Becoming a CPA is a great way to increase your salary and future job opportunities. If a career as a CPA in California sounds like the right move for you, get started with this course today!
The Certified Public Accountant will usually work for a small business or in a large corporation. The starting salary can vary because of the size of the firm and its location.
The average salary for Cpa in California is $61,000. The average salary for a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) in California is $56,000. As of February 19th, 2012 the median hourly wage for any CPA or CIA covered under state law was $46.50
Starting Salary For CPA In California Overview
CPA Salary in California: Entry Level
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for CPAs in the United States is $91,400 per year. But what does that mean for your salary? You may be surprised.
The first step is to find out where you want to work. If you’re looking for a job in San Francisco or Los Angeles, you might have a higher salary than if you were looking for a job in Fresno or Bakersfield. The cost of living also factors into how much money an employer can offer its employees. For example, a company in New York will likely be able to pay you more than one located in Alabama because they need more qualified workers, who are willing to accept lower salaries, than they would if they were located near Silicon Valley where there are plenty of highly skilled workers who expect higher paychecks.
Wherever your career takes you, here are some examples of CPA salaries by state:
The entry-level salary for CPAs in California is $68,000 per year.
The average salary for a CPA in California is $110,000 per year.
The average salary for a CPA in San Francisco is $138,000 per year.
Steps to Becoming an Accountant in California
Modified June 12, 2022
Since the California Board of Accountancy fully integrated the protocols of the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA), it now requires all applicants for CPA licensure to have 150 semester hours of college credit and one year of accounting experience. Since a bachelor’s degree consists of just 120 semester hours, aspiring CPAs often enroll in master’s degree programs in accounting to earn the 30 additional semester hours required for a CPA license while satisfying the pre-licensure experience requirements.
All of the “Big Four” international CPA firms (Deloitte & Touche, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Ernst & Young) have offices here, as do other leading firms such as Mayer Hoffman McCann and Moss Adams.
Find out more about CPA requirements in our step-by-step guide on how to become a CPA in California.
Top Industries and Employment Trends for California Accountants
Auditors, accounting managers, forensic accountants, and controllers are all found in some of America’s biggest banks and publicly traded companies – most of them have a strong presence in California, and many are headquartered here, including such diverse corporate juggernauts as banking giant Wells Fargo and military contractor Northrop Grumman.
As companies look to cut costs and boost profits in an era of tighter regulatory controls, there is a growing number of accountants recruited into the world of business to perform internal audits and management functions. Accountants are no longer relegated to backrooms, and instead frequently collaborate in Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) meetings, both to contribute their insights and to draft GPFFRs (general purpose federal financial reports) for the SEC.
The Employment Development Department (EDD) of California has also noted an increase in the number of highly specialized accountants involved in accounting information system design and IT network auditing for systems management companies like Symantec in Mountain View. In the public sector, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor based in San Francisco employs IT auditors to draft the computerized audit programs used in federal, state and municipal agencies.
Highest paying cities for Certified Public Accountants in California
- Roseville, CA$159,149 per year5 salaries reported
- Bakersfield, CA$142,422 per year5 salaries reported
- Woodland Hills, CA$125,155 per year6 salaries reported
