[ML]

Hi everyone, I wanted your input (either from employee or owner perspective) about whether any of you have gotten raises after passing the exams or if your company waited until you received your actual license. Some people have mentioned receiving bonuses after passing, some said they got immediate raises for passing and others said they didn’t get anything until they received their license. The problem is I am most likely going to have to take additional courses to meet the CA 150 unit requirements and the soonest that probably will be complete is next summer 2019. I have almost 10 years of experience, half in private and half in public accounting. I have worked at the same firm for 5 years and though this firm is a smaller firm I have extensive experience in many higher end/difficult tax projects. So on top of all the regular tax returns (1040, 1041, 1120, 1065, etc) I also specialize in estate, non-profits, and government. Not to mention I also run entire audits from the planning phase to report distribution.

I currently make $60K which as you know in CA is barely a wage to live on when rent in So-Cal (LA area) averages $1,800-$2,100 for a single bedroom. And since passing the exams, none of the partners at my firm have mentioned anything. The senior partner even casually said “congrats, you are now another step closer to obtaining your license.” Personally, I was more offended because passing the exam practically IS the license. Passing the exams isn’t just a little step towards obtaining the license, it’s 99% of it. In summary I just wanted to know what your input is and if I should bring it up to the bosses because I have sacrificed and worked so hard during the exams. I studied through tax season, audit season, extension season. I have sacrificed weekends to be in the office to help with projects when I should have been at the library studying. I have been hard worker in general, even before the exams but after all the struggling and finally passing them, the fact that there’s little to no recognition for that upsets me. My wage in my opinion doesn’t fairly represent the amount and level of work I do and if this firm plans on waiting till next summer for me to get my license to give me a raise I’m likely not going to stick around that long. In addition, like a lot of other members have stated, a lot of times the current firm they work at while obtaining their license often times doesn’t come close to their expectations in wage increases. The big bump usually comes when they leave to find another job. I do like my job and the firm, not to mention I have certain financial obligations right now that makes it very risky for me to look for another job right now but my god I gotta be able to financially survive too you know? Anyways, some input from your own experience, or maybe a different perspective if you’re an owner would be much appreciated. Thanks!

FAR - 7/31/14
AUG - ???
REG - ???
BEC - ???

"These are the precincts of pain. A goddess lives here. Her name is victory." - Unknown

[Anonymous]

@kdawg22 – where do you work? I was told to expect a raise after obtaining my license but I have no idea how much. I started at 52k with no raise last year due to multiple partners being bought out. I'm not sure how to determine my value but I'm hoping to end around 60k this year. Does that seem unreasonable? Or maybe the better question would be, would it be foolish to communicate that to my boss?

[StudyNowCPA]

I currently make $65k and I don’t have my exams passed yet. I honestly think it is too low even for not having my license yet. I am waiting for my score tomorrow to see if I have passed REG and it will be my last exam!! As for wage increases, I have a recruiter marketing me for $80-85k and I have not received my license yet. Maybe I shouldn’t feel so underpaid ???

[CPYAYYY]

I don’t have my license and I’m at 73k

[Anonymous]

Honestly CPA's value is only as much as you market it. I am at $80k and I get offers for industry for $95 – $120K depending on roles. But $65K seems kind of low, but I am not taking in account for city, firm and position and networking.

[Anonymous]

I am not a CPA yet, I forgot to add that.

[Anonymous]

ya, you really need to put your years of experience and location to give some context for salaries

[Anonymous]

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that once you get a CPA, your chance of getting a higher raise will come from leaving the firm and joining another firm or company.

[ML]

Man, I definitely don't think I'm getting paid enough, even without the license. I'm doing manager level work as a senior accountant on a staff salary lmao wtf. But I'm glad I started this thread and asked the question because it does help point me in the right direction of options I plan on taking to get myself a raise/better paying job.

FAR - 7/31/14
AUG - ???
REG - ???
BEC - ???

"These are the precincts of pain. A goddess lives here. Her name is victory." - Unknown

[Anonymous]

@ML235 – I'm 1.5 years into my career and started out at 52k in IL. 60k in Southern Cal with TEN YEARS experience?! That just seems absurdly low.

[Accounting_is_Taxing]

With your experience, why stay? I haven't passed any section of the CPA exam, yet I was receiving multiple messages and calls from recruiters daily. Eventually, one sounded so good that I had to take it, and now I make more money while working fewer hours.

You're not desperate for a job, so you have time to put yourself out there and find out what you're worth to companies. You can put your current status on your resume, and they will probably ask a question about it in the phone interview. I put that I was a CPA candidate, and they were impressed that I met all the requirements except for passing the CPA exam itself.

[Author]

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