Accounting Internships in Seattle 2027: Firms, Pay and How to Apply

Seattle's accounting internship market runs through standard Big 4 and national firm offices, plus something few other cities have at this scale: an internal accounting job market driven by a cluster of major corporate headquarters. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco and Nordstrom are all based in the metro, and each runs internal accounting, financial reporting and internal audit teams that hire interns directly.

That second track matters more here than in most cities. If you're only checking public accounting postings, you're missing a large chunk of the market. A lot of Seattle's accounting internship volume runs through corporate finance and accounting rotational programs rather than a traditional audit or tax internship.

Where accounting interns work in Seattle

The headquarters effect

Most cities have a handful of large local employers hiring accounting interns. Seattle has an unusual concentration of them, and the mix runs across very different industries: ecommerce and cloud infrastructure at Amazon, software at Microsoft, retail and consumer goods at Starbucks, Costco and Nordstrom. That gives a Seattle-based student real optionality in what kind of accounting work they see as an intern, from revenue recognition on a subscription business to inventory accounting for a retailer.

The practical move is to search each of these companies' career pages directly rather than relying only on a general internship board, since large corporate accounting and finance programs don't always surface the same way a Big 4 audit posting does. Many run through a broader finance development or rotational program rather than a listing titled specifically "accounting intern."

What accounting interns get paid in Seattle

Seattle tracks near the top of the national range, commonly $25 to $35 an hour at Big 4 and large national firms, which fits the area's cost of living. Pay at Seattle's headquartered corporate employers varies more by company and program, so check the specific posting rather than assuming a fixed number, especially for finance rotational programs that may pay on a different scale than a standard internship.

How to actually get one

Public accounting recruiting in Seattle runs on the same campus pipeline as everywhere else: firm information sessions, Beta Alpha Psi if your school has a chapter, and getting your resume in front of the campus recruiter by name. The University of Washington is the biggest local feeder school for Big 4 and national firm offices, and firms there know the program well.

For the corporate accounting track, treat each headquartered company as its own application process with its own timeline and its own portal. A finance rotational program at a large tech or retail company often has a longer, more structured interview process than a standard audit internship, so start early and don't assume one application covers the whole market.

What sets a Seattle internship apart

A Big 4 internship in Seattle looks close to the same experience it would anywhere else in the firm, since training and engagement structure are standardized nationally. The client mix leans toward tech, retail and aerospace-adjacent companies rather than the energy or finance clients you'd see more of in a city like Houston or New York.

If you land a corporate accounting internship at one of Seattle's large headquartered companies instead, expect closer exposure to how a huge operating business runs its own books day to day, often at a scale most public accounting engagements never touch directly. For the national picture on timelines and pay, see our accounting internships 2027 guide, and if you're also considering the Midwest, our Chicago accounting internships guide covers a