Yes — you can get an accounting job with a finance degree. Finance and accounting overlap heavily: both use financial statements, both require analytical thinking, and most finance degrees already include financial accounting, management accounting, and tax courses. Employers do not reject finance graduates — they check whether you can do the accounting tasks the role actually requires. This guide maps what transfers, what gaps to close, and which accounting jobs fit a finance degree best.
Why Finance Graduates Are Already Close to Accounting
Look at a typical finance degree: financial accounting, management and cost accounting, corporate finance, financial modelling, statistics, business law, and ethics. An accounting degree adds depth in audit and assurance, advanced taxation, and forensic accounting — but the shared core is large. That is why a finance graduate who adds practical Canadian accounting skills — QuickBooks, Canadian payroll, T1/T2 tax preparation — is a credible candidate for most junior accounting roles, even without an accounting major.
The honest caveat: a finance degree alone does not qualify you for regulated roles. In Canada, only a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) can use the CPA designation, and audit opinions require CPA licensure. But most accounting jobs — bookkeeper, accounting clerk, junior/staff accountant, tax preparer, payroll administrator — do not require a CPA. They require demonstrable skill.
What Finance Majors Learn vs. What Accounting Majors Learn
Finance majors typically study mathematics and statistics, financial and management accounting, corporate finance, investment and portfolio management, financial modelling, and business law. Accounting majors go deeper on audit and assurance, advanced taxation, forensic accounting, and financial reporting standards. The gap is therefore specific, not general: audit methodology, Canadian tax detail, and hands-on bookkeeping systems. Each gap has a short, practical fix — a tax course for T1/T2, a bookkeeping course for day-to-day records, and practice files for reporting.
Pay is a further reason the switch is worth making: Job Bank figures put the median wage for financial auditors and accountants (NOC 11100) at about $40.87 per hour in Ontario, with a wide range from entry-level to senior roles. Junior roles start lower, but the ceiling is high and the CPA path raises it further.
Accounting Jobs You Can Get With a Finance Degree
Bookkeeper / Accounting Clerk
The most accessible entry point. Duties: recording transactions, reconciling accounts, processing payables and receivables. If you add QuickBooks training, this is the fastest route in — see our guide on becoming a bookkeeper with no experience.
Junior / Staff Accountant
Month-end closes, journal entries, reconciliations, and assisting with financial statements. Your finance background in modelling and analysis is a genuine advantage here, especially in industry roles.
Tax Preparer / Tax Accountant
Preparing personal (T1) and corporate (T2) returns during tax season, then year-round compliance work. A practical Canadian tax course matters more than degree title — our accounting course covers the Canadian tax foundations employers test.
Payroll Administrator
Payroll runs, statutory deductions, T4 preparation. Finance graduates with strong attention to detail do well here, and payroll is a shortage area in many firms.
Financial Analyst (accounting-adjacent)
Budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis — the role where a finance degree is actually the preferred background, and accounting knowledge makes you stronger, not weaker.
How to Close the Gap: A Practical 90-Day Plan
- Weeks 1–2: Learn Canadian bookkeeping properly. Chart of accounts, debits and credits, reconciliations, and QuickBooks Online. Our bookkeeping basics guide covers the fundamentals.
- Weeks 3–6: Add Canadian tax. T1 personal tax first, then T2 corporate basics, plus GST/HST rules — the $30,000 small-supplier threshold and the CRA’s six-year record-keeping rule are the two facts every interviewer expects you to know.
- Weeks 7–10: Build proof. Complete practice files: a reconciled month of books, a sample T1 return, a payroll run. Keep them as a portfolio.
- Weeks 11–13: Rewrite your resume for accounting. Lead with accounting tasks and software, not finance coursework. Target small firms and bookkeeping firms first — they hire on skill, not pedigree. Then apply for junior accountant roles with your portfolio attached.
Should You Pursue the CPA With a Finance Degree?
If you want senior accounting, controller, or audit roles, yes — plan for it. CPA Ontario’s path generally requires a degree, specific prerequisite courses (which many finance graduates partly hold), the CPA Professional Education Program (PEP), the Common Final Examination (CFE), and 30 months of relevant practical experience. A finance degree does not disqualify you; it usually means topping up a few prerequisite accounting courses first. You do not need to decide on day one — start in a junior accounting role, and let the first year of work confirm whether the CPA path is worth it for you.
What Employers Actually Check in Interviews
- A practical test — reconcile a bank account, post a set of transactions, or spot errors in a trial balance.
- Software fluency — QuickBooks and Excel, named specifically, not “accounting software” in general.
- Canadian knowledge — GST/HST, payroll deductions, and T1/T2 basics, not textbook theory from another country.
- Accuracy under time pressure — accounting interviews reward careful, checked work over fast, sloppy work.
If you are new to Canada specifically, our guide on getting an accounting job in Canada with no experience covers the newcomer angle — credential recognition, Canadian resume format, and where to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get an accounting job with a finance degree in Canada?
Yes. Most junior accounting roles — bookkeeper, accounting clerk, junior accountant, tax preparer, payroll administrator — do not require an accounting degree or CPA designation. Employers check practical accounting skills, software fluency, and Canadian tax knowledge.
Is a finance degree good for accounting jobs?
Yes, because finance and accounting share a large core: financial statements, analysis, modelling, and business law. The gaps are specific — audit, advanced Canadian tax, and hands-on bookkeeping — and each can be closed with short practical training.
Do I need a CPA to work in accounting?
No, not for most roles. The CPA designation is required for regulated work such as audit opinions and for senior roles like controller, but junior and intermediate accounting jobs are open to non-CPAs with the right skills.
What is the best accounting job for a finance graduate?
Junior/staff accountant and financial analyst roles use your finance strengths most directly, while bookkeeping and tax preparation are the fastest entry points if you want to start earning sooner.
How long does it take to switch from finance to accounting?
With focused practical training in Canadian bookkeeping and tax, most finance graduates can be job-ready for junior accounting roles within about three months, plus the time spent applying and interviewing.
Does a finance degree count toward the CPA in Ontario?
Generally yes, in part: CPA Ontario requires a degree plus specific prerequisite courses. Finance graduates often hold some prerequisites and top up the remaining accounting courses before entering the CPA Professional Education Program.
A finance degree is not a wrong turn — it is a strong starting point for an accounting career, provided you add the practical Canadian skills employers test. Get Trained Get Hired’s hands-on accounting training is built for exactly this switch.
