[AliCpa]

Hi, what is the maximum annual salary the CPA can get? i am not that kind of material people but wondering if i can get a fair salary comparing with the effort that i spent studying the CPA?
and do you think if i can get the same salary if i open my accounting firm even without the cpa. ?

[lam2848]

There is no definite answer. It depends on the firm, the job, where you live, and a ton of other things. For most accounting firms, especially the big 4, you need to be a CPA in order to get promoted. Some firms will not even hire if they think you are not going to try to obtain your CPA.

[Juice23]

An executive with a CPA (VP Tax, or Chief accounting officer, for example) can make high six figures to millions (when you include bonuses, stock options, long term incentives), as can the office managing partner of a big 4 firm in a major market. Senior partners at big 4 can make high six figures, as can Washington National Tax partners, depending on their industry/specialty. Regular partners make six figures, but the range depends on where they're located and who their clients are.

The question about the “maximum annual salary” is, in my opinion, pretty meaningless. These men and women worked very hard and got very lucky. Most CPAs will not reach that level of income.

You will get a relatively predictable and fair salary if you become a CPA, and you can expect a relatively predictable growth curve for the profession as a whole. Worth it? No one can answer that but you.

[Missy]

5-15% more salary on average than their counterparts without CPA's.

Figuring a year or so of studying 20 hours per week (~1000 hours, although some are much faster!) and around $4k spent between review materials, testing fees and licensing I the cumulative effect on lifetime earnings makes it a no brainer that its worth doing.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/051415/how-much-do-cpas-make.asp

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Author]

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