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Role hub · Treasurers and Controllers

Controller: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of controllers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$166,570
Hourly
$80.08
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Controllers direct financial activities, such as planning, procurement, and investments for all or part of an organization. The median pay is $166,570 a year ($80.08 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$166,570
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
841,710
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Treasurers and Controllers (O*NET-SOC 11-3031.01; BLS series “Financial Managers”). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Controllers

SalaryController salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Interview questionsController interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What controllers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Monitor financial activities and details, such as cash flow and reserve levels, to ensure that all legal and regulatory requirements are met.
  2. Evaluate needs for procurement of funds and investment of surpluses and make appropriate recommendations.
  3. Develop and maintain relationships with banking, insurance, and external accounting personnel to facilitate financial activities.
  4. Delegate authority for the receipt, disbursement, banking, protection, and custody of funds, securities, and financial instruments.
  5. Receive, record, and authorize requests for disbursements in accordance with company policies and procedures.
  6. Advise management on short-term and long-term financial objectives, policies, and actions.
  7. Coordinate and direct the financial planning, budgeting, procurement, or investment activities of all or part of an organization.
  8. Prepare or direct preparation of financial statements, business activity reports, financial position forecasts, annual budgets, or reports required by regulatory agencies.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Complex Problem SolvingcoreJudgment and Decision MakingcoreManagement of Financial ResourcescoreReading ComprehensionActive ListeningSpeakingMathematicsCritical ThinkingSystems Evaluation

Knowledge areas: Economics and Accounting, Administration and Management, Mathematics, English Language, Computers and Electronics.

Tools and technology

Software controllers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • ADP Workforce NowHuman resources software
  • Automatic Data Processing PC payroll for windows PCPWHuman resources software
  • Microsoft FRxFinancial analysis software
  • Oracle E-Business Suite FinancialsFinancial analysis software
  • Oracle Hyperion PlanningFinancial analysis software
  • SAP Crystal ReportsData base reporting software
  • Intuit QuickBooksAccounting softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareIn demand
  • SAP softwareEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareIn demand
  • Hypertext markup language HTMLWeb platform development softwareHot technology

Also called: Comptroller, Corporate Controller, Corporate Treasurer, Finance Treasurer, Global Treasurer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).