Accountant - Federal Salaries of 2021

Pay Rates for "Accountant"

How much does an Accountant in the federal government get paid? $123,349.82* *Based on the 2021 average.

8,090 EMPLOYEES

$914.15M TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Accountant was the 40th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 8,090 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission hired the most employees titled Accounting, with an average salary of $221,079.

Government Accounting jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Accounting job is GS-6, and the highest paygrade that can be attained within this job series is GS-15. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.

Job Description

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions fall under this job category. Due to the growing focus of them STEM fields, individuals in this job category tend to advance more quickly than employees in the other job categories. Jobs in this category are being added quickly and many organizations have trouble finding qualified individuals. Individuals in this job category typically recieve pormotions of 2 grade increases at a time until they reach GS-12.

Agencies that have hired an Accountant

Agency	Employees Hired	Average Salary
Securities and Exchange Commission	842	$221,079.49
Veterans Health Administration	578	$79,680.62
Federal Bureau of Investigation	564	$119,059.57
Bureau of the Fiscal Service	484	$91,382.25
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Agriculture)	288	$102,189.36
Department of Energy	262	$103,176.19
Rural Housing Service	215	$93,296.27
Federal Aviation Administration	197	$108,768.01
U.S. Coast Guard	181	$97,371.05
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	155	$118,730.52
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance	148	$104,552.96
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	148	$120,266.86
Fpac Business Center	147	$105,435.56
Environmental Protection Agency	133	$115,707.74
Veterans Benefits Administration	127	$92,918.72
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System	110	$80,030.41
Department of State	109	$111,044.54
Internal Revenue Service	103	$124,393.77
Customs and Border Protection	102	$143,424.91
Program Support Center	95	$114,381.22
Bureau of Reclamation	86	$94,263.03
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	85	$124,918.23
Drug Enforcement Administration	81	$132,404.87
Offices, Boards and Divisions	81	$127,281.47
Office of Justice Programs	79	$135,879.44
Headquarters, Nasa	76	$135,308.80
National Institutes of Health	67	$124,324.49
Bureau of the Census	64	$99,798.14
Federal Emergency Management Agency	64	$122,901.86
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	61	$121,847.49
National Institute of Standards and Technology	58	$136,759.88
Indian Health Service	58	$90,254.64
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	55	$126,636.80
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	55	$125,180.07
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner	53	$127,098.06
Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs	52	$128,889.54
Bureau of Economic Analysis	51	$114,948.45
Social Security Administration	49	$114,240.24
Forest Service	48	$111,506.85
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	48	$165,718.71
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	48	$135,895.81
Goddard Space Flight Center	47	$125,986.60
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	42	$119,969.93
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Housing and Urban Development)	40	$134,690.18
U.S. Agency for International Development	40	$127,468.18
Employment and Training Administration	39	$111,645.18
Bureau of Engraving and Printing	39	$113,258.15
Federal Student Aid	38	$140,898.50
National Institute of Food & Agriculture	37	$92,674.54
Small Business Administration	36	$116,057.28
Food and Nutrition Service	33	$124,798.09
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (General Services Administration)	33	$119,720.70
Food and Drug Administration	33	$124,794.18
	30	$107,992.50
U.S. Mint	28	$125,604.46
John F. Kennedy Space Center	28	$105,849.18
Bureau of Land Management	27	$109,903.07
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	27	$104,791.93
Patent and Trademark Office	27	$130,515.11
National Credit Union Administration	27	$900.00
Departmental Offices	27	$145,225.85
Transportation Security Administration	27	$138,539.56
Federal Housing Finance Agency	26	$188,773.50
Government National Mortgage Association	25	$138,272.36
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	25	$145,251.28
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	25	$110,061.52
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Labor)	24	$144,947.38
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	24	$134,450.83
National Park Service	24	$136,583.79
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	24	$118,095.46
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers	24	$92,264.67
International Trade Administration	24	$127,768.25
Risk Management Agency	23	$104,753.09
Office of Comptroller of Currency	23	$204,115.22
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	23	$129,898.00
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center	23	$113,687.52
Citizenship and Immigration Services	23	$143,103.91
Government Printing Office	22	$130,441.55
Office of Personnel Management	22	$133,378.14
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management	21	$122,634.29
John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field	20	$101,939.15
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	20	$108,264.06
National Science Foundation	19	$141,752.84
Federal Communications Commission	18	$145,578.67
U.S. Marshals Service	17	$119,656.47
National Cemetery Administration	17	$107,018.00
Office of the Secretary (Department of Commerce)	16	$151,229.38
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	16	$117,169.94
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southwest	15	$109,859.73
Ames Research Center	15	$120,447.67
Food Safety and Inspection Service	15	$123,086.80
U.S. Secret Service	15	$124,517.60
National Protection and Programs Directorate	15	$128,388.67
Export-Import Bank of the United States	14	$126,976.00
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	14	$118,217.64
Geological Survey	14	$137,619.71
Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement	14	$131,661.07
John C. Stennis Space Center	13	$108,020.54
Indian Affairs	13	$116,862.23
Corporation for National and Community Service	12	$111,288.83
Federal Trade Commission	12	$159,649.83
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	12	$148,015.50
Langley Research Center	12	$91,647.50
National Archives and Records Administration	12	$139,276.83
Federal Transit Administration	11	$140,628.18
Railroad Retirement Board	10	$99,646.20
Office of Secretary of Transportation	10	$143,644.30
Science and Technology Directorate	10	$132,784.00
Presidio Trust	10	$111,283.70
Office Assistant Secretary Administration and Management	9	$142,972.33
Occupational Safety and Health Administration	9	$123,053.33
Federal Highway Administration	9	$138,981.11
National Labor Relations Board	9	$124,164.11
Agricultural Research Service	8	$136,143.88
Dryden Flight Research Center	8	$108,033.25
Bureau of Labor Statistics	7	$126,035.71
Peace Corps	6	$104,902.17
Office of the Chief Information Officer (Department of Agriculture)	6	$115,008.67
Broadcasting Board of Governors	6	$143,537.00
Office of Administration	6	$150,192.33
Farm Credit Administration	6	$1,948.00
Immediate Office of Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology	6	$135,747.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology	6	$135,945.17
Federal Railroad Administration	5	$134,728.00
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration	5	$123,104.40
National Endowment for the Humanities	5	$115,534.00
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	5	$211,010.40
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	5	$131,767.20
Mine Safety and Health Administration	4	$119,041.50
Consumer Product Safety Commission	4	$125,288.50
National Gallery of Art	4	$174,121.50
National Transportation Safety Board	4	$151,599.00
Maritime Administration	4	$152,689.25
Millennium Challenge Corporation	4	$143,496.25
National Telecommunications and Information Administration	4	$134,198.00
National Technical Information Service	4	$119,352.50
American Battle Monuments Commission	3	$125,134.33
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network	3	$127,750.33
Wage and Hour Division	3	$122,563.00
Office of the Director	3	$141,873.33
Selective Service System	3	$101,618.00
U.S. International Trade Commission	3	$125,580.67
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	3	$118,192.00
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau	3	$128,875.00
Office of General Services Administration Innovative Technologies	3	$119,189.33
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum	3	$120,741.00
Health Resources and Services Administration	3	$139,498.67
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office	3	$125,050.67
Federal Election Commission	3	$132,831.33
	2	$90,974.50
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	2	$130,558.00
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation	2	$2,000.00
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	2	$142,457.50
Pretrial Services Agency	2	$107,512.50
Office of Administrative Services	2	$139,501.50
Foreign Agricultural Service	2	$125,248.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Agriculture)	2	$129,729.50
National Endowment for the Arts	2	$129,128.00
International Boundary & Water Commission: U.S. & Mexico	2	$70,627.50
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation	2	$100,270.50
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	2	$100,317.50
Office of Inspector General (Department of Transportation)	1	$113,644.00
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative	1	$124,428.00
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program	1	$131,448.00
Office of Inspector General for Tax Administration	1	$151,118.00
Utah Reclamation Mitigation & Conservation Commission	1	$117,215.00
Immediate Office of Assistant Secretary for Human Resolution & Administration	1	$105,968.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics	1	$151,118.00
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight	1	$132,911.00
Employee Benefits Security Administration	1	$199,300.00
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing	1	$172,500.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Interior)	1	$126,734.00
U.S. Tax Court	1	$119,516.00
Federal Maritime Commission	1	$117,516.00
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration	1	$142,950.00
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	1	$134,798.00
Administration for Children and Families	1	$160,136.00
Office of Inspector General (Federal Housing Finance Agency)	1	$125,740.00
Institute of Museum and Library Services	1	$147,784.00
Office of Management and Budget	1	$158,541.00
Architectural & Transportation Barrier Compliance Board	1	$93,013.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Commerce)	1	$142,950.00

