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Cost Accountant

Cost Accountant Job Description

Cost accountants help organizations manage and analyze the financial impact of production, operations and inventory. These professionals play a key role in budgeting, cost control and profitability analysis, supporting strategic decision making across manufacturing and service environments.

Typical cost accountant duties:

Preparing and analyzing cost reports related to materials, labor and overheadMonitoring inventory valuation and reconciling cost discrepanciesAssisting with budgeting and forecasting based on cost trends and production dataCollaborating with operations and finance teams to improve cost efficiencyConducting variance analysis and identifying cost-saving opportunitiesSupporting month- and year-end close processes with accurate cost entriesMaintaining cost accounting systems and ensuring data integrityPreparing reports for management to support pricing and profitability decisionsStaying current on cost accounting standards, industry trends and best practices

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Salary for Cost Accountant
71750 - 93000
Low
71750
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
79000
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
93000
The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.
Projected salaries for related positions Job title Low Mid High Chief Financial Officer 195500 269750 321750 Corporate Controller 152000 185000 213250 Divisional Controller 118750 161750 176250 Assistant Controller 94000 122500 142000 Plant Controller 111000 125000 136000 Director of Financial Reporting 129000 160750 184750 Senior Financial Reporting Accountant 90750 100750 111750 Financial Reporting Manager 111250 135500 159250 Financial Reporting Accountant 74250 85250 99250 Director of Accounting 126500 165000 183250 Cost Accounting Manager 98250 114750 127750 Senior Cost Accountant 83500 96250 106500 Accounting Manager 96750 113000 127500 Senior Accountant 80000 94750 109000 Staff Accountant 61000 73750 87750 Entry-Level Staff Accountant 54750 62000 69000 Senior Accountant – Financial Services 85000 102750 114250 Accountant – Financial Services 72500 89250 103250 Entry-Level Accountant – Financial Services 61000 75000 87250 Forensic Accountant 86750 109750 123750 Property Accountant 70250 80500 94250 Procurement Manager 84000 114750 129250 Procurement Specialist 47750 61000 74500 Accounting Specialist 45000 50500 54750

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Our starting salary projections come from a rigorous, multistep process so that our numbers accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Starting compensation—pay for someone new to a role—can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our salary data in three levels: low, mid and high.