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busy season hours

How long do you actually work during busy season? I've heard 60 on average but I worked that much doing a Product Control role this summer at a bank. Alot of ex-Big 4 auditors worked there and told me the work was NOTHING compared to audit. Regardless whenever I hear about how many hrs busy seasons involve I hear it's like 55-65, which to me at least...doesn't sound bad... do you also work weekends, etc???


It really depends on your client and your industry. I'd say, on average, you work from 8:30 am - 8:30 pm monday - thursday, a normal workday friday, and then 9-1 on saturdays, which comes out to 60 hours a week. Now, the operative word here is average. You could be on a team that works from 9 am - 11 pm monday-thursday, 9 - 7 on fridays, and then 9-5 saturday and sunday, that comes out to 80 hours for the week. If you get lucky, you work from 8:30-7:30 four days a week, and a 9-6 friday, which comes to about 53 hours a week. So basically, it really varies. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Don't forget: Back-to-back and multiple busy seasons can and do happen. This could be your schedule for Jan-March, and then again for another 3 month period. Depending on your client, luck of the draw, blah blah blah. This busy season abuse is the #1 reason to avoid big 4 (and in general, public accounting) at all costs.
September 19, 2011 at 8:12 AM
Anonymous said…
http://www.internalauditanalytics.com is a non-profit site set up to help auditors use analytics. Might be a good resource for your readers.
September 21, 2011 at 4:19 PM
Anonymous said…
It really does depend on the client and region. I wish I could get away with 60 hours during busy season on my client. Last season, I averaged 9-12 Monday through Friday and 10-8 Saturday and Sundays. Finishing up my last two weeks of the season with 9-4am. Some guys on the team opted to get a hotel room on those nights instead of bothering to go home.
September 27, 2011 at 3:33 PM
Anonymous said…
Wow, no amount of money is worth those hours.
September 28, 2011 at 8:04 AM
Anonymous said…
For someone making $50K/year and working 80 hrs/wk, the hourly rate ends up being $12/hr. Maybe you can pull something like that off for a few years when you are in your early 20's if you are really gung-ho about accounting. However, it would be never be worth my time, health, sanity and life frankly.
October 14, 2011 at 5:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Why would anyone put up with such abuse? Go to industry and see what it's like to hang out with friends, do stuff you enjoy, maybe have a relationship with people outside of work. That's life. Big 4 is brainwashed slavery.
November 15, 2011 at 3:55 PM
Sean Elrington said…
If you are billing by the hour, long hours mean billable revenue which is good. It is different when you are on salary and cruel to make people work more than a 5 x 10 week. We need to stagger closes in different industries throughout the year by changing tax law. As law get more complex and the economy grows, having this many companies close their books at one time is causing unnecessary stress to families and marriages and health.
December 10, 2011 at 5:39 PM
Anonymous said…
Hey I'm curious what are the hours typically like during non busy season. Obviously busy season is brutal but do you ever get to work a mon-friday 9-5?
August 30, 2014 at 4:24 PM
Anonymous said…
I would like to know who are picking up your kids from daycare or school, feeding and bathing them if you are a single parent auditor. Sounds like a good case for a social worker!
January 8, 2016 at 5:40 AM
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