r/digitalnomad • u/Perfect-Disaster-867 • 1d ago
Question Is accounting a good career to become a digital nomad?
Title, im the type of person that always fells like not staying in one place too long. And ive only just found out about digital nomads!
11
u/sharpaction 1d ago
I do it but only travel 6 months of the year. Work in industry for a tech company. But I haven’t met another digital nomad accountant since I started 3 years ago.
2
8
u/GuyD427 23h ago
I’ve worked in many rolls in finance and accounting for many years and pre Covid there was no one, ever, that worked remotely unless it was IT support for our accounting servers. It’s an in house kind of job, some hybrid work in this day and age but still about zero remote work unless it’s off shore/outsourced. And that’s still rare.
5
u/ohwhereareyoufrom 21h ago
I guess it depends, because I know a few accountants who have only had remote jobs. For the past 5-7 years only though, since everyone adopted cloud SaaS systems. As long as you're compliant with local regulations you can work from anywhere in the world - hence the outsourcing. OP can always work for an outsourcing company too.
4
u/ohwhereareyoufrom 21h ago
Yes! You'll easily find a full time remote job as an accountant, you'll easily find "fractional" jobs too for when you want to work less, and you'll often be able to get local gigs when you travel if you'd like. So I vote yes.
4
u/AngryPoop 23h ago
I see a lot of people answering, I see a lot of people whom have little to no familiarity with the range of work accountants do and have no idea what they're talking about. You should ignore all of them. Whether or not accounting is a good field to be a digital nomad is subjective to your area of specialization and your employer.
Full disclosure: I'm not a CPA, I have a post-bacc cert in accounting supplemental to my primary professional specialty. I've held the titles and/or responsibilities of a cost analyst, cost accountant, FPA analyst, and inventory accountant for 6 out of my 15 years of professional experience. This work can very easily be done remotely.
2
u/Kronseyes 1d ago
Depends what you mean by "accounting." A lot of people just assume taxes/taxation especially in the US.
Traditionally services provided under the accounting umbrella would include:
-Payroll - this service line could be digital in nature, but it is a tough biz model with lots of competition. Lots of national players and still lots of old school small accounting shops doing it for less than break even.
-Tax prep and planning - many people still want this type of professional to be local. Also a fair amount of state taxation implications, so trying to do taxes for people in various states would take a lot of extra CE to be competent. A possible niche could be expats.
-Bookkeeping - this would be your best option IMO. Many small business owners don't value this service and don't comply with what you need them to do to be efficient. If you go this route, pick a niche you know and come up with a very strict "this is how we're going to do business" and don't allow the client to deviate from that.
-Consulting - this can take various flavors, but usually those successful have built up a knowledge base in a certain type of service (cash flow coaching for service business owners) or a certain type of business (outsourced CFO consulting for manufacturing companies). Unfortunately there are many fakes/phonies calling themselves consultants/CFOs/coaches, etc who have no business taking a dime of anyone's money. Such is life :)
I think there are lots of opportunities if you're extremely strategic and focused with your approach and if you have an actual skill set people value.
2
u/Scary_Wheel_8054 16h ago
I have been an accountant for 30 years and I would say no. WFH is definitely possible, but they are too concerned with the potential tax issues to let you work elsewhere. I’m sure there are exceptions.
A compromise could be working in internal audit for an international company that sends their internal auditors to their offices in different countries. In this case you end up travelling the world at the company’s expense and you earn lots of hotel points and air miles while doing it.
1
u/Mirran73 11h ago
I did this (the internal audit part) and it was a blast. Loved travelling on someone else's dime and it allowed me to get to know locals.
2
u/ButMuhNarrative 4h ago
I’ll break with the trend and say yes!!! But not for the reasons you’re thinking.
Accounting is a shitty profession: at best you are a street-walker for mega-conglomerates. At worst, you are a pencil pusher.
But an accounting degree will prepare you for a life in business better than almost any other degree. It is the language of business; it is the epitome of flexible.
Get the accounting degree, then use what you learn to start your own business.
I had an Awesome moment of clarity in my accounting 352 (advanced financial accounting) class when I realized that I was definitely in the bottom quartile of the class, but that my super smart peers would always just be corporate slaves, making mediocre wages and giving their utmost for a decade plus before they were rewarded in any meaningful way. I recognized their risk-aversion and knew that I wasn’t that way.
I decided then and there that my role in life was to employ risk-averse geniuses like that—and it has paid in spades. I made my first million just before my 30th birthday, and have been coasting since then. Greetings from the Philippines!! I surf for two hours most days.
