Accountant Cover Letter: Examples & Writing Guide (2026)

Write a cover letter for an accounting position.

Target role: [PASTE JOB TITLE AND COMPANY]
My level: [ENTRY-LEVEL / STAFF / SENIOR / CPA / CAREER CHANGER]

Rules:
- Total length: 250-350 words, 3 paragraphs
- Paragraph 1: Open by referencing the specific job posting and why it's a match — connect the role's requirements to my background. Be specific about the company (name, what they do, what drew me to this role). Keep it to 2-3 sentences.
- Paragraph 2: This is the core — show what I've done with quantified accounting metrics. Include 2-3 specific achievements using numbers: close cycle days reduced, accounts reconciled, cost savings identified, audit results, tax returns prepared, process hours saved. Tell the story behind the metrics — what the problem was, what I did, and what resulted. This paragraph should make the reader think "this person has actually done the work."
- Paragraph 3: Brief close — CPA status (if applicable), key software, and a specific call to action. NOT "I look forward to hearing from you" — instead, "I'd welcome the chance to discuss how this maps to [specific need]."
- The letter should read like a real person wrote it, not a template with blanks filled in
- Use ONLY facts from my resume — NEVER invent metrics, achievements, or certifications
- BANNED phrases: "passionate about," "excited to," "proven track record," "team player," "detail-oriented," "strong work ethic," "I am writing to apply"
- Tone: professional, clear, and confident — like a good accountant communicates: precise, no fluff, numbers where they matter

After the cover letter, provide:
- Quality check: does each paragraph have at least one specific detail about THIS company or THIS role?
- Metrics count: how many quantified achievements are included? (target: 2-3)
- "I" density: flag if too many sentences start with "I" in a row
- 2-3 ways to make it more specific with my actual data

Job description:
[PASTE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION]

My resume/background:
[PASTE RESUME OR KEY ACHIEVEMENTS]

What I know about the company:
[ANY CONTEXT — GROWTH, AUDIT NEEDS, INDUSTRY, RECENT NEWS]

[COMPANY NAME]'s [POSITION] caught my attention because [GENUINE REASON — e.g., "the firm's focus on middle-market audit clients aligns directly with my internship experience," "the role combines tax preparation with advisory work, which is where I want to build my career"].

During my internship at [FIRM/COMPANY], I worked directly on [SPECIFIC WORK — e.g., "monthly close procedures for 3 clients, including bank reconciliations, journal entries, and financial statement prep," "tax return preparation for 15+ individual and small business clients during busy season"]. The experience confirmed that I work well under deadline pressure — [PROOF — e.g., "all workpapers delivered on time with zero rework requests from the reviewing senior," "I was the only intern asked to extend through April"].

Currently [CPA STATUS — e.g., "CPA-eligible with 150 credit hours and studying for FAR (scheduled Q3 2026)"]. Proficient in [SOFTWARE — e.g., "QuickBooks, Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), and CCH Axcess"]. I'd welcome the chance to discuss how my background fits [COMPANY NAME]'s team. Available at [EMAIL/PHONE].

[COMPANY NAME]'s [POSITION] stood out because [GENUINE REASON — e.g., "the emphasis on process improvement alongside day-to-day accounting signals a team that's scaling, not just maintaining," "the multi-entity scope matches the complexity I've been working in for the past [X] years"].

At [CURRENT/PREVIOUS COMPANY], I manage the full monthly close for [SCOPE — e.g., "a $[X]M business unit," "2 entities with 300+ GL accounts"]. When I joined, the close took [X] business days. By [WHAT YOU DID — e.g., "automating [X] recurring journal entries in NetSuite and building a risk-based reconciliation process"], I brought it down to [X] days without adding headcount or sacrificing accuracy ([X]% reconciliation accuracy across [X]+ accounts). I also [SECOND ACHIEVEMENT — e.g., "identified $[X]K in cost savings through vendor contract analysis," "built standardized variance analysis templates that cut reporting prep from [X] days to [X]," "prepared all audit workpapers, contributing to zero material findings"].

[CPA STATUS — e.g., "CPA exam in progress (2 of 4 sections passed)," "CPA-eligible, 150 hours completed"]. Experienced with [SOFTWARE — e.g., "NetSuite, QuickBooks Enterprise, and advanced Excel"]. I'd appreciate the opportunity to discuss how this experience translates to [COMPANY NAME]'s needs. Available at [EMAIL/PHONE].

[COMPANY NAME]'s [POSITION] is the type of role where [X] years of combined public and private accounting experience matters most — [REASON — e.g., "multi-entity consolidation requires someone who's built the process before, not just inherited one," "scaling from $[X]M to $[X]M demands both technical depth and operational speed"].

At [CURRENT/PREVIOUS COMPANY], I [PRIMARY ACHIEVEMENT — e.g., "led the month-end close across 3 entities, reducing the cycle from [X] to [X] business days by redesigning the close checklist and implementing automated reconciliation workflows," "managed the ASC 606 implementation that resolved $[X]M in deferred revenue misclassification before external audit," "oversaw financial reporting for a $[X]M organization while mentoring [X] staff accountants"]. The result: [PROOF — e.g., "zero material findings across [X] consecutive annual audits," "$[X]K in tax savings identified through R&D credit analysis and entity restructuring"]. Beyond the technical work, [LEADERSHIP — e.g., "I built and retained a team of [X] through [X] busy seasons," "I served as the primary liaison between accounting and external auditors"].

CPA (active, [STATE]). Experienced across [SYSTEMS — e.g., "SAP, NetSuite, Workiva, and Bloomberg Tax"]. I'd welcome the chance to discuss how my approach maps to [COMPANY NAME]'s [NEED — e.g., "consolidation timeline," "audit preparation"]. Available at [EMAIL/PHONE].

My path to accounting isn't traditional — [X] years in [PREVIOUS FIELD] before completing [DEGREE/CERT — e.g., "a Bachelor's in Accounting from [INSTITUTION]"]. But that background is an asset, not a gap. [WHY — e.g., "Managing a $[X]M departmental budget with monthly variance reporting and quarterly forecasting gave me the financial analysis foundation before I had the accounting vocabulary for it," "Running inventory reconciliation across [X] warehouses taught me that discrepancies aren't spreadsheet problems — they're operational problems that require investigation"].

The numbers from [PREVIOUS ROLE — e.g., "[TITLE] at [COMPANY]"]: [METRICS — e.g., "$[X]M annual budget managed with zero overruns," "[X]% invoice accuracy across [X] monthly transactions," "[X]% cost reduction identified through spend analysis"]. These weren't accounting titles, but the analytical rigor and financial accuracy are the same.

Why accounting now: [GENUINE REASON — e.g., "after years managing financial data from the operations side, the bottleneck was always deeper accounting knowledge — understanding why accruals behaved a certain way, what the auditors actually needed, how the close could be faster"]. [CPA STATUS — e.g., "CPA exam scheduled for Q3 2026"]. I'd welcome the chance to discuss what a [PREVIOUS FIELD]-trained accountant brings to [COMPANY NAME]. Available at [EMAIL/PHONE].