Accountant Pay Distribution

The average pay for an Accountant is $123,349.82. The highest paid Accountant made $278,216 in 2021.

Common Accountant Payscales

Payscale	Number of Accounting Employees
GS - General Schedule	6,490
SK - Non-supervisorty Postions Employed By The Securities And Exchange Commission (sec) And Formerly Under Gs Pay	835
FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan	197
ZA - Administrative	183
CG - Corporate Graded	46
GL - Gs Employees In Grades 3 Through 10 Paid A Law Enforcement Officer Special Base Rate	40
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	34
NQ - Employees In The National Nuclear Secuirty Administration's Professional, Technical, And Admin Career Path	34
CU - Credit Union Employees	27
SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives	27
EL - Non-executive Positions At The Federal Housing Finance Agency	25
NB - Office Of The Comptroller Of The Currency Only	23
PG - Printing Office Grades	22
ES - Senior Executive Service	17
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified	13
IR - Internal Revenue Service Broadband Classification And Pay System Positions Only	13
NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82, Subtitle G, Section	11
VH - Professional, Administrative, And Managerial	8
IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions	8
SO - Executive Positions Employed By The Securities And Exchange Commission (sec) And Formerly Under The Es Pay Pla	6
VC - Canteen Service	6
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	6
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Positions Previously Defined Under Pay Plan Codes Ad, Es, Gm, And Gs	5
MC - Employees Of The Millennium Challenge Corporation Appointed Under Public Law 108-199 Only.	4
LL - Executives At The Federal Housing Finance Agency	2
CX - Senior Expert Positions In The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	2
EN - National Nuclear Security Administration Excepted Service Only	2
SL - Senior Level Positions	2
NX - Executive-level And Managerial Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82	1
ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109)	1

Starting Paygrade:	$36,070.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-6, Step 1
Maximum Paygrade:	$152,771.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-15, Step 10
Category:	Professional and Scientific
Occupation Family:	0500 ACCOUNTING AND BUDGET GROUP

Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade

GS-6 is the starting paygrade for Accounting jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the GS-6 paygrade.

Occupation	Occupation Category	Starting Paygrade	Maximum Paygrade
Biological Science Technician	Technical and Medical Support	GS-1	GS-9
Archives Technician	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Wage and Hour Investigation	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Education and Vocational Training	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Equipment Operator	Clerical and Administrative Support	GS-1	GS-9

Search for Accounting Jobs

Average Accounting Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for an Accountant was $83,282. Since then, the average pay has increased to $123,350 in 2021.

Data Sources

The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.

Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.

The series code of this occupation is 0510.