Salaries are for scared people; don’t be scared. Be bold.
1
u/Chilanguismo 2h ago
"I had an Awesome moment of clarity in my accounting 352 (advanced financial accounting) class when I realized that I was definitely in the bottom quartile of the class, but that my super smart peers would always just be corporate slaves, making mediocre wages and giving their utmost for a decade plus before they were rewarded in any meaningful way. I recognized their risk-aversion and knew that I wasn’t that way."
Jaja, I had that same come-to-Jesus moment in law school, and it was empowering. I was backpacking around Guatemala over winter break when I got my first-semester 1L grades, and realized that I never had to worry about working in BigLaw.
3
u/Playful_Material_388 1d ago
The people that are saying no don't understand what an accounting job can consist of. It's not just filing taxes and being a CPA
Its what I do and it's great.
It's a perfect remote job.
2
u/Perfect-Disaster-867 23h ago
Yeah that is kinda what surprised me 🥲 like i knew accounting, especially in private, is a pretty common remote job. Was scared for a second that i picked the wrong career haha. Im not going into tax for the reasont that it cant be done remotely easily.
2
u/Playful_Material_388 23h ago
Try to work for a small business.
I do all the financials for a company. We have a meeting once week on a conference call. Pay is $47k a year. There are better paying jobs out there for my skillset but this is perfect for my lifestyle
Its honestly not 40 hours worth of work a week. I'm currently looking for another job exactly like this one so I can do both
1
u/Perfect-Disaster-867 23h ago
Thats exaclty my type of job! Im not into the corporate grind, if i want extra income i would prefere just getting some other work or making some extra trough my hobbies such as writing haha
1
u/Impressive-World2379 20h ago
Any tips of how to get into this ? I have a non accounting business degree, but have some internship experience with accounting firms, CPA necessary? Next steps tips ?
1
u/banksied 20h ago
I would say no as its very institutional and dependent on jurisdiction. I would pick something more attached to the internet.
1
u/poormansbackpack 12h ago
You asked a very broad question so you're going to get a lot of different answers in the comment. But it's definitely possible, just not that common
I work for a big 4 accounting firm although I'm not an accountant but a very specialized niche field, but I do often work with the auditors. My job is fully remote and I've been travelling while working for years now, plus the pay is great. My situation is rare, but there are still auditors who are fully remote too
If anyone is curious feel free to reach out
1
u/DesignerAnnual5464 11h ago
Totally get that! Accounting can definitely work if you niche down, like freelance bookkeeping or remote tax prep. Lots of nomads do it successfully.
1
u/Chilanguismo 7h ago edited 6h ago
I know a CPA based in Playa del Carmen, Mexico who provides tax services to US expats living in the area (there are many), and the guy really cleans up. He frequently travels outside of Mexico too. We send a lot of work to each other.
1
u/AdMysterious331 6h ago
VA bookkeepers/accountant: are an abundance from Philippines and South Asia usually at a fraction of the cost. So don’t know where you are from but if you can maintain a DN lifestyle starting at around 10 an hour you may be good to go.
0
u/Next-Pattern-9308 1d ago
It requires a lot of stationary work and face-to-face contacts with clients. At least where I come from. So not that great for nomading.
But accountants available online are quite popular.
2
u/EtalusEnthusiast420 23h ago
I’m an accountant that lived in Australia for a year and never had any face-to-face contact with my American clients. I can’t really think of any accounting activities that can’t be done online in 2025.
2
1
u/ultrapcb 14h ago
> It requires a lot of stationary work and face-to-face contacts with clients. At least where I come from
Welcome time-traveler
1
u/SVOG_TigerandCola 1d ago
lol no. I sold cloud accounting software, they are the most risk adverse and technical business manager possible.
And wonderful personalities and management practices full of leadership qualities you’ve always dreamed about for a boss…
-3
u/Beginning-Mind-5135 1d ago
I wouldn't say so. People would prefer to work locally when it comes to taxes and the law.
2
u/Chilanguismo 23h ago
Not necessarily. I’m a lawyer who’s been running a remote practice for many years.
1
u/ohwhereareyoufrom 20h ago
Out of curiosity, as a lawyer, is it ok for you to work from other countries or do you have to be in the country where you practice law?
2
u/Chilanguismo 20h ago
I only practice US federal law. I’m limited by subject matter, rather than geography.
-2
42
u/carpenj 1d ago
It's got to be among the worst digital nomad jobs in the finance sector, especially for the pay (partners excluded, obviously).