4 answers
Tya
Student
Frankfort, Kentucky
1
Question
Asked
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What does a typical day for an Accountant working at an Accounting Firm look like?
I'm 17 years old, and in my last year of high school. I plan to major in accounting, but I don't know what a typical workday looks like for an accountant. I'm a pretty introverted person, so I'm wondering if I need to expand my communication and teamwork skills if I am to succeed in this profession.
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4 answers
Shirley L
Accountant
78
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Shirley’s Answer
Hi Tya,
It depends on what type of accountant you ask. There are accountants who are auditors, tax professionals and consultants.
As a tax professional, our workload varies heavily revolve around deadlines.
March 15 - Deadline to extend partnerships and S corps tax returns
April 15 - Deadline to extend C corporations and individual income tax returns
September 15 - Deadline to file partnerships and S corps tax returns
October 15 - Deadline to file C corporations and individual income tax returns
During the 1-2 months leading up to these deadlines, we are extremely busy and it's a time crunch to gather our information and ensure our work is accurate.
After October 15, our last major deadline for the tax season, we shift to planning for the next tax season, which will pick up in mid to late January. It's a cyclical process, and it's all about teamwork.
It depends on what type of accountant you ask. There are accountants who are auditors, tax professionals and consultants.
As a tax professional, our workload varies heavily revolve around deadlines.
March 15 - Deadline to extend partnerships and S corps tax returns
April 15 - Deadline to extend C corporations and individual income tax returns
September 15 - Deadline to file partnerships and S corps tax returns
October 15 - Deadline to file C corporations and individual income tax returns
During the 1-2 months leading up to these deadlines, we are extremely busy and it's a time crunch to gather our information and ensure our work is accurate.
After October 15, our last major deadline for the tax season, we shift to planning for the next tax season, which will pick up in mid to late January. It's a cyclical process, and it's all about teamwork.
Lauren Wilkin, MACC
finance
3
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Lauren’s Answer
Great question! While a typical day will vary greatly on the company you work for, I can speak from personal experience from working at PwC, one of the big 4 public accounting firms. I received my masters in accounting with a focus on tax. Since my focus was tax specifically, I am not sure what a typical day as an auditor looks like, but from what I've heard from my coworkers it often requires some regular travel to client sites. Client sites could be in local areas or they could be in other states/regions, so that's something to keep in mind when picking a focus area. In tax there are also several specialties such as State and local, International, Sales & Use, Transfer Pricing, M&A, etc. I personally worked in state and local and international as well. I'll share some details on each.
International tax: I personally found it extremely challenging because i only took one international tax class in college and it's a very technical and regulation-heavy field. I also often had calls really early in the morning and late at night due to time zone differences with our international clients.
State and local tax: Here I specialized in Credits & Incentives, and Income Franchise tax. I really liked this group because credits and incentives was more consulting. We would assess the client's challenge and then do extensive research and calculations to determine the most strategically/beneficial decisions for them. I also worked on compliance projects, like filing income tax returns, and as other commenters have mentioned, these have specific deadlines so work tends to get very busy and the hours are longer during these periods.
Overall, there are so many amazing opportunities in accounting - it covers a vast array of subjects and remember that once you start working, you aren't locked into that one group forever. I moved around groups a lot at PwC and have found it incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. Wishing you the best luck!
International tax: I personally found it extremely challenging because i only took one international tax class in college and it's a very technical and regulation-heavy field. I also often had calls really early in the morning and late at night due to time zone differences with our international clients.
State and local tax: Here I specialized in Credits & Incentives, and Income Franchise tax. I really liked this group because credits and incentives was more consulting. We would assess the client's challenge and then do extensive research and calculations to determine the most strategically/beneficial decisions for them. I also worked on compliance projects, like filing income tax returns, and as other commenters have mentioned, these have specific deadlines so work tends to get very busy and the hours are longer during these periods.
Overall, there are so many amazing opportunities in accounting - it covers a vast array of subjects and remember that once you start working, you aren't locked into that one group forever. I moved around groups a lot at PwC and have found it incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. Wishing you the best luck!
Bethany (Dawson) Rodriguez, CPA
Accountant
7
Answers
Tampa, Florida
Updated
Bethany’s Answer
That’s a really thoughtful question, and I completely understand where you’re coming from being introverted myself, I used to worry a lot about communication and teamwork too. When I started college, I was actually really nervous about a professional speaking class I had to take in my freshman year - I used to get so anxious having to talk in front of anyone. At the time it felt intimidating, but looking back, it ended up being one of the best things I pushed myself to do. That class helped me build confidence in speaking, presenting, and expressing my ideas clearly.
