Accountant - Federal Salaries of 2008

Pay Rates for "Accountant"

How much does an Accountant in the federal government get paid? $96,295.25* *Based on the 2008 average.

7,564 EMPLOYEES

$728.38M TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Accountant was the 36th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2008, with 7,564 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission hired the most employees titled Accounting, with an average salary of $148,547.

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	944	$148,547.37
Veterans Health Administration	461	$63,105.41
Department of Energy	363	$93,028.49
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System	231	$66,001.66
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	207	$92,538.28
Financial Management Service	191	$97,493.80
Bureau of the Public Debt	188	$74,672.45
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (General Services Administration)	171	$84,382.94
Program Support Center	168	$94,181.35
Farm Service Agency	166	$82,123.89
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Agriculture)	161	$84,729.76
Federal Aviation Administration	158	$82,947.84
Environmental Protection Agency	147	$94,484.66
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	146	$95,027.05
Forest Service	133	$79,721.02
Department of State	120	$85,579.89
U.S. Coast Guard	111	$77,764.20
Customs and Border Protection	99	$85,603.38
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance	98	$85,145.30
Rural Housing Service	95	$77,848.58
Bureau of Reclamation	94	$79,636.46
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Education)	84	$116,082.80
Office of Justice Programs	83	$95,570.64
Veterans Benefits Administration	80	$72,395.96
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation., & Enforcement	80	$88,932.60
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	79	$93,295.72
Internal Revenue Service	73	$87,009.79
Drug Enforcement Administration	69	$91,924.20
Headquarters, Nasa	67	$98,542.07
Bureau of Economic Analysis	66	$86,472.47
Offices, Boards and Divisions	62	$95,409.39
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	61	$94,329.05
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	61	$91,380.08
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	60	$90,279.07
Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing Commissioner	60	$101,044.88
Federal Emergency Management Agency	59	$91,643.46
Indian Health Service	51	$73,334.76
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	51	$122,220.61
National Institutes of Health	51	$97,419.04
Social Security Administration	50	$95,272.88
Goddard Space Flight Center	49	$98,133.47
Office of Personnel Management	47	$99,675.49
National Institute of Standards and Technology	47	$90,002.00
U.S. Agency for International Development	46	$85,907.09
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Housing and Urban Development)	46	$99,342.39
Federal Student Aid	46	$101,333.39
Bureau of Engraving and Printing	45	$85,828.53
Food and Nutrition Service	42	$95,069.74
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	42	$89,951.29
Bureau of the Census	42	$84,452.90
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center	38	$93,163.74
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	38	$107,183.34
U.S. Mint	37	$95,432.27
Rural Utilities Service	37	$96,383.24
Small Business Administration	35	$105,119.09
National Park Service	31	$94,316.26
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	31	$85,642.42
Geological Survey	29	$96,541.17
John F. Kennedy Space Center	29	$86,312.62
Patent and Trademark Office	29	$94,019.83
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	28	$96,309.21
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	27	$109,966.11
Government Printing Office	26	$91,666.65
Food Safety and Inspection Service	25	$88,454.36
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	25	$93,202.04
Bureau of Land Management	25	$89,725.76
Office of Senior Coordinator for Southwest	24	$86,484.08
Departmental Offices	24	$103,985.50
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	24	$119,274.58
U.S. Secret Service	23	$100,620.70
Indian Affairs	23	$87,046.04
Food and Drug Administration	23	$95,546.26
Office Assistant Secretary Administration and Management	23	$100,773.87
Office of the Secretary (Department of Commerce)	22	$89,565.82
Langley Research Center	22	$83,568.73
International Trade Administration	21	$97,831.62
National Science Foundation	21	$108,772.10
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight	21	$127,332.86
Transportation Security Administration	21	$106,552.14
Risk Management Agency	20	$85,124.55
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers	20	$77,966.45
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Labor)	20	$110,132.70
Office of Comptroller of Currency	20	$123,254.85
National Archives and Records Administration	19	$97,552.05
Federal Communications Commission	19	$120,817.89
Federal Bureau of Investigation	18	$103,034.56
Office of Thrift Supervision	18	$135,590.06
John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field	17	$84,873.18
Employment and Training Administration	17	$88,970.53
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	16	$101,499.25
Federal Highway Administration	16	$98,040.31
Citizenship and Immigration Services	16	$97,514.81
U.S. Marshals Service	15	$91,925.33
Ames Research Center	15	$93,449.47
Agricultural Research Service	13	$98,508.69
Railroad Retirement Board	13	$96,170.69
Federal Transit Administration	13	$106,219.77
Corporation for National and Community Service	13	$90,217.77
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	12	$101,856.17
John C. Stennis Space Center	12	$67,313.92
Office of Secretary of Transportation	11	$115,077.00
National Institute of Food & Agriculture	9	$93,032.56
Export-Import Bank of the United States	9	$112,333.11
Federal Trade Commission	9	$117,097.89
National Technical Information Service	8	$102,009.75
Employment Standards Administration	7	$80,452.43
Natural Resources Conservation Service	7	$97,511.43
Occupational Safety and Health Administration	7	$96,411.14
National Cemetery Administration	7	$88,278.29
Mine Safety and Health Administration	6	$92,356.17
Office of the Chief Information Officer (Department of Agriculture)	6	$87,310.50
Office of the Secretary, Research and Technology	6	$113,580.50
National Gallery of Art	6	$131,046.17
Presidio Trust	6	$89,239.00
Peace Corps	6	$90,618.67
National Labor Relations Board	6	$104,327.33
Maritime Administration	6	$123,642.50
Office of Administration	6	$93,947.83
Dryden Flight Research Center	5	$70,975.40
National Credit Union Administration	5	$115,779.60
National Endowment for the Arts	5	$91,174.80
Bureau of Labor Statistics	5	$89,813.00
Health Resources and Services Administration	5	$101,082.20
Broadcasting Board of Governors	5	$94,928.40
Federal Railroad Administration	5	$100,115.60
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	5	$94,478.40
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum	5	$113,402.00
Consumer Product Safety Commission	5	$91,646.80
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology	5	$91,914.40
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	5	$112,326.40
National Transportation Safety Board	5	$116,146.00
Federal Housing Finance Board	5	$136,152.20
Farm Credit Administration	5	$138,836.80
National Endowment for the Humanities	4	$107,202.75
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration	4	$80,071.50
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	4	$101,926.25
Government National Mortgage Association	4	$97,847.75
Office of Governmentwide Policy	4	$118,456.25
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration	4	$113,352.75
Federal Acquisition Service	3	$101,076.33
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Regulation	3	$88,081.67
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau	3	$94,541.00
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	3	$89,905.33
American Battle Monuments Commission	3	$91,228.00
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	3	$153,163.00
	3	$106,527.67
International Boundary & Water Commission: U.S. & Mexico	2	$77,564.00
Selective Service System	2	$104,168.50
Office of the Director	2	$108,849.00
Federal Election Commission	2	$127,400.00
U.S. International Trade Commission	2	$122,814.00
Economic Development Administration	2	$107,936.50
U.S. Trustee Program	2	$116,505.50
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing	2	$119,273.00
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation	2	$74,795.00
Office of Management and Budget	2	$138,460.50
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Agriculture)	2	$70,583.50
Administration for Children and Families	2	$63,985.00
Science and Technology Directorate	2	$84,655.00
Federal Labor Relations Authority	2	$102,754.50
National Mediation Board	1	$60,942.00
	1	$39,330.00
Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development	1	$134,538.00
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation	1	$116,705.00
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	1	$100,057.00
Office of Inspector General (Department of Transportation)	1	$80,759.00
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	1	$85,727.00
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network	1	$105,088.00
Office of Inspector General for Tax Administration	1	$85,727.00
Utah Reclamation Mitigation & Conservation Commission	1	$85,438.00
Departmental Administration	1	$102,851.00
Merit Systems Protection Board	1	$127,942.00
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	1	$120,907.00

