TL;DR
- All-in costs run $16K–$20K for junior hires, $20K–$31K for mid-level, and $39K–$55K for senior, according to Howdy's 2026 salary data.
- These figures already include Howdy's 15% fee. The number in Howdy's salary data is the number a buyer pays.
- The six roles covered are bookkeeper, staff accountant, senior accountant, AP/AR specialist, FP&A analyst, and finance manager.
- The strongest reason US finance leaders consider LatAm sourcing is the time-zone overlap, which keeps accountants on the same business hours as a US team without the US salary load.
LatAm finance salary benchmarks at a glance
The table below maps all six priority finance roles against three seniority tiers, showing what LatAm talent costs in 2026. Each figure represents the all-in annual rate a US buyer pays.
| Role | Junior (all-in) | Mid (all-in) | Senior (all-in) |
| Bookkeeper | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
| Staff Accountant | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
| Senior Accountant | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
| AP / AR Specialist | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
| FP&A Analyst | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
| Finance Manager | $16,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$31,000 | $39,000–$55,000 |
According to Howdy's 2026 salary data.
"All-in" means the figure already includes Howdy's 15% fee, so the number you see is the number you pay. Howdy prices finance and back-office roles by seniority tier rather than by role title, so a junior bookkeeper and a junior FP&A analyst carry the same all-in cost. The seniority tier reflects the complexity and judgment level of the work, not the job title.
What these numbers include
Every figure on this page reflects Howdy's fee-only pricing for admin and ops roles. The all-in number a buyer pays already includes Howdy's 15% fee on top of the talent rate. A junior bookkeeper at $16K all-in means $16K — that is the full cost.
This pricing structure differs from an employer-of-record arrangement. Under an EOR, the buyer typically funds local statutory contributions as line items. Under Howdy's fee-only model, the talent rate and the 15% fee are the cost. A US finance leader can budget against these bands without modeling additional employer costs on top.
A note on scope
This page measures the economics of sourcing talent, not payroll mechanics. It answers who a US finance team should hire from when sourcing LatAm finance and back-office talent, and what that talent costs. Howdy places finance and back-office professionals from seven Latin American (LatAm) countries: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. Payroll compliance, tax withholding, and EOR setup are covered separately — see Global Payroll in Latin America 2026 for country-by-country detail.
How LatAm finance costs compare to US equivalents
A US staff accountant earns about $59,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics median for accountants and auditors. A mid-level LatAm staff accountant sourced through Howdy lands in the $20,000 to $31,000 all-in band, according to Howdy's 2026 salary data. At the midpoint, that gap runs roughly $34,000 per year, a reduction near 58%.
The spread widens at the analyst level. The BLS reports a median wage around $79,000 for financial and investment analysts in the US, and tech-sector FP&A roles routinely run higher. A mid-level LatAm FP&A analyst sourced through Howdy lands in the $20,000 to $31,000 all-in band. At the midpoint of both ranges, that gap runs roughly $53,000, a reduction near 67%. Even comparing the BLS median against the top of Howdy's senior band, the savings clear $24,000, or about 30% — and that is the floor, not the ceiling.
Finance managers show the same pattern at a higher base. The BLS lists a median wage near $156,000 for financial managers. A senior LatAm finance hire tops out at $55,000 all-in. The difference clears $100,000 per role, a cut above 64%, before you account for payroll taxes and recruiter fees a US hire carries.
The dollar amount tells you what a single seat adds back to the budget, and the percentage tells you how the savings scale as you add seats across a function. A controller building a three-person back-office team against US rates would spend roughly $294,000 on base salary alone. The same three roles sourced through LatAm, at mid-to-senior bands, run closer to $110,000 all-in with our 15% fee already included. The percentage holds whether you hire one accountant or staff an entire function.
The six roles: scope, seniority, and best fit
The six finance roles below sit on a spectrum from transactional record-keeping to forecasting and team leadership. Each entry defines the scope a US buyer should expect and the seniority band that LatAm sourcing fills most reliably. Use them as standalone reference blocks when matching a role to your need.
Bookkeeper
A bookkeeper records daily transactions, reconciles bank and credit card accounts, and maintains the general ledger in QuickBooks or NetSuite. LatAm sourcing fits this role at the Junior to Mid band, where the work is high-volume and rules-based rather than judgment-heavy. Map this hire to invoice entry, expense categorization, and month-end account reconciliation that does not require GAAP interpretation.
