An accountant in Ontario earns a median wage of $40.87 per hour, according to the Government of Canada Job Bank for financial auditors and accountants (NOC 11100), with a range from $24.73 per hour at the low end to $72.12 per hour at the high end. On a standard full-time schedule that median works out to roughly $80,000 to $85,000 a year — but the range is the real story. A junior accountant in a small Mississauga firm and a CPA controller in downtown Toronto are both “accountants,” and their pay can differ by more than $40 an hour. This guide breaks down what accountants actually earn in Ontario, what moves you from the low end to the high end, and what to do if your pay is stuck below the median.
Accountant Salary in Ontario at a Glance
The Job Bank figures below are the anchor for everything in this post. They cover financial auditors and accountants as one occupation group (NOC 11100), so they include staff accountants, senior accountants, auditors and controllers — not bookkeepers, who sit in a separate group (NOC 12200) with a lower median.
| Measure | Ontario (NOC 11100) | Canada (NOC 11100) |
|---|---|---|
| Low hourly wage | $24.73 | $25.00 |
| Median hourly wage | $40.87 | $40.36 |
| High hourly wage | $72.12 | $71.43 |
Read the table the right way. The median is the middle of the market, not an average pulled up by a few very high earners and not a starting salary. About half of Ontario accountants earn more than $40.87 an hour and about half earn less. The low end is where new entrants, junior roles and smaller employers cluster; the high end is where CPA designations, management responsibility and specialist work (audit, tax, financial reporting) cluster. If you are early in your career and earning $26 to $30 an hour, you are not underpaid by Ontario standards — you are at the normal starting band. The question is how fast you move out of it.
What Accountants Earn by Experience Level
Experience is the single biggest pay lever in Ontario accounting, bigger than city and bigger than industry in the early years. The bands below combine the Job Bank range with Indeed Ontario salary reports (October 2026) for specific titles, so treat them as realistic bands, not promises from any one employer.
Junior and staff accountants
Junior accountants, staff accountants and junior tax accountants in Ontario typically earn $49,000 to $71,000 a year. Indeed’s Ontario reports put junior tax accountants at about $59,099 a year and staff accountants at large firms at about $61,525 a year. This is the band where most newcomers land: full-cycle bookkeeping, accounts payable and receivable, bank reconciliations, month-end journals and assisting with tax files. Employers pay for accuracy and reliability here, not for judgement calls — and that is exactly why practical training matters more than another theory course at this stage.
Intermediate and senior accountants
With two to five years of Canadian experience, accountants move into intermediate and senior roles paying roughly $71,000 to $90,000 a year. Indeed Ontario reports put tax accountants at about $71,193 a year, senior general accountants at about $85,526 a year, and cost accountants at about $82,992 a year. The work changes at this level: you own a file, review other people’s work, handle CRA correspondence, prepare financial statements and explain variances to a manager or client. Senior roles also start to specialise — tax, cost, audit or financial reporting — and specialisation is what protects the higher rate.
CPAs, controllers and managers
A CPA designation is the clearest single step-change in Ontario accountant pay. Indeed Ontario reports put certified public accountants (the Canadian equivalent in these listings is the CPA designation) at about $89,126 a year on average, with a reported range from about $54,237 to $146,455 depending on experience and employer. Controllers, accounting managers and senior financial analysts in the Greater Toronto Area regularly sit at $95,000 to $130,000 a year and above, which is consistent with the top of the Job Bank range ($72.12 an hour is about $140,000 on a 37.5-hour week). At this level you are paid for decisions, not entries: budgeting, internal controls, audit readiness and advising owners and executives.
Toronto vs the Rest of Ontario
Toronto pays more — and costs more. Most of the highest-paying Ontario postings in the Job Bank range sit in Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton and Ottawa, where large employers, public-sector finance departments and head offices cluster. A staff accountant role in Toronto at $32 to $38 an hour is common; the same role in a smaller Ontario city may post at $26 to $32 an hour.
Do not compare the headline rate without comparing the whole offer. A Toronto role at $38 an hour with no overtime pay and a long commute can leave less in your pocket than a Mississauga role at $34 an hour with hybrid work, paid overtime and a shorter commute. When you compare offers, compare: hourly rate or salary, contracted hours (35 vs 37.5 vs 40 changes the annual total by thousands), overtime treatment, benefits, RRSP matching, CPA dues and study support, and whether the employer pays for the software training you will need next. The Job Bank median is an hourly figure for a reason — annual salaries hide contracted-hours differences.
