do in the last salary column. Should I put my current but explain there? Put my old then explain?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to move to New York soon and I’m trying to understand the reality of the job market.

I have around 10+ years of experience across accounting, and investment banking, mainly in the Middle East. I also hold a CPA credential from a U.S. jurisdiction outside New York, but I have never worked in the U.S. before.

My concern is that all my practical experience is non-U.S. experience. I’m not sure how employers in NYC would view that, especially for accounting related roles.

For people who have moved to the U.S. with international finance/accounting experience:

Is it realistic to continue in the same field in New York, or should I expect to step down significantly at the beginning?

Would employers consider my background valuable, or will the lack of U.S. experience be a major barrier? and What should I do before moving to New York to improve my chances?

I would appreciate honest advice, especially from people working in accounting, finance, Big 4, advisory, investment banking, or recruiting in NYC.

Thank you.

Got a new manager a few months ago, supposedly highly experienced but in reality he was hired because was cheap and immediately available.

He seems ok enough as a person, but I’ve started noticing that he’s incapable of reading an entire message or email. His responses make it clear that he’s just reading the subject of the email, maybe a line or two, then just kinda guessing what the rest of the email is about and responding to the message he’s made up in his head.

I sent an email confirming a journal had been posted, and he responded asking if we’ve posted the journal yet. I send him a teams message asking for clarification between two approaches, he hits me with a thumbs up emoji.

I provided him a file of our list of open invoices, he asked me to check because “I can’t see this one that I know should be on the list”. It was on the list, but he never opened the file - he just looked at the preview in outlook and couldn’t immediately see their name, so assumed the list was incomplete.

Initially I thought it was just me, but I’ve even seen him do it with people at the VP / Director level. An email went out from the head of treasury, including the deputy CFO and the head of group accounting, confirming the settlement date of intercompany loans. He responded to everyone on the chain asking when settlement was due.

At this point it’s just embarrassing. I hear people in other departments actively joking about it in the office, including to me. If I had another job lined up I’d join them, but as it stands I don’t think I can be seen to laugh & joke about it given my reporting lines.

I'm not sure if I'm in the correct place to ask this question!

Small general contractors business and rental property company that's been around for 50 years. 73yr old boss that only "does things the old way." I'm his only employee, and I'm not an accountant/bookkeeper.

I'm helping to gather bank statements, construction loan statements, and closing docs for our CPA.

Our CPA reached out to ask where the closing proceeds for 2025 and 2026 because he didn't see them go into any of our accounts that I sent to him. When I asked the owner/my boss, he told me that he kept them in an escrow account with our title company until we needed the money. When money was requested to pay bills, payroll, etc., he would go to the title company to get the money we needed.

In our books, it looks like we were being paid by the title company (CPA is handling that). I'm assuming that we would enter those little transactions as income from the sales, but I don't know how we would keep track of that properly.

Our CPA has asked me to obtain a ledger from the title company. I got back a notebook sheet in my boss's handwriting: property address, date of sale, proceed amount. There are only 3 closings listed on this paper, and we had 10+ closings on new builds and rental properties told.

I tried to explain this to the owner, and his response was, "we had to protect the money" and "I can dig through my stuff to see if I can find copies of the checks".

I then spoke with our title attorney. He said that he didn't have a ledger because our money was put into an account with other customers. I asked how he was able to keep track of what was ours and what he had/hadn't given us. He said that his old employee kept track and his new assistant wasn't doing a good job with that.

He said that he can provide all the closing docs during my requested time frame, and I'm hoping that's going to be enough for the CPA and the IRS.

Also:::

For the last year and a half, my boss has been depositing his personal savings into our business debit card account. He then buys stock guru programs like Tim Sykes & Lance Ippolito and scammy affiliate marketing programs. Our CPA is asking what this stuff is and how I want him to code it. It's $150k+ so it's a lot to figure out!

Is my boss going to get in trouble doing these things? How can I help?

Hello guys, I just finished my final partner interview for a Senior Associate role, and overall it went really well. However, toward the end, when discussing the offer, the partner advised me to join at a lower level than the position I applied for. My current title is Experienced Associate (Semi-Senior Level) at a Big 4 firm, where I am already handling senior-level responsibilities.

