11 answers
Samuel
Student
Yonkers, New York
1
Question
Asked
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Hi, I would just like to know what a day in the life of an accountant looks like, and what are things an accountant my experience in their daily life? #Spring26
I'm asking this question, because I'm thinking about majoring in the accounting and finance field in college, and may become an accountant in the future. #Spring26
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11 answers
Emily Azzolina, CPA
3
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Emily’s Answer
That's a great question! An accountant's day can change throughout the year. Usually, you'll have calls and meetings with your team to solve different account issues together. If you work in public accounting, you might also meet with clients to learn more about their accounting processes. If you enjoy what you learn in your accounting classes, consider a career in this field. You'll use the accounting rules from your classes every day to tackle various accounting challenges. Early in your career, you'll focus a lot on details and work with Excel. As you advance, you'll start to give those numbers meaning and help guide business decisions.
Samantha (Becker) Schrager, CPA
Audit
5
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Samantha’s Answer
Public accounting varies throughout the year, with your tasks changing depending on the season. Sometimes, you'll work at the client's location with your team, while other times, you'll be at your firm's office. On certain days, you might focus on testing controls, like conducting walkthroughs with clients. On other days, you could be doing substantive testing, such as reviewing records and analyzing financial statements. What I enjoy most is that each day is different, and you always get to work with a team.
Hassaan Kradiya, CPA
Auditor
1
Answer
Houston, Texas
Updated
Hassaan’s Answer
Hi! The career path you choose in accounting can vary a lot. Here are a few options:
Tax Accountant: You can work in either industry or public accounting, focusing on corporate or individual taxes. This job involves researching tax codes and applying them to different situations. You'll get to work with various tax forms.
Auditor: You can be an internal auditor in a company or an external auditor in public accounting. Your work will involve team collaboration and working with clients to understand their business and apply accounting principles correctly.
Industry Accountant: You'll be part of a company and work on tasks like accounts payable, accounts receivable, and more. You'll gain deep knowledge in specific areas, unlike in public accounting, where you see many areas. You'll work more independently in your first few years.
An accounting or finance degree offers many career paths, with these being the most common. Others include business process consulting, transaction advisory, and financial analysis. It's a good idea to learn about each path and see what interests you. Many professionals are willing to share their daily experiences, which can vary by industry or company.
Tax Accountant: You can work in either industry or public accounting, focusing on corporate or individual taxes. This job involves researching tax codes and applying them to different situations. You'll get to work with various tax forms.
Auditor: You can be an internal auditor in a company or an external auditor in public accounting. Your work will involve team collaboration and working with clients to understand their business and apply accounting principles correctly.
Industry Accountant: You'll be part of a company and work on tasks like accounts payable, accounts receivable, and more. You'll gain deep knowledge in specific areas, unlike in public accounting, where you see many areas. You'll work more independently in your first few years.
An accounting or finance degree offers many career paths, with these being the most common. Others include business process consulting, transaction advisory, and financial analysis. It's a good idea to learn about each path and see what interests you. Many professionals are willing to share their daily experiences, which can vary by industry or company.
Abigail Braithwaite, CPA
CPA
3
Answers
San Clemente, California
Updated
Abigail’s Answer
Hi! Great question. I've been working at a big four firm in tax for two years now, and it's been an exciting journey. Most days, I use Excel and Adobe PDF to calculate clients' taxable income, and then I input the information into tax return software. I also have a few team calls each day, which keeps things interesting. While much of the work is done individually, every client has a dedicated team. For instance, I prepare the tax returns for a client, and then my senior or manager reviews them and provides feedback. Finally, the partner reviews and signs off on the return. It's a collaborative process, and I've learned a lot along the way!
Tiara Ek
Tax
5
Answers
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Updated
Tiara’s Answer
In my past jobs as a staff accountant, I handled all parts of the accounting process for companies. This started with checking the information the company gave us and entering it into the accounting software. Then, I used this information to calculate taxes and file monthly tax returns, especially under Mexican law. I also prepared financial statements and answered any questions from clients.
Thank you so much for responding to my question and providing me insight as to what an accountant does. What do you mean by accounting software, is that a website you use which allows you to save information related to finances about the company? Hope you are having a great day today Tiara.
