Jobs · Accountant

Will AI replace accountants?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 50% of the working time in a typical accountant job today. The other 50% still needs a person.

Accountant at work

30 responsibilities · a typical accountant job

50% of the work still needs a person.

Still needs a person: 50% of the timeAI could take on: 50%

Median pay $83,680 a year in the U.S. (BLS, May 2025).

Still needs a person

  • Supervise staff who keep financial records
  • Advise leaders on financial and regulatory issues
  • Plan and lead audits
  • Audit taxpayer accounts and returns
  • Advise clients on benefits and tax plans
  • Represent clients before tax authorities

AI can do or help with

  • Process invoices for payment AI helps
  • Review financial statements for accuracy AI helps
  • Find and reconcile account differences AI can do it
  • Assess how well the books are kept AI helps
  • Prepare adjusting journal entries AI can do it
  • Design and improve accounting systems AI helps

The biggest responsibilities of each kind. "AI helps" means a person still does it, with AI taking on part of the time. See all 30, with the reason for each and the cost of handing them to AI.

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Questions people ask

Will AI replace accountants?

Part of the work, not the whole job. AI could take on about 50% of the working time in a typical accountant job today. The other 50% still needs a person. That is a split of the work, not a forecast of jobs lost.

Which parts of the job can AI do?

The biggest ones AI can do or help with: process invoices for payment, review financial statements for accuracy, find and reconcile account differences, assess how well the books are kept, prepare adjusting journal entries, design and improve accounting systems.

Which parts still need a person?

The biggest ones: supervise staff who keep financial records, advise leaders on financial and regulatory issues, plan and lead audits, audit taxpayer accounts and returns, advise clients on benefits and tax plans, represent clients before tax authorities.

How is this measured?

Each of the 30 responsibilities the U.S. Department of Labor lists for this job (O*NET 31.0) is scored on 4 questions: can AI do it, does it get it right, must a person sign for it, and do people need to deal with a real person. The split is weighted by how much of the job each responsibility takes up. Scores version 0.3.1, updated September 24, 2026.

Responsibilities from O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor). Pay from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. Scores are calibrated to published research and updated every month. How it works.

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