What Actually Moves Your Pay Up
If your goal is to move from the low band toward the median and beyond, four levers matter more than job-hopping every six months:
- Get Canadian, employer-ready experience. International accounting experience counts, but Ontario employers pay a premium for experience with Canadian tax, GST/HST, payroll and financial reporting. A practical Canadian course plus a co-op or real client files closes that gap faster than another credential on paper alone.
- Own a specialism. Tax, payroll, audit support and cost accounting each have their own pay bands. Payroll is a good example: every employer with staff needs it every month, and it is a skill many general accountants avoid — which is why it commands steady work. Our guide to CRA payroll deductions in Canada shows how much detail compliant payroll actually involves.
- Learn the software employers actually use. QuickBooks, Sage and Excel fluency are screening criteria, not nice-to-haves, for most staff and intermediate roles in Ontario. A candidate who can run a full QuickBooks file, reconcile it and produce clean month-end reports is hired faster than a candidate who only knows the theory.
- Work toward the CPA path deliberately. You do not need a CPA to earn well in Ontario — senior accountants without it earn $85,000-plus — but the designation removes the ceiling. If CPA is your goal, plan the prerequisite courses and work experience early, and choose employers who support CPA students with dues, study leave and relevant experience.
How to Check Whether Your Pay Is Fair
Use this five-minute check before your next review or job application:
- Find your Job Bank band. Look up NOC 11100 for Ontario and note the low, median and high hourly wages ($24.73 / $40.87 / $72.12). If you are paid a salary, divide it by your contracted annual hours to get your true hourly rate.
- Adjust for your level. Junior roles should sit near the low band, intermediate roles near or above the median, and CPA or management roles toward the high band. Being below the low band for your level is a red flag; being at the median with two years’ experience is normal.
- Compare like with like. Compare your role, not just your title. A “senior accountant” who only posts journals is not paid like a senior accountant who prepares financial statements and handles audits.
- Price the whole package. Benefits, pension or RRSP matching, paid overtime, training support and remote days are worth real money — often $5,000 to $15,000 a year combined.
- Check the market, not just your employer. Scan current Ontario postings for your exact title and city every six months. A single posting is not the market; ten postings with a consistent range are.
If the check shows you are well below band for your level and your employer will not close the gap, the fastest raise in Ontario accounting is usually a move — not a confrontation. Employers pay market rates to hire far more readily than they pay them to retain.
From Salary Research to a Salary Worth Earning
Knowing the Ontario accountant salary range is useful; closing the gap between your pay and the median is the work. The gap is rarely a lack of effort — it is usually a missing piece: Canadian practical experience, a specialism like payroll or tax, software fluency, or a structured path to the next role. If you want hands-on training in Canadian accounting taught by working professionals, look at Get Trained Get Hired’s Accounting Course. And if payroll is the specialism you want to add first, the Payroll Course in Mississauga covers the Canadian payroll skills employers hire for every month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average accountant salary in Ontario?
The Government of Canada Job Bank reports a median wage of $40.87 per hour for financial auditors and accountants (NOC 11100) in Ontario, with a range from $24.73 to $72.12 per hour. On a full-time schedule that median is roughly $80,000 to $85,000 a year, depending on contracted hours.
How much do accountants make in Toronto?
Toronto accountants typically earn at or above the Ontario median, with staff roles commonly posted at $32 to $38 an hour and senior and CPA roles at $45 an hour and above. Toronto pay is higher than smaller Ontario cities, but so are housing and commuting costs, so compare the full offer, not just the rate.
Do you need a CPA to earn a good salary as an accountant in Ontario?
No. Senior accountants without a CPA commonly earn $85,000-plus in Ontario. A CPA designation does, however, raise the ceiling: Indeed Ontario reports average CPA pay at about $89,126 a year, with senior and management roles reaching well above $100,000.
What is the starting salary for an accountant in Ontario?
Junior and staff accountants in Ontario typically start at $49,000 to $71,000 a year, consistent with the low end of the Job Bank range ($24.73 an hour). Indeed Ontario reports put junior tax accountants at about $59,099 a year and staff accountants at large firms at about $61,525 a year.
Which accounting jobs pay the most in Ontario?
Controllers, accounting managers, senior financial analysts and specialist tax and audit roles pay the most, commonly $95,000 to $140,000 a year in the Greater Toronto Area. These roles require a CPA or equivalent experience, management responsibility and specialist expertise.
How can a newcomer to Canada increase their accountant salary in Ontario?
Build Canadian practical experience (Canadian tax, GST/HST, payroll and reporting), specialise in a high-demand area such as payroll or tax, become fluent in QuickBooks and Excel, and work deliberately toward the CPA path. Practical Canadian training plus real client-file experience closes the gap faster than theory alone.
