Eligibility for CPA licensure in New Hampshire involves earning 150 semester hours of college credit within a bachelor’s degree or higher, completing one year of supervised experience, and achieving passing scores on all parts of the Uniform CPA exam.
CPA licensure in New Hampshire opens the door to practice privileges that include auditing and attestation services and creates exciting opportunities to work for some of the world’s biggest CPA firms, including one of the Big Four firms, Ernst & Young, which has offices in Manchester. Local and regional accounting firms throughout New Hampshire, such as Advisory Business Services, Inc. in Amherst and Feeley & Driscoll in Nashua, employ CPAs who provide business consultation, estate planning, and tax services. Because a bachelor’s degree consists of just 120 semester hours of college credit, a master’s in accounting provides a clear pathway to earning the 30 additional credit hours required for a CPA license in New Hampshire.
Many multinational corporations call New Hampshire home and are among the state’s leading employers of corporate managerial accountants, financial controllers, internal auditors, and cost and capital accountants. The corporate headquarters of outdoor equipment outfitters, Timberland, is located in Stratham, and Eastern Mountain Sports has headquarters in Nashua. C&S Wholesale Grocers in Keene and Fisher Scientific International in Hampton are also major employers of accountants in New Hampshire.
Find out more about CPA requirements in our step-by-step guide on how to become a CPA in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Accountants: Salary and Employment Facts
The New Hampshire Bureau of Economic and Labor Information expects accounting jobs to climb a steady 8.1% between 2018 and 2028. New job growth, combined with natural job turnover and retirements, will result in about 620 annual job openings here during this ten-year period leading to 2028.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), accountants and auditors in New Hampshire earned a median salary of about $69,280 as of May 2020.
Salaries for Accountants in Different Specialized Roles
The BLS also provides a closer look at what accountants and auditors are earning in New Hampshire according to factors such as experience, industry, and job title/role.
Note that the following May 2020 BLS stats only feature base salaries and do not include salary incentives, such as bonuses and stock options, which can significantly increase accountant salaries, particularly among those in specialized, leadership, and executive-level positions.
Corporate Staff Accountants, Bookkeepers, and Accounting Clerks
Your first experience in accounting will likely be in corporate accounting. With little experience, you can expect to earn a salary of about $35,070 in New Hampshire, which represents the 25th percentile among these professionals. With a handful of years of experience, your salary will likely climb to the median level, or about $43,040. Among those with considerable experience and those in senior-level roles, salaries here climb to about $51,170 – $61,800, which represents the 75th – 90th percentile among all corporate accountants in the state.
Forensic Accountants
Forensic accountants are among a unique group of highly specialized accountants, and their salary range reflects their unique skillset that’s aimed at accounting fraud. According to the BLS, these accounting professionals earn about $86,680, which represents the 75th percentile among all accountants and auditors in New Hampshire.
In larger metro areas of the state, salaries for forensic accountants tend to be even higher. For example, they earn about $108,130 in the metro area of Boston-Cambridge-Nashua.
Controllers and Other Financial Managers
Controllers bring years of accounting and business management experience to corporations to ensure the integrity of internal controls and achieve fiscal responsibility.
In New Hampshire, these accounting pros earn a median salary of $121,770, while those in the 75th percentile earn about $157,770. The top earners among controllers and other financial managers in New Hampshire earn salaries that exceed $208,000.
CPAs and Auditors
Public accounting firms offer a place for accountants to perfect their skills as tax consultants and external auditors, contracted or otherwise working on retainer for large corporations who need outside eyes on their financial statements. The best way to set yourself apart from the pack and earn a top salary in public accounting is to achieve the esteemed CPA certification and then rise through the ranks to achieve senior manager/director status.
In New Hampshire, CPAs and auditors earn about $108,020, which represents the top earners (90th percentile) among all of the state’s accountants and auditors. In the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua metro area, this number soars to $140,300.
Accountants in Executive Roles
Among the professionals with accounting backgrounds and CPA licensure that can make their way onto an executive team, it’s the CFO who enjoys the top salaries. These executive-level accountants earn a median salary of $150,470 in New Hampshire, while those in the 75th percentile and above earn salaries that exceed $208,000. In the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua metro area, even accounting executives at the median level earn salaries that exceed $208,000.
Accounting Salaries in Cities and Non-Metro Areas Throughout New Hampshire
Salaries for accountants in New Hampshire hold steady at about $60,000-$70,000 at the median level, while those at the top end of the pay scale enjoy salaries that easily exceed $100,000.
(This broad classification includes accounting professionals in different areas of specialty, with different credentials, and with varying levels of experience.)
Tax Preparer Salaries in New Hampshire
Salaries for tax preparers in New Hampshire vary by as much as $20,000, particularly among those at the median level.
May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job growth data for Accountants and Auditors, Financial Managers, Bookkeeping, Accounting and Auditing Clerks, and Chief Executives. Figures represent national data, not school specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2021.
Job growth projections sourced from the New Hampshire Bureau of Economic and Labor Information and reported in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.