How To Become A Corporate Accountant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a corporate accountant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Corporate accountants are responsible for running a business's accounts. They track the income and expenditure of an organization and also ensure statutory compliance. Your major role is to monitor and prepare financial records for the company. You will also ensure all financial documentation is clear and visible. You are expected to help the company in strategic planning and business decisions to improve the company's finances. You will also present commentary on monthly financial performance as well as preparing annual statutory accounts.

Also, you will give an account analysis containing budgets and expenditures, determine risk and manage cash flow. Furthermore, you are to submit VAT returns, advise companies on tax law, investment opportunities, and ensure activities comply with laws and organization's policies.

Skills needed for the role of a corporate accountant are analytical, organization, interpersonal, and communication skills, as well as time management ability. You are required to possess a bachelor's degree in accounting or related fields. However, a master's degree in business administration is a great advantage. The average base salary of a corporate accountant is $69,512 annually.

What general advice would you give to a Corporate Accountant?

Stephen Moehrle Ph.D.

Professor and Chairman of Accounting, University of Missouri - St. Louis

It was a great time to be entering the accounting industry, before the pandemic. Our students were serving in internships in huge numbers and our graduates were enjoying 100% placement, usually with multiple offers. The entry-level professionals were entering a profession marked by emerging and evolving technologies that made even the entry-level duties especially interesting. Further, our tech-comfortable young professionals were experiencing quick advancement because of their ability to employ the new technologies.

Most of the above remains true so the only open question is job availability. It would be unrealistic to say things are great. However, it seems that job prospects for accounting majors will be better than for those of virtually every other entry-level profession during difficult times. I have been speaking with firm leaders across the spectrum of firms and most do intend to be on campus in the fall recruiting season. Of course, they have a lot of time to learn more about the economy over the next few months, but we are cautiously optimistic. Again, I am confident that whatever the state of job availability for young CPAs-to-be, prospects will be better for accounting graduates than virtually any other profession.

They will be entering the profession at a fascinating moment in time. Of course, the technological advances assure this regardless of economic conditions. However, there are business disruption-related issues that will provide rich opportunities for making a difference. For example, audit staff will be working with clients to see them through these troubling times. Lamentably, I fear that these young professionals will learn more about the going concern determination than they desire to know. Tax staff will help clients to optimally use the tax loss carrybacks and carryforwards that are arising by the day. Entry level professionals in corporate accounting will get a day-to-day front row seat in business management through crisis. While lamentable times, these are times when young professionals can make a difference that saves jobs.

ScoreCorporate AccountantUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $64,300

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.4

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%

Asian 13.03%

Black or African American 8.63%

Hispanic or Latino 10.96%

Unknown 3.96%

White 62.96%

Gender

female 56.93%

male 43.07%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corporate accountant

Explore corporate accountant education requirements

Most common corporate accountant degrees

Bachelor's

76.1 %

Master's

12.5 %

Associate

8.9 %

Start to develop specific corporate accountant skills

Skills	Percentages
Reconciliations	14.07%
GAAP	6.22%
Account Reconciliations	6.01%
CPA	5.10%
General Ledger Accounts	4.67%

Complete relevant corporate accountant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corporate accountants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corporate accountant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corporate accountant resumes.

Gain additional corporate accountant certifications

Corporate accountant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific corporate accountant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for corporate accountants include Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

More About Certifications

Research corporate accountant duties and responsibilities

Lead successful implementation of PeopleSoft fix asset software module.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform month-end closing responsibilities, month-end accruals, expense allocations across business units and legal entities, and account reconciliations.
Perform general accounting assignments including accruals, profit and loss reports and reconciliations.

Prepare your corporate accountant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corporate accountant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corporate accountant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Corporate Accountant Resume templates

Build a professional Corporate Accountant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Corporate Accountant resume.