Finance & Accounting Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Tucson's finance and accounting jobs sit inside hospitals, federal installations, banks and credit unions as much as in accounting firms, from Tucson Medical Center to the Southern Arizona VA and Davis-Monthan. The guides below cover every finance and accounting role in Tucson, who is hiring, and what it pays.

Why Finance & Accounting Work Is Different in Tucson

Tucson has few corporate headquarters, so much of its finance work lives inside large institutions. Tucson Medical Center posts accountants, financial analysts and revenue cycle staff; the Southern Arizona VA hires accountants and budget analysts at the Tucson VA Medical Center; and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base runs its own nonappropriated fund accounting office. The federal wage survey counted about 2,740 accountants and auditors and 2,630 bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks in the Tucson metro, far more than the 630 bank tellers.

Banking here is a mix of national banks and local credit unions. Bank of America staffs relationship bankers and advisors from its financial centers along Broadway and Oracle Road, Wells Fargo hires tellers at branches like 22nd Street and Craycroft, and Tucson-based Hughes Federal Credit Union hires its lending staff locally. Citi's Tucson site on South Rita Road trains customer service and collections specialists, and has posted loan processing work, which gives career changers a paid way into financial services.

Top Finance & Accounting Employers in Tucson

These employers have posted finance and accounting jobs for Tucson on their own career sites in recent months:

• Tucson Medical Center - senior accountants, senior financial analysts and patient financial services representatives.
• Bank of America - relationship bankers, financial solutions advisors and a Spanish-fluent credit solutions advisor at Tucson financial centers.
• Wells Fargo - part-time tellers at Tucson branches, including 22nd Street and Craycroft.
• Hughes Federal Credit Union - a Tucson-based credit union hiring consumer lending underwriters at its headquarters.
• Southern Arizona VA Health Care System - accountants and budget analysts at the Tucson VA Medical Center, posted on USAJOBS.
• Davis-Monthan Air Force Base - accounting clerks and technicians in the base's nonappropriated fund accounting office.
• Citi - collections and customer service specialists with paid on-site training, plus loan processors.

Finance & Accounting Career Paths in Tucson

• Banking and lending - Bank Teller, Loan Officer, Mortgage Loan Processor and Credit Analyst. Most people start at a teller window or a lending support desk and move into lending with a license or underwriting experience.
• Accounting operations - Accounts Payable Clerk, Accounts Receivable Clerk, Bookkeeper and Accountant. This is the largest track in Tucson by headcount, with steady demand at hospitals and federal employers.
• Tax - Tax Preparer, a seasonal on-ramp that leads to enrolled agent and accounting work.
• Analysis - Financial Analyst and the Finance and Banking overview, for people who want budgeting, forecasting and reporting.

How to Start a Finance & Accounting Career in Tucson

• Pima Community College Accounting AAS - two years, online or at the Downtown and Northwest campuses, with a bookkeeping or tax preparation focus; Pima also offers a Bookkeeping Certificate.
• University of Arizona Eller College of Management - the Dhaliwal-Reidy School of Accountancy offers the accounting BSBA and Master of Accounting, and the Department of Finance offers the finance major and MS in Finance.
• CPA license - issued by the Arizona State Board of Accountancy. Today it requires 150 semester hours, including 36 in accounting, plus 2,000 hours of experience; a 2026 law adds new bachelor's-plus-experience routes for first-time applicants starting January 1, 2027.
• Mortgage loan originator license - issued by the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, with applications through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS).
• IRS PTIN - required for anyone paid to prepare federal tax returns.

The CPA, mortgage originator license and PTIN are legal requirements for the work they cover; tellers, clerks, bookkeepers and analysts need no state license, and degrees and certificates are employer preference.

Finance & Accounting Salaries in Tucson

• Entry - roughly $17 to $22 an hour for tellers, accounting clerks and payables or receivables staff.
• Mid - roughly $50,000 to $75,000 a year for staff accountants, bookkeepers, loan processors and experienced lenders.
• Senior - roughly $85,000 to $125,000 a year for senior accountants, financial analysts and finance managers.

Federal wage data for Tucson put tellers at a mean of $19.69 an hour and bookkeeping clerks at $24.08 (May 2024), with accountants and auditors at a mean of $76,120 a year (May 2023). Posted pay backs that up: the Southern Arizona VA listed accountant jobs at $51,417 to $98,928, and Citi listed a Tucson loan processor at $43,690 to $57,010. Federal and hospital jobs add retirement and health benefits, while lending roles often add incentive pay. These are estimates that vary by employer and experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a CPA to work in accounting in Tucson?

Not for most jobs. Bookkeepers, clerks, staff accountants and financial analysts work without one. A CPA license from the Arizona State Board of Accountancy is needed to practice public accounting and sign audit opinions, and it raises pay.

Do you need a license to be a loan officer in Tucson?

Mortgage loan originators must be licensed or registered through NMLS; in Arizona the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions licenses them. Many consumer and commercial lending roles at banks and credit unions do not require that license, so check each posting.

Which Tucson employers are hiring finance and accounting workers?

In recent months, Tucson Medical Center, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Hughes Federal Credit Union, the Southern Arizona VA, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Citi all posted Tucson finance or accounting jobs on their own career sites. Hospitals and federal employers account for much of the accounting hiring.

How much do finance and accounting jobs pay in Tucson?

Entry roles such as tellers and clerks run roughly $17 to $22 an hour. Staff accountants and lending staff commonly earn $50,000 to $75,000, and senior accountants and analysts $85,000 or more. These figures are estimates based on federal wage data and posted pay.

Where can you train for finance and accounting jobs in Tucson?

Pima Community College offers an Accounting AAS and a Bookkeeping Certificate online and at its Downtown and Northwest campuses. The University of Arizona's Eller College of Management offers accounting and finance degrees through the master's level.

Ready to get started? Browse all current finance and accounting job openings in Tucson, AZ on TucsonHIRED and apply today.