How Are Public Accounting Salaries Stacking Up For 2023? (Part 4, Hays U.S.)

Posted on by Going Concern News Desk

The latest group of fortune tellers gazing into crystal balls to figure out what accounting salaries will be like next year are from the recruitment firm Hays U.S.

In its 2023 salary guide, Hays provides salary ranges for accounting and finance jobs in nine states, plus the District of Columbia. For this article, we selected four positions in audit and four in tax.

Hays has found that despite employees expecting more money to deal with inflation, the rate of which is currently 7.7% for the 12 months ending in October, employers are taking a more conservative approach (because of course they are) and are looking to give out pay increases between 3% and 5% instead of 5% or more in 2023. Hays says:

[Salary] increases have been significant over the past year—more so than predicted. However, there has been a definite shift in the market, as employers take a more cautious approach, we see less aggressive plans to increase salaries when looking ahead.

Companies are taking this stance even though an OVERWHELMING majority (57%) of employees surveyed by Hays said higher salaries is the No. 1 motivator for them to consider leaving their current job, followed by promotional opportunities (24%) and better benefits (19%).

After comparing the salary ranges in Hays’ 2023 salary guide with the ranges it provided for accounting jobs in its 2022 guide, many of those ranges haven’t changed. However, there are positions in some states that are projected to have an increase in base pay next year. For example:

  • Audit associates in Colorado are expected to see a raise of between 7.1% and 9.1%.
  • In Georgia, audit managers and tax managers are expected to see salaries rise 22.2%, while tax directors are projected to have a bump in pay between 7.1% and 10%. 
  • Tax managers and tax directors in California are expected to see pay increases of 56.2% and 33.3%, respectively.
  • Salaries are projected to increase between 15.4% and 20% for tax managers in Florida.

Below are the projected pay ranges for the four audit and four tax roles in Hays’ 2023 salary guide. DMV refers to District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia:

Audit associate

  • California: $40,000-$60,000
  • Colorado: $60,000-$75,000
  • DMV: $55,000-$70,000
  • Florida: $50,000-$70,000
  • Georgia: $50,000-$75,000
  • Illinois: $40,000-$60,000
  • New York: $55,000-$70,000
  • Texas: $55,000-$65,000

Audit senior

  • California: $60,000-$100,000
  • Colorado: $80,000-$100,000
  • DMV: $70,000-$100,000
  • Florida: $65,000-$90,000
  • Georgia: $65,000-$95,000
  • Illinois: $60,000-$90,000
  • New York: $70,000-$100,000
  • Texas: $75,000-$95,000

Audit manager

  • California: $110,000-$150,000
  • Colorado: $120,000-$150,000
  • DMV: $100,000-$175,000
  • Florida: $100,000-$130,000
  • Georgia: $110,000-$150,000
  • Illinois: $100,000-$130,000
  • New York: $100,000-$175,000
  • Texas: $115,000-$135,000

Audit director

  • California: $150,000-$200,000
  • Colorado: $150,000-$200,000
  • DMV: $150,000-$250,000
  • Florida: $150,000-$200,000
  • Georgia: $150,000-$200,000
  • Illinois: $150,000-$200,000
  • New York: $150,000-$250,000+
  • Texas: $150,000-$200,000

Tax accountant

  • California: $75,000-$95,000
  • Colorado: $70,000-$95,000
  • DMV: $75,000-$90,000
  • Florida: $50,000-$75,000
  • Georgia: $60,000-$75,000
  • Illinois: $65,000-$90,000
  • New York: $65,000-$90,000
  • Texas: $60,000-$80,000

Tax senior

  • California: $80,000-$120,000
  • Colorado: $80,000-$100,000
  • DMV: $70,000-$100,000
  • Florida: $70,000-$90,000
  • Georgia: $70,000-$100,000
  • Illinois: $50,000-$75,000
  • New York: $80,000-$110,000
  • Texas: $75,000-$90,000

Tax manager

  • California: $125,000-$150,000
  • Colorado: $100,000-$120,000
  • DMV: $100,000-$150,000
  • Florida: $120,000-$150,000
  • Georgia: $110,000-$155,000
  • Illinois: $80,000-$150,000
  • New York: $90,000-$160,000
  • Texas: $135,000-$165,000

Tax director

  • California: $160,000-$200,000
  • Colorado: $140,000-$200,000
  • DMV: $160,000-$250,000
  • Florida: $150,000-$240,000
  • Georgia: $150,000-$250,000
  • Illinois: $160,000-$210,000
  • New York: $140,000-$275,000
  • Texas: $180,000-$210,000

You can find all of our content previewing public accounting salaries for 2023 here.

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In-Demand Accountant Wants to Know If He Can Ask His Prospective Big 4 Firm for More Money

In today’s edition of “I’d like advice from a bunch of strange accountants,” an experienced accounting associate is interviewing with the Big 4 and wonders if makes sense to waltz in, slam their fist on the table and demand more money.

Need some advice on your next career move? Want some pointers on how to win that coveted item at your local IRS auction? Having trouble with the law and wonder if you should share it with someone your firm? Email us at advice@goingconcern.com and we’ll get you on the road to sobriety in no time.

Back to our prospective Big 4 associate with dollar signs in their eyes:

I will be going on a job interview with one of the Big 4 firms (currently employed with a large national firm), and they are interviewing for experienced associate/senior associate position. I have experience in an industry their office has a large need for, but not all the candidates to fill it. Even though I am a senior associate at a smaller firm, and may come in as a experienced associate, does it make sense to ask for a pay increase from what I am currently making? I will be relocating to another market, but I would assume the markets are comparable. Just wondering if anyone may have some thoughts on the salary I should be requesting.


Always about the money, isn’t it? Very well, then.

You’re with a large national firm which means you’re near the high end of the accounting salary range already. This doesn’t exactly help your negotiation for a higher salary with a Big 4 firm. To take that a step further, the Big 4 aren’t exactly the negotiating type. The range of salary at the Associate/Senior Associate level isn’t a huge and if you come in at a higher salary than your peers, you’re likely to be on the short-end of merit increases come merit increase time (as this is SOP). Plus, it’s unlikely that your work experience to date will impress the firm you’re interviewing to the extent that they’re A) begging you to join the firm and B) they’ll throw thousands of extra dollars your way (not that it makes that much of a difference).

All right, now that we’ve mercilessly shot you down, you’re ready to hear some good things – if the firm you’re interviewing with really has a need for your experience, it is likely that they are willing to pay you more. If you can demonstrate in your interviews with the partners and managers your knowledge and accomplishments, they will let HR know that want your hot auditing (or whatever) ass ASAP. And that’s the key – what do you offer that the clowns that started with the firm don’t? Run-of-the-mill statements like, “good work ethic, do what it takes” blah blah blah won’t do anything for you. Have you already reviewed other’s work, supervised staff, etc, etc? Differentiate yourself in substantive ways. Make that firm want you for what you bring to the table.

Bottom line: you probably won’t get to “request” your salary, you’ll simply be made an offer. But if you can present your coveted experience in a way that will make your interviewers crave you like Kardashians crave cameras in their faces, coupled with a jump to the higher pay scale of the Big 4, you’re likely to be happy with the salary they offer you.

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