Samuel
Dwight Thomas
Consultant
38
Answers
Cedar Grove, New Jersey
Updated
Dwight’s Answer
Hi Samuel,
I hope all is well! This is a great question! A day in the life of an accountant usually involves working with financial data, reviewing records, and helping ensure everything is accurate and compliant. This can include preparing reports, reconciling accounts, analyzing transactions, and sometimes meeting with team members or clients to explain financial information. The work is structured but can vary depending on the role, whether it’s audit, tax, or working within a company’s finance team.
On a daily basis, accountants often experience deadlines, problem-solving situations, and collaboration with others. Some days are more routine, while others require deeper analysis or handling unexpected issues in financial data. Over time, the role becomes less about just working with numbers and more about understanding the business, providing insights, and helping guide decisions.
I hope this information helps. Please reach out with any additional questions. Hope to talk soon!
Thank you,
Dwight
I hope all is well! This is a great question! A day in the life of an accountant usually involves working with financial data, reviewing records, and helping ensure everything is accurate and compliant. This can include preparing reports, reconciling accounts, analyzing transactions, and sometimes meeting with team members or clients to explain financial information. The work is structured but can vary depending on the role, whether it’s audit, tax, or working within a company’s finance team.
On a daily basis, accountants often experience deadlines, problem-solving situations, and collaboration with others. Some days are more routine, while others require deeper analysis or handling unexpected issues in financial data. Over time, the role becomes less about just working with numbers and more about understanding the business, providing insights, and helping guide decisions.
I hope this information helps. Please reach out with any additional questions. Hope to talk soon!
Thank you,
Dwight
Thanks so much for responding to my question, and giving me more insight into what a accountant may experience in their daily lives. Didn't know that an accountant can also help guide decisions in a company or provide insights, just thought their role was to keep track of a person or company's budget and finances. Hope you are having a great day today Dwight.
Samuel
Claire Nguyen
Audit
4
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Claire’s Answer
Hi Samuel!
I'm an auditor, but I'd like to preface that my experience could be vastly different depending on what type of industries I audit! I currently audit a large retail client. A typical day for me in the summer looks like performing control walkthroughs (basically a call with the client to understand what kind of process they have to oversee the accuracy of an aspect of the financial statements), documenting these controls, documenting risk assessments (basically determining how much risk is associated with a specific area such as cash, or accounts payable, etc.), scheduling calls with my team to discuss any questions, and closing review notes from my managers and partners. During busy season, this shifts to more substantive testing, so a lot of questions to email to the client and a lot more review notes.
I'm an auditor, but I'd like to preface that my experience could be vastly different depending on what type of industries I audit! I currently audit a large retail client. A typical day for me in the summer looks like performing control walkthroughs (basically a call with the client to understand what kind of process they have to oversee the accuracy of an aspect of the financial statements), documenting these controls, documenting risk assessments (basically determining how much risk is associated with a specific area such as cash, or accounts payable, etc.), scheduling calls with my team to discuss any questions, and closing review notes from my managers and partners. During busy season, this shifts to more substantive testing, so a lot of questions to email to the client and a lot more review notes.
Wyatt O'Sullivan
Tax Accountant
4
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Wyatt’s Answer
My answer is more specific to tax in public accounting since that's where I work, but you'll see similarities across the various areas in accounting.
The exact breakout varies by current projects and what I'm actively working on, but there will be a mix of meetings and individual work. Meetings may be internal (e.g. working with my teams to solve a specific problem) or external (e.g. a weekly status call with the client to go over current workstreams, open items, etc.). For individual work, I may be responding to emails, reviewing a tax return, or looking through client documents. However, we work on teams that are always in constant communication, whether it's calls, emails, or Teams messages. All the work that an individual does is related to the work of the team, so it's important that everyone is on the same page and working together.
A lot of my time is spent in Excel (workpapers that support tax return-related calculations) or Adobe PDFs (tax returns). My days are relatively varied since in public accounting we have multiple ongoing projects at the same time. Additionally, your role will change as you grow in your career and spend more time managing others and making decisions.
The exact breakout varies by current projects and what I'm actively working on, but there will be a mix of meetings and individual work. Meetings may be internal (e.g. working with my teams to solve a specific problem) or external (e.g. a weekly status call with the client to go over current workstreams, open items, etc.). For individual work, I may be responding to emails, reviewing a tax return, or looking through client documents. However, we work on teams that are always in constant communication, whether it's calls, emails, or Teams messages. All the work that an individual does is related to the work of the team, so it's important that everyone is on the same page and working together.