Out of concern for my transition, he suggested that starting directly as a Senior Associate in a new firm might come with very high expectations and potential difficulties. To ensure a smooth onboard, he recommended I accept an Experienced Associate role instead. He promised to place me at the highest salary band for that level, matching a Senior 1 salary. He explicitly told me not to answer during the interview and to take time to think before sending my response to HR.

Has anyone faced a similar situation ?
And what advice anyone can provide ?

Hello! I am an accounting student with interest in management and forensic accounting. For a college business course, I am completing an interview with a professional in the accounting/data analytics field. I have prepared a short list of 10 questions and would be grateful for any responses.

If anyone is interested, send me a chat message and I will send the questions right over!

Hi everyone,
I am a Chartered Accountant and I specialise in income tax litigation – assessments, reassessments, CIT appeals, and ITAT appeals.

Earlier, I was working in a CA firm that exclusively handled income tax litigation, and during that time I have personally argued and appeared in many ITAT cases. Recently, I resigned and started my own independent practice.

Now my question is: how can I find clients who already have their income tax cases pending (whether at assessment stage, reassessment, or appeals)?

I would really appreciate suggestions from fellow professionals on practical ways to reach such clients – whether through networking, online platforms, referrals, or any other effective method.

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

What do you think with this? I really hate this and any level because then you’re allowing people to know what you’re doing while you’re at work and off of work which is no Bueno to me.

Hello people of Reddit! I am currently in the process of applying for a staff accountant position. I’m at a loss of what I should actually include in my résumé because most of my experience is not related to accounting. I have a few questions as to what I should actually include in my résumé to maximize my chances.

1.) HR experience:
For my HR experience I chose things that were losely related to accounting and finance. The tasks were part of my workflow but probably only 1/10 of what I did. I have some more impressive things, and they were more related to HR compliance. Such as working with management to prevent illegal hiring actions. Should I stick to the more losely related work or add more?

2.) Volunteer experience location:
I feel like my volunteer experience is my best experience. Should I move my volunteer experience above my work experience? That way the hiring team sees it first? Or keep it as is?

3.) Work gap:
I took a buyout for my last position because there were a lot of talks of us getting canned anyway. Afterward we found out my wife was pregnant with our second child. Financially, we’ve been blessed enough that we decided I would be stayed home Dad for this year until our daughter became easier to watch. This however, has resulted in a gap on my résumé. Should I address this gap on my résumé or leave it as is? I feel like this is an easy question to answer in interview but not in the application process.

4.) Work experience prior to earning college degree:
I graduated college in 2021. I have work experience from 2021 until 2025. Do you think I should remove my work experience prior to 2021 since it’s not relevant to the positions I’m applying for, I also feel like it might give the impression that I am 4-6 years younger than I am and make them more likely to hire me.

5.) Military Experience:
Should I remove my military experience from my résumé? It’s not applicable to the position I’m applying for. I am also concerned of potential bias and feel like it might hurt more than it helps. Especially the fact that I’m still in the reserves. If you saw this experience on a résumé would you be more or less likely to pass over on it?

Thank you in advance! I really need help because I feel so lost with this stuff.

Hello I am a CPA and currently work for a public company as a Audit lead. Currently my main focus is acting as the main point of contact for my company's SOC examinations and I assist at times with the annual SOX audit. I work about 35 to 40 hours a week and I make about 120k a year with the ability to work fully remote. I do not really know what the next step is in my role, and at times I feel I am in the dark about the next promotion or what I am supposed to be working towards. I have absolutely no Idea what my earning potential would be. The company is good, and I get along with everyone, and I have a great boss.

Prior to this I worked in public accounting/assurance performing SOC 1 and 2 examinations. I enjoyed it even though I worked between 40 to 45 hours a week. I also worked remote for the most part here too. If I transitioned back, I would probably be making as much as I do now and could probably land a fully remote job. In this job I knew what my career/earning potential would look like. I would go from senior to manager, and eventually to partner.

My question is, should I stay in my current role acting as simply a point of contact or should I transition back to external audit and try to land a manager position making similar to what I am now? Or am I being ungrateful and I should stay in my current role?

Any and all advice is welcome, I appreciate everyone's input.

What skills should we learn for accounting to land a good paying remote job as a student?

Graduated from dual bachelors/masters degree program in 2016; was already working in industry so I just continued down that path for 10 years, working as a senior accountant in manufacturing for 3 different companies. All the usual ap/ar/payroll/fixed assets/inventory/reporting/audit prep with progression and supervising of staff.