Accountant Pay Distribution

The average pay for an Accountant is $96,295.25. The highest paid Accountant made $241,100 in 2008.

Common Accountant Payscales

Payscale	Number of Accounting Employees
GS - General Schedule	5,767
SK - Sec Emp Formerly Under Gs, Gm, And Ez	933
ZA - Administrative	206
FV - Faa Core Compensation Plan	158
GL - Gs Emp Grades 3-10 Paid Leo Special Rate	117
CG - Corporate Graded	50
NQ - Nnsa Professional, Technical, And Admin	50
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	38
GM - Emp Covered By Pmrs Termination Provisns	38
PG - Printing Office Grades	26
OF - Ofc Of Fed Housing Enterprise Oversight	21
SV - Trans Security Admin Emp Other Than Exec	21
NB - Ofc Of Comptroller Of The Currency Only	20
ES - Senior Executive Service	19
TG - Ofc Of Thrift Supervision Salary Schedul	18
NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation	13
IR - Irs Broadband Class And Pay System Pos	13
SO - Sec Emp Formerly Under Es Pay Plan	11
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not E	7
VH - Professional, Admin., And Managerial	6
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	6
PD - Treasury Demonstration Project Positions	5
CU - Credit Union Employees	5
TM - Federal Housing Finance Board Merit Pay	3
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Pos	3
SL - Senior Level Positions	2
NF - Nnsa Future Leaders	2
TS - Federal Housing Finance Board Step Sys.	1
EI - Advisory Committee Member (other)	1
TF - Federal Housing Finance Board Executive	1
EM - Fdic Executive-level Positions Only	1
EG - Consultant (other)	1
SN - Senior Level System	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
Physiology	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Library Technician	Clerical and Administrative Support	GS-1	GS-9
Equal Opportunity Investigation	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
Education Research	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Clerk-Typist	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.