Accountant salary in Sweden: what affects the level?

Experience and independence

The biggest difference is between someone who does day-to-day bookkeeping under supervision and someone who independently takes the company through the year-end close, tax return and audit. Ask yourself which one you need. Many job ads describe the latter but budget for the former.

Accounting firm or in-house

At an accounting firm, an accountant handles several clients and builds broad experience quickly. A company hiring in-house therefore often competes for candidates who come from firms, and they expect the salary to reflect that they now have a whole company in their care.

What raises an accountant's market value

• Authorisation, for example as an authorised accounting consultant through Srf konsulterna, the Swedish association of accounting and payroll consultants.
• Experience of the year-end close and annual report, not just bookkeeping.
• Payroll and VAT, which many companies want handled by the same person.
• Familiarity with the ERP system you use.
• English or other languages, if the company has foreign owners or customers.

Salary statistics to compare with

• Statistics Sweden (SCB), where accountants are reported as a separate occupational group.
• Trade union salary statistics, for example from Unionen and Civilekonomerna.
• Srf konsulterna's salary surveys, if you are recruiting from accounting firms.

Look at the range for the right level of experience and region, and compare with what your own accountants earn. A new hire paid more than a colleague doing the same work creates problems that a salary review rarely fixes.

Widen the search

Competition for experienced accountants is tough. Candidates with a foreign degree and experience of Swedish regulations are a group many employers overlook, and they often bring language skills that are valuable for companies with international contacts.