According to the AICPA, 75% of currently licensed US CPAs are expected to retire within the next 10 years. The number of accounting degrees awarded annually has declined 44% since 2010, according to the CPA Journal. Meanwhile, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 80%+ growth in demand for finance and accounting roles through 2031.
The domestic accounting market can no longer fill the gap. Finance leaders at growth-stage and PE-backed companies are increasingly turning to international talent markets – not as a backup plan, but as the primary strategy for building a high-quality, cost-effective accounting function. In this article, we look outward and explore the best countries to hire remote accountants.
English is an official language and the primary medium of instruction in Philippine accounting programs. The country produces tens of thousands of Chartered Public Accountants (CPAs) annually under a curriculum that includes direct US GAAP content, giving Philippine accountants both technical credentials and communication fluency that integrate naturally into US teams.
Philippine accountants hired through MAVI come at 50–70% less than equivalent US hires and pass a vetting process that fewer than 2% of applicants complete. Many hold Big 4 backgrounds from Deloitte, EY, KPMG, or PwC Manila offices.
Best roles: Senior Accountants, AP/AR Specialists, GL Accountants, month-end close ownership, audit support.
Explore finance and accounting talent from the Philippines here.
India's Chartered Accountant (CA) credential – administered by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – is one of the most rigorous accounting qualifications globally. Final exam pass rates typically run below 15%, producing a talent pool with exceptional analytical discipline.
Indian CAs with Big 4 training typically bring 5–10+ years of financial reporting, audit, and technical accounting experience. MAVI's India-based talent costs 50–70% less than US equivalents while delivering the technical depth needed for complex consolidations, multi-entity close, and GAAP research.
Best roles: Technical Accounting Specialists, Consolidations Accountants, Senior Accountants with ERP expertise, Finance Managers with FP&A overlap.
Explore finance and accounting talent from India here.
Latin American accounting markets – particularly Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina – offer one structural advantage that global markets cannot: real-time time zone alignment. These countries sit between UTC-3 and UTC-6, providing direct overlap with US Eastern and Pacific business hours.
Companies that switched to Latin America nearshore hiring from global models report that real-time Slack and Zoom availability eliminated the primary source of working friction – without sacrificing the 50–65% cost savings that made international hiring attractive in the first place.
Best roles: Embedded Senior Accountants, Staff Accountants, AR/AP Specialists in teams requiring live daily collaboration.
Explore finance and accounting talent from Latin America here.
South Africa's Chartered Accountant designation, CA(SA), is awarded by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). Candidates need an accredited accounting degree, a postgraduate year, a multi-year training contract usually served inside an audit firm, and two board exams: the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) and the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Only 1,915 candidates passed the ITC across both 2024 sittings, so the pipeline stays small and the credential carries real weight. Because most of the training happens in audit, CA(SA)s typically arrive in industry with hands-on experience in financial reporting, internal controls, and external audit support for multinational clients.
South African accountants train primarily under IFRS, and many pick up US GAAP through Big 4 engagements or roles supporting US-listed parent companies. MAVI screens every candidate for US GAAP proficiency before placement. English is the primary language of business, and the country sits six to seven hours ahead of US Eastern Time. A South African accountant's afternoon therefore lands on the East Coast morning, which leaves room for live check-ins. Reconciliations and first-pass reviews are often done before the US team logs on, which gives the team a head start during close week. MAVI's South African talent comes at 50%+ below equivalent US hires.
Best roles: Controllers, Financial Reporting and Technical Accounting Specialists, audit readiness and SOX support, Senior Accountants owning month-end close.
Explore finance and accounting talent from South Africa here.
Choosing best country to hire remote accountants will depend on your company’s priorities:
Many MAVI clients use a combination: global talent (Philippines, India, South Africa) for recurring accounting processes and audit-grade reporting, andnearshore LATAM talent for roles requiring tighter real-time integration, and South Africa. Book a call to check out profiles from different regions and hire a remote accountant from MAVI!
The Philippines, India, Latin America, and South Africa are the four three markets for US companies. The Philippines leads on English fluency and CPA credentials. India on technical depth. Latin America on time zone alignment. South Africa on audit-trained reporting rigor.
US companies typically save 50–70% compared to equivalent domestic hires. MAVI's marketplace data shows consistent savings at this range across Philippines, India, and Latin America.
MAVI screens all candidates for US GAAP proficiency. Philippine CPAs receive formal US GAAP training. Indian CAs with US-facing roles have applied US GAAP directly. South African CA(SA)s train under IFRS, and many have applied US GAAP through Big 4 or US-facing roles. All MAVI candidates are verified before placement.
Month-end close, AP/AR processing, reconciliations, GL accounting, and technical accounting research all translate well to global models. Real-time roles are better suited to nearshore Latin America.
MAVI places pre-vetted accounting talent in as few as 5 days – 3–5x faster than traditional recruiters or staffing agencies.