One thing that helped me a lot was practicing regularly and taking advantage of opportunities to connect with professionals through opportunities that my university and organizations offered. Something I think about even now is that everyone you meet was new at one time and has been in your shoes before starting out in a career and they would share experiences too that made me remember that they are just people too! Networking with them gave me insight and reassurance that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way.
Over time, I grew more comfortable not just presenting in class but fast forward to now speaking on calls with leaders and even leading teams with individuals across different parts of the world in my organization. In my day to day, I have multiple calls scheduled to connect regarding solving problems with multiple individuals on my team and on different teams. We prepare documentation on our own based on support we receive and review and talk together to determine what questions we need to ask, who we need to ask, and how do we get to the bottom of the problem we need to solve. Overall, the communication and teamwork skills don’t just improve on their own, they get stronger the more you use them!
In accounting, while technical skills like Excel and understanding financial principles are super important and I use them every day, being able to communicate your ideas and work well with others can really help you stand out so focusing on expanding those skills will help you both in school and in your future career.
Keep in mind that many introverts are great listeners and thoughtful communicators, which are both huge strengths in accounting and finance. The key is to build your confidence step by step, and you’ll find that it gets easier and more natural over time.
Wishing you all the best!
One thing that helped me a lot was practicing regularly and taking advantage of opportunities to connect with professionals through opportunities that my university and organizations offered. Something I think about even now is that everyone you meet was new at one time and has been in your shoes before starting out in a career and they would share experiences too that made me remember that they are just people too! Networking with them gave me insight and reassurance that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way.
Over time, I grew more comfortable not just presenting in class but fast forward to now speaking on calls with leaders and even leading teams with individuals across different parts of the world in my organization. In my day to day, I have multiple calls scheduled to connect regarding solving problems with multiple individuals on my team and on different teams. We prepare documentation on our own based on support we receive and review and talk together to determine what questions we need to ask, who we need to ask, and how do we get to the bottom of the problem we need to solve. Overall, the communication and teamwork skills don’t just improve on their own, they get stronger the more you use them!
In accounting, while technical skills like Excel and understanding financial principles are super important and I use them every day, being able to communicate your ideas and work well with others can really help you stand out so focusing on expanding those skills will help you both in school and in your future career.
Keep in mind that many introverts are great listeners and thoughtful communicators, which are both huge strengths in accounting and finance. The key is to build your confidence step by step, and you’ll find that it gets easier and more natural over time.
Wishing you all the best!
Kayla H
Finance Manager
2
Answers
Miami, Florida
Updated
Kayla’s Answer
Hi Tya! I agree with Shirley that the day‑to‑day really depends on the type of accounting you go into. I spent almost five years in audit at a Big 4 public accounting firm, so I can share what that looked like.
As an auditor, your schedule is tied to your clients’ year ends. For example, if a client’s year end is December 31, January–February will be your busiest period. Publicly held companies also have quarterly reviews, so you’ll often see heavier workloads after March 31, June 30, and September 30. At larger firms, you're usually assigned to multiple clients, so your hours can vary throughout the year.
A typical day involves reviewing financial documents, testing controls, preparing workpapers, meeting with your audit team, and occasionally connecting with the client to request information or clarify something. It’s a mix of independent work and collaboration.
Communication and teamwork are important, but these are skills you can develop over time. I’m introverted myself, and working in audit helped me grow both personally and professionally. Many introverts do really well in accounting because a lot of the work involves focused, analytical tasks. Hope this helps!
As an auditor, your schedule is tied to your clients’ year ends. For example, if a client’s year end is December 31, January–February will be your busiest period. Publicly held companies also have quarterly reviews, so you’ll often see heavier workloads after March 31, June 30, and September 30. At larger firms, you're usually assigned to multiple clients, so your hours can vary throughout the year.
A typical day involves reviewing financial documents, testing controls, preparing workpapers, meeting with your audit team, and occasionally connecting with the client to request information or clarify something. It’s a mix of independent work and collaboration.
Communication and teamwork are important, but these are skills you can develop over time. I’m introverted myself, and working in audit helped me grow both personally and professionally. Many introverts do really well in accounting because a lot of the work involves focused, analytical tasks. Hope this helps!