Staff Accountant
A staff accountant owns recurring transactional work and supports the monthly close. The role records journal entries, reconciles bank and credit card accounts, maintains the general ledger, and prepares schedules that a senior accountant or controller reviews. LatAm sourcing for this role lands in the Mid band, with all-in cost between $20K and $31K according to Howdy's 2026 salary data.
At this level, expect working familiarity with US GAAP for accruals, prepaids, and basic revenue recognition, not technical accounting judgment on complex standards. The software stack signals readiness faster than a résumé does. Hands-on QuickBooks Online experience covers most small and mid-market needs, while NetSuite experience indicates the candidate can operate inside a more structured close.
Senior Accountant
A senior accountant owns the monthly close, runs complex reconciliations, and prepares schedules and support for external audits. LatAm sourcing typically fills this role at the Sr tier, with all-in rates of $39K to $55K, according to Howdy's 2026 salary data.
Ownership sets a senior accountant apart. A mid-level accountant executes assigned reconciliations and journal entries. A senior accountant runs the close calendar end to end, reviews the work of junior staff, and resolves variances before they reach the controller.
Audit readiness marks the clearest experience signal. Look for candidates who have managed PBC lists, walked auditors through workpapers, and closed prior-year findings without supervision.
AP / AR Specialist
An AP/AR specialist processes invoices, runs payment cycles, applies cash receipts, and chases outstanding receivables. LatAm sourcing fits this role best at the junior to mid band, where transaction volume matters more than judgment calls.
Match this hire to the volume you actually run. A specialist handling a few hundred invoices a month needs comfort in NetSuite or QuickBooks, plus disciplined coding and reconciliation habits.
Time-zone overlap carries real weight here. Payment runs, vendor disputes, and collections calls happen during US business hours, and a LatAm specialist in a Central or Eastern-aligned zone can clear approvals same-day rather than waiting overnight. That overlap keeps payment cycles on schedule instead of slipping a day with each handoff.
FP&A Analyst
An FP&A analyst builds the financial models, forecasts, and management reporting that finance leaders use to plan. The work centers on variance analysis, budget construction, scenario modeling, and turning raw ledger data into board-ready summaries. LatAm candidates at this level typically command mid to senior all-in bands, since the role demands more judgment than transactional accounting.
English fluency matters more here than in any other finance role, because the analyst presents findings directly to US executives and defends assumptions in real time. US GAAP exposure determines whether the analyst reads your financials correctly before modeling on top of them. Screen for both before screening for modeling speed.
Finance Manager
A finance manager owns the close, supervises accountants, and reports financial results to leadership. The role runs the monthly and quarterly cycle, manages a small team of bookkeepers or staff accountants, and acts as the point of contact for US-side controllers or CFOs. Finance managers sit in the senior band at $39K to $55K all-in, according to Howdy's 2026 salary data.
LatAm sourcing reaches its ceiling at this level. A finance manager can lead a remote accounting function, but a US buyer should keep strategic decisions, fundraising, and board reporting with a domestic controller or CFO. Hire here when you need an operator to run the books, not a strategist to set financial direction.
Evaluation criteria for US buyers
Three criteria separate finance hires who deliver from those who stall in their first quarter. Vet each candidate against US GAAP familiarity, accounting software experience, and time-zone overlap before salary becomes the deciding factor. A candidate who clears all three at a mid-level rate beats a senior candidate who misses one.
US GAAP familiarity
US GAAP familiarity measures whether a candidate has booked transactions, run accruals, or prepared statements under US accounting standards rather than IFRS or local LatAm standards. A bookkeeper or AP/AR specialist needs basic exposure. A senior accountant or FP&A analyst needs working fluency, because they interpret revenue recognition, lease accounting, and accrual timing without daily supervision. Ask candidates to describe a specific accrual or reconciliation they handled under US GAAP, and listen for the standard they reference by name.
NetSuite and QuickBooks experience
Software experience determines how fast a candidate produces useful work, because your stack defines their daily environment. QuickBooks fits small and mid-market teams, and most LatAm bookkeepers and staff accountants have hands-on hours in it. NetSuite signals readiness for larger operations with multi-entity consolidation and more complex close cycles, so it carries more weight for senior accountants and finance managers. Confirm the candidate has used your specific platform in production, not a training course or a one-off project.
Time-zone overlap
Time-zone overlap drives how much real-time collaboration you get, and LatAm holds an edge over offshore alternatives in Asia. Most LatAm finance talent works within one to three hours of US Eastern or Central time, which means a candidate sits in your business hours for the full workday. AP/AR specialists and finance managers benefit most, since payment approvals and month-end close need same-day back-and-forth rather than overnight handoffs. Confirm the candidate's stated working hours match your team's core collaboration window before you extend an offer.
English proficiency is a baseline assumption here: the LatAm finance talent these benchmarks cover already works in professional English by default.
Best-by-use-case: matching role to business need
Match the role to the problem you are solving right now, not to an idealized org chart. Each scenario below maps a common situation to the role and seniority tier that fits it.
You need monthly close support without a full-time hire. A mid-tier staff accountant ($20K–$31K all-in) handles reconciliations and journal entries on a recurring cycle. Reserve a senior accountant only when you want someone to own the close end to end.
Your AP volume is climbing ahead of a Series B raise. A junior or mid AP/AR specialist ($16K–$31K all-in) absorbs invoice processing and payment runs at scale. Software fluency matters more than seniority here, so screen for NetSuite or QuickBooks depth over years of experience.
You want forecasting and board-deck modeling, not transaction processing. Hire a senior FP&A analyst ($39K–$55K all-in) with strong English and US GAAP exposure. The work depends on judgment and communication, which is why the analytical roles sit at the top of the cost band.
Your books are behind and you need cleanup before tax season. A bookkeeper ($16K–$20K all-in) clears the backlog of categorization and bank reconciliations. Move to a staff accountant once the books are current and you need accrual-basis reporting.
You are replacing a departing controller's day-to-day load. Pair a senior accountant with a finance manager ($39K–$55K all-in) rather than stretching one hire across both scopes. The manager handles team oversight and review, while the senior accountant carries the technical close work.
You are testing LatAm sourcing before committing to a full team. Start with one mid-tier staff accountant or AP/AR specialist on a discrete, measurable task. That single hire shows you the time-zone overlap and software fluency before you scale the function.
Frequently asked questions
What does "all-in" mean for these rates? All-in means the monthly cost a buyer pays includes the contractor's compensation and Howdy's 15% fee. The number in Howdy's salary data is the number a buyer budgets against.
Do LatAm finance candidates know US GAAP? US GAAP familiarity means a candidate has booked transactions and prepared statements under US standards rather than IFRS or local LatAm rules. Many LatAm candidates sourced through Howdy have it, particularly at mid and senior levels where they have supported US companies directly. Confirming it during evaluation, through prior US-client work and hands-on close experience, protects a buyer from costly rework.
Will a LatAm hire overlap with US business hours? Time-zone overlap is the share of a workday a LatAm hire shares with a US team. Most LatAm finance talent sourced through Howdy sits within one to three hours of US time zones, giving a buyer near-full overlap with a US workday. That overlap keeps payment cycles and live coordination on schedule instead of slipping a day with each overnight handoff.
What accounting software do candidates use? QuickBooks and NetSuite are the two most common stacks among LatAm finance candidates serving US companies. A buyer should screen for the specific system in use, since QuickBooks fluency does not guarantee NetSuite fluency. Software experience tends to be the fastest signal of readiness for a given role.
How does Howdy's fee compare to a US recruiter or employer cost?
A US recruiter typically charges 15 to 25 percent of first-year salary as a one-time placement fee, on top of the full US salary and employer costs. Howdy's 15% is built into the ongoing monthly rate, and the rate itself reflects LatAm compensation rather than US compensation. The combined effect is a lower total cost than hiring the same role in the US.
Does this replace or supplement US finance staff? Either, depending on the use case. Many buyers use LatAm hires to supplement a US team by offloading bookkeeping, AP/AR, and close support, while keeping senior decision-making in the US. Others build entire back-office functions in LatAm when the work does not require a US presence.
How to use this page as a hiring decision tool
Work the benchmarks in sequence rather than scanning for a number. Start by naming the use case, whether you need monthly close support, AP volume coverage, or a finance partner who can build models. Match that use case to one of the six roles and a seniority tier, then read the all-in band against the corresponding US salary in the comparison table above.
Pressure-test the gap before you commit. A junior bookkeeper at $16K saves you most of a US equivalent's cost, but a finance manager at the senior band carries different expectations and a tighter ceiling on what LatAm remote sourcing reliably delivers. Decide whether the savings justify the role you actually need filled.
Evaluate candidates on the three criteria that decide outcomes. Those are US GAAP familiarity, hands-on NetSuite or QuickBooks experience, and time-zone overlap with your team. A candidate strong on cost but weak on GAAP will cost you more in rework than the salary delta saves.
Howdy sources the talent behind these bands and publishes verified 2026 salary data for each role and tier. These benchmarks cover six finance and back-office roles across three seniority tiers, sourced from placements across seven LatAm countries.
