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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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Submit your resume or request talent now and our expert recruiters will be with you shortly.Robert Half can assist you with your cost accountant staffing needs.
Advanced Excel
Bill of Materials (BOM) expertise
Cost accounting
Data fluency and analytics
ERP software proficiency
Inventory control
Manufacturing operations analysis
Margin analysis
Month-end close
Power BI
SQL
Standard costing and variance analysis
National salary range for Cost Accountant

77000 - 97000

Low
77000
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is still developing core skills.
Mid
86000
The candidate has moderate experience in the role or one similar, meets most requirements and may hold transferable skills or relevant certifications.
High
97000
The candidate has extensive experience in the role, demonstrates advanced skills and often brings specialized certifications or industry experience.
Projected salaries for related positions Job title Low Mid High Chief Financial Officer 215000 273250 326250 Corporate Controller 154500 187500 216250 Divisional Controller 124750 163750 178750 Assistant Controller 95500 124500 144250 Plant Controller 126500 139000 152000 Financial Reporting Director 130500 163000 187500 Financial Reporting Manager 112500 137250 161500 Financial Reporting Accountant 75750 87000 101250 Accounting Director 129750 168250 187750 Cost Accounting Manager 105000 116500 138000 Senior Cost Accountant 92000 98250 110000 Accounting Manager 98250 115000 128500 Senior Accountant 81500 96750 111250 Revenue Accountant 80000 95000 108500 Staff Accountant 67000 76500 89500 Entry-Level Accountant 55750 63000 70000 Forensic Accountant 89250 111500 125250 Property Accountant 71750 82000 96250 SEC Financial Reporting Director 165250 182250 203500 SEC Financial Reporting Manager 125250 145000 167000 SEC Financial Reporting Analyst 92000 101500 118250 Regulatory Reporting Manager 106750 137000 153250 Senior Regulatory Reporting Accountant 83750 97000 109250 Regulatory Reporting Accountant 62750 74000 88250 Tax Preparer 41500 53750 60250 Accounting Specialist 45750 51500 55500

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The salary benchmarks in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process designed to reflect projected market trends for 2027. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has placed nationwide, along with third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use for independent validation. Learn more about our methodology.
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