A lot of my time is spent in Excel (workpapers that support tax return-related calculations) or Adobe PDFs (tax returns). My days are relatively varied since in public accounting we have multiple ongoing projects at the same time. Additionally, your role will change as you grow in your career and spend more time managing others and making decisions.
Erik Lee
Tax Consultant
6
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Erik’s Answer
Great question! The answer really depends on the area of accounting you choose.
In Public Accounting, like Audit or Tax, you'll find a fast-paced environment with lots of client interaction and tight deadlines. It can be challenging during busy seasons, but you'll gain valuable experience quickly.
In Corporate Accounting, you'll work for one company, which means more predictable hours and a steady routine.
Advisory or Consulting offers strategic and varied work, with plenty of client interaction and sometimes travel.
Government or Nonprofit roles provide stable hours and a strong work-life balance.
In all these areas, you'll do more collaborating and communicating than just crunching numbers. My advice? Don't just settle for "accounting." Explore the different fields to find what suits your personality best. The daily experiences can be more diverse than you might think.
In Public Accounting, like Audit or Tax, you'll find a fast-paced environment with lots of client interaction and tight deadlines. It can be challenging during busy seasons, but you'll gain valuable experience quickly.
In Corporate Accounting, you'll work for one company, which means more predictable hours and a steady routine.
Advisory or Consulting offers strategic and varied work, with plenty of client interaction and sometimes travel.
Government or Nonprofit roles provide stable hours and a strong work-life balance.
In all these areas, you'll do more collaborating and communicating than just crunching numbers. My advice? Don't just settle for "accounting." Explore the different fields to find what suits your personality best. The daily experiences can be more diverse than you might think.
Gian Sitindjak
Senior Auditor
2
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Gian’s Answer
Hi Samuel!
Accounting offers many paths, so your daily tasks can change based on the direction you choose. From my time in audit at a Big 4 firm, I can share some insights!
What I love about my job is that every day is different. We work with clients from various industries, so your tasks change depending on which client you’re helping. Some days, you might be in meetings with a client’s finance team to learn about their business. Other days, you’ll focus on reviewing financial documents and checking numbers for accuracy.
At the start of your career, you'll spend a lot of time gathering and organizing documents and using Excel to make sure everything is ready for review. This helps you learn the details of the work. As you progress, you’ll review your team’s work and take on more management tasks like setting timelines, assigning tasks, and being the main contact for clients.
Overall, this role keeps you engaged and encourages you to think critically at every step!
If you are serious about pursuing a career in accounting, I would strongly encourage you to plan on completing your CPA (Certified Public Accountant) as early as possible.
I would reach out to Big 4 employees, most of the time they're happy to chat through their career!
Accounting offers many paths, so your daily tasks can change based on the direction you choose. From my time in audit at a Big 4 firm, I can share some insights!
What I love about my job is that every day is different. We work with clients from various industries, so your tasks change depending on which client you’re helping. Some days, you might be in meetings with a client’s finance team to learn about their business. Other days, you’ll focus on reviewing financial documents and checking numbers for accuracy.
At the start of your career, you'll spend a lot of time gathering and organizing documents and using Excel to make sure everything is ready for review. This helps you learn the details of the work. As you progress, you’ll review your team’s work and take on more management tasks like setting timelines, assigning tasks, and being the main contact for clients.
Overall, this role keeps you engaged and encourages you to think critically at every step!
Gian recommends the following next steps:
Tammy Ngo
Public accountant / Auditor
3
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Tammy’s Answer
Hi Samuel! Here to give my perspective as someone who works in public accounting as an (IT) auditor. I majored in Accounting and Information Systems in college and have a CPA license under my belt. While I'm not in a traditional "accountant" role, this could be something that you can look into with an accounting major! To give some more background, I specifically audit public companies' IT systems that they use to support their company operations and financial reporting. Given the IT work that I do, I work from home most of the time. Sometimes my team will work in the office or work at our client's office. My days consist of calls with our clients, check ins with my team, working independently on my own tasks, and helping my junior team members with their questions. Of course, your day to day and balance of these tasks will change as you gain more experience and get promoted. Hope this helps!