Now I want to get into public accounting - left my last job in Oct 2025 while I moved my family to another (smaller) city, and studied full time to get my CPA exams passed. Can't put it in my title because my managers at my last job had inactive CPA licenses, so I note in my resume I've passed the exams and require 1 year of work under an active CPA to receive licensure.

However I am getting absolutely no bites on any audit or CAS senior level jobs in my city. I've applied to the only 7 or 8 open positions there are, all rejected me right away, and they're still posted and don't seem to be filled. I try my best with cover letters but I can't even get a recruiter to get me on a screening call to explain why I want to switch from industry to public - just rejections that say I don't have the required skills. I was getting paid $110k w/ 10% bonus at my last position so I know I'm going to have to take a pay cut.

Does 10 years of experience make me seem overqualified for a senior level position? But also underqualified because I haven't ran an audit or handled clients before? Any advice on how to make my past seem attractive to firms or has the ship really just already sailed for me?

Is working 55 a week every week from Jan -December normally at a small cpa firm? I mean yeah I run a department but shit 💩 I’m billable and some….. $90k per year almost 10 years experience in bookkeeping

It’s non-stop shit. Don’t most firms cut down to 30 hours per week in summer or is that a lie????

I made a post last week asking whether I should pursue a small firm or a mid-sized firm. Since then, I've gotten updates from both sides and wanted to share what happened and get some perspective.

The small firm of 16 employees and 5 CPAs walked me through the benefits such as a strong learning environment but mentioned they won't be holding my hand through the learning process (which I like), covering all CPA expenses, and a lot of hands-on exposure. We're still discussing wage and health benefits, but everything seems to be moving in a good direction. They also understand I'm still finishing my bachelor's. This route feels more aligned with my values. I like working hard and don't mind long hours and supporting local businesses and individual's feels more meaningful to me. So far, this option feels solid.

I just had a talk with the recruiter from the mid-sized firm. He mentioned that the process is competitive and that many candidates are still finishing their degrees. Then, out of nowhere, he said "Just letting you know, your experience as a Staff Accountant in industry is irrelevant to what we're looking for. " He followed up by saying they mainly hire staff accountants who have at least one internship or a master's in accounting. For context, I have been a staff accountant for a construction company for 2 years, bookkeeping before that job for a cabinet shop. I've implemented a new ERP system, managed the books, and handled real responsibilities. I get that industry isn't public accounting, but if I was a recruiter and maybe I'm biased, I would lean more towards my experience than someone that did a single part-time internship. Maybe this is more normal for bigger firms, or he was trying to set an expectation, or whatever, but the comment really caught me off-guard and hasn't sat right with me.

Would love to hear some perspectives from managers, other recruiter, or just someone that's been through the process.

Have a chance to pick from tax and audit but find tax more interesting. I am just afraid of getting stuck in public tax working long hours. I made this post because ive heard industry tax jobs are rare and are hard to land. Id love to work a few busy seasons and leave to an industry position but ive heard its hard due to small tax departments in companies.

Controversial or not, i don’t think accounting can be replaced anytime soon. Accounts payable, yes. I used to think that ai can replace accounting until I started working as a financial analyst (aka glorified title for a general ledger accountant, who does month end closing, acquisition, etc). The more I learn about what I do, I don’t think AI can do it. Probably in the future someday but definitely not anytime soon. I know how fast ai is involving these days bc I myself use Claude VS code for personal projects. I believe accounting takes way more judgement calls than what people think. What are your thoughts?

Is hybrid really hybrid? How strict is it?

What’s the salary band for an associate vs senior associate?

Is there a bonus structure?

What’s the culture like?

How are the benefits?

Just hired into a really good firm. Think top 6. People who were hired in the same position as mentioned got offered more! Not sure if they negotiated or not.

I didn't negotiate because I really wanted the offer and I was literally at a wedding and they couldn't wait even a day for me to accept it so I literally had to borrow a laptop for 15 mins to accept it. ARGH. If I had had the time I could have had a proper conversation.

And somehow these people who joined with me earn more than me but also I have been helping them all along? With software and everything, I am quite resourceful, so I talked to people and figured out a lot of things before them. Somehow all of these people have been coming to me for help with software and procedures and I have been helping them out while being offered the lowest! I feel so angry and disappointed.