What Does an Open Senior Accountant Seat Really Cost?

When a Senior Accountant leaves, it’s easy to focus on the obvious cost of replacing them: recruiting expenses, salary, and the time involved in interviewing and onboarding someone new. Those costs are real, but they don’t tell the whole story. In many accounting firms, the greater cost of an open senior accountant position is what happens to the business while that position remains open.

The work doesn’t leave with the employee. Client deadlines still need to be met, returns and financial statements still need to be prepared and reviewed, and clients still expect the same level of service. That work has to go somewhere, which usually means it gets redistributed among the people who are already there.

The work moves to more expensive people

When a Senior Accountant position is open, managers and partners often step in to keep work moving. The issue isn’t whether they can do the work. The better question is whether that’s where their time is most valuable.

Time spent covering an open position isn’t available for developing client relationships, mentoring employees, pursuing new business or focusing on higher-level work. The firm may be getting the work done, but at a much higher cost than appears on paper.

Your team absorbs the gap

Some of the workload also gets spread across the rest of the team. An additional client or engagement may be manageable for a few weeks, but the longer a position remains open, the more likely a temporary solution becomes part of everyone’s regular workload.

That’s particularly important in accounting, where capacity can change quickly. Another resignation, unexpected leave, a new client or the start of busy season can turn a manageable staffing gap into a much bigger problem. Good employees will step up when they’re needed, but continually asking your strongest people to absorb additional work can eventually create retention issues of its own.

Growth can become a staffing decision

A prospective client calls. An existing client needs additional services. A partner sees an opportunity to expand an advisory relationship. Before saying yes, someone needs to ask, “Do we have the capacity to do the work?”

If staffing causes the firm to hesitate—or turn away profitable work—the cost of that open position has moved beyond recruiting. It is now potentially affecting revenue and growth.

The AICPA’s 2025 Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Survey found that participating CPA firms reported a median 6.7% increase in net client fees, with continued growth in client accounting advisory services. That makes having the capacity to serve existing clients and pursue new opportunities an important consideration for growing firms.

That’s why we think capacity should be part of the recruiting conversation. Having the right people in place doesn’t just help get today’s work done. It gives a firm more confidence to pursue tomorrow’s opportunities.

Waiting can change the way you hire

There is another cost that’s difficult to quantify: urgency. When a position has been open for weeks, the team is stretched and another deadline is approaching, the hiring process naturally becomes more urgent.

And firms are competing for talent in an active market. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 115,300 accountant and auditor job openings are projected annually, on average, from 2025 through 2035. While those openings span different experience levels and industries, they reinforce the importance of staying connected to the accounting talent market.

The challenge is that great candidates don’t necessarily become available when your firm has an opening. The Senior Accountant who would be an outstanding fit in April may have been looking in October or November. By the time you’re ready to recruit, that person may already be settled somewhere else.

So, what does the open seat really cost?

There isn’t one number that applies to every firm. The real cost of an unfilled Senior Accountant position includes recruiting expenses, partner and manager time, additional workload on the team, potential impact on client service, and business the firm may not have the capacity to pursue.

None of this means you should hire before you need someone. It does suggest there’s value in understanding who’s in the market before the need becomes urgent.

At Accountingfly, we talk with experienced accounting professionals every week. Staying connected to that market helps you understand who’s available, what candidates are looking for and what you may need to offer when the time comes to hire.

And when that time comes, you aren’t starting from scratch.

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