Accountant Jobs in Los Angeles, CA
Accountants in Los Angeles earn a metro median of about $94,000 a year, and the hiring runs from downtown health plans to the university payrolls at USC and UCLA and the studio finance teams in Culver City and Burbank. Here are the current openings, then who is hiring and how to get licensed.
Current accountant Openings in Los Angeles, CA
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Accountant Work in Los Angeles
Accounting work in Los Angeles follows the city's biggest payrolls. The universities and their hospitals are some of the steadiest hirers: USC runs payroll tax and fund accounting teams on the University Park campus near Exposition Park, while UCLA Health and UCLA's own audit office hire senior accountants and auditors in Westwood. Downtown, L.A. Care Health Plan keeps a finance and compliance staff in its 90017 offices to audit claims and analyze revenue.
The entertainment economy adds a second layer. Studio finance departments in Culver City and Burbank look for accountants who can handle multi-entity books and intercompany reconciliations, and staffing firms fill a steady stream of staff accountant roles for music venues, nonprofits and South Bay manufacturers from Torrance to El Segundo.
Top Los Angeles Employers Hiring Accountants
These employers have posted accounting roles in the Los Angeles area on their own career sites:
- University of Southern California - hires Accountant I roles in Payroll Services on the University Park campus, posted at $33.00 to $38.51 an hour.
- UCLA Health - the health system's finance department hires senior accountants for general ledger close and reconciliations.
- UCLA - the Westwood campus hires financial analysts and senior auditors in Audit and Advisory Services.
- L.A. Care Health Plan - the downtown public health plan hires financial compliance auditors and revenue financial analysts.
- Sony Pictures Entertainment - the Culver City studio hires FP&A analysts and prefers a CPA or MBA.
- Robert Half - the staffing firm places permanent and contract staff accountants across the city, the Valley and the South Bay.
Accountant Salaries in Los Angeles
- Entry level: about $60,000 to $75,000 a year, or roughly $29 to $36 an hour on contract.
- Experienced: roughly $75,000 to $120,000 a year for staff and senior accountants.
- Senior: $120,000 to $155,000 or more for senior auditors, accounting managers and CPAs in specialized roles.
These are estimates drawn from federal wage data for the Los Angeles metro, where the median accountant earns about $94,360, and from pay ranges posted by local employers. A CPA license, public accounting experience, and systems skills such as SAP, Oracle or Sage Intacct move pay up, and university and health system employers add their own benefit packages.
How to Become an Accountant in Los Angeles
Most staff and senior accountant postings in Los Angeles, including the USC and UCLA Health roles, ask for a bachelor's degree in accounting or business, not a license. Local routes include the USC Leventhal School of Accounting (BS Accounting, Master of Accounting and Master of Business Taxation) and Cal State LA's BS in Business Administration with an accounting option. For a lower-cost start, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College offers an Accounting AA and an Accounting Clerk certificate, and East Los Angeles College offers an Accounting AA and certificate.
The CPA license is issued by the California Board of Accountancy. The current route requires 150 semester units, including set amounts of accounting, business and ethics study, plus 12 months of general accounting experience and a passing score on the Uniform CPA Exam. Under AB 1175, a new route opens on January 1, 2027: a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years of experience. Both routes are valid in 2027 and 2028; from 2029 only the new one applies.
What the Job Involves
Accountants record journal entries, reconcile bank and balance sheet accounts, close the books each month and quarter, and prepare financial statements and schedules for auditors. Depending on the employer, the job also covers payroll tax filings, fund or grant accounting, fixed assets, revenue recognition and budget-to-actual reporting for department managers.
Skills Employers Look For
- Working knowledge of GAAP, and fund accounting for university and nonprofit roles
- Advanced Excel, including lookups and pivot tables
- ERP and accounting systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite or Sage Intacct
- Account reconciliation and month-end close experience
- Clear written communication with managers and auditors
- Progress toward a CPA license
Career Path and Advancement
Many Los Angeles accountants start as accounting clerks or staff accountants, move to senior accountant after three to five years, then step into accounting manager, controller or internal audit roles. Public accounting experience followed by a move to a studio, health system or university finance office is a common path here, and a CPA license opens the senior auditor and controller jobs at the top of the pay range.
Related Careers in Los Angeles
If accounting interests you, these related Los Angeles roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CPA license to work as an accountant in Los Angeles?
No. Most staff and senior accountant jobs ask for a bachelor's degree and experience, not a license. The CPA, issued by the California Board of Accountancy, is required to practice as a certified public accountant and is preferred for senior audit, controller and FP&A roles.
How much do accountants make in Los Angeles?
Federal wage data puts the Los Angeles metro median at about $94,360 a year, with the middle half earning roughly $74,000 to $122,000. Posted ranges run from $33 to $38.51 an hour for an Accountant I at USC to $73,000 to $149,600 for a senior accountant at UCLA Health.
What is changing in the California CPA requirements?
AB 1175 adds a new route starting January 1, 2027: a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration plus two years of general accounting experience, with no 150-unit requirement. The current 150-unit route with 12 months of experience stays valid through December 31, 2028.
Where can I study accounting in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and East Los Angeles College offer accounting associate degrees and certificates. For a bachelor's or master's, the USC Leventhal School of Accounting and Cal State LA both offer accounting programs.
Are accounting jobs in Los Angeles remote?
Some are. Studio finance roles such as Sony Pictures' FP&A jobs in Culver City are hybrid, and Cedars-Sinai lists some financial analyst jobs as remote-eligible, but university accounting jobs such as USC's payroll roles are based on campus.
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