Accountants and Auditors
Machines can already do 58% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 84%. Most of the work is changing now.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Accountants and Auditors in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 58% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 35% of them.
- Forecast: machines can already do half of its tasks, and 84% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 1,449,500 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $83,680 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 62% for contact with people.
- Also called: Accountant, Accounting Officer, Audit Partner, Auditor.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards | 14% | 80% to 97% | |
| Review accounts for discrepancies and reconcile differences | 10% | 50% to 85% | |
| Prepare, analyze, or verify annual reports, financial statements, and other records, using accepted accounting and statistical procedures to assess financial condition and facilitate financial planning | 7% | 70% to 95% | |
| Compute taxes owed and prepare tax returns, ensuring compliance with payment, reporting, or other tax requirements | 6% | 60% to 90% | |
| Prepare adjusting journal entries | 6% | 65% to 92% | |
| Develop, maintain, or analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs | 6% | 35% to 60% | |
| Analyze business operations, trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations to project future revenues and expenses or to provide advice | 5% | 78% to 97% | |
| Prepare detailed reports on audit findings | 4% | 74% to 95% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills accountants and auditors use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists71% of tasks by 2035 · US median $78,210
- Treasurers and Controllers65% of tasks by 2035 · US median $166,570
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents73% of tasks by 2035 · US median $62,370
- Financial Examiners73% of tasks by 2035 · US median $94,160
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Accountants and Auditors?
Machines can already do half of its tasks. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of accountants and auditors?
Machines can do 58% of the tasks of accountants and auditors today and 84% by 2035. Most of the routine work moves to machines, and the people in the job move to oversight, judgement and client work.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 13-2011.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Accountants and Auditors: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/accountants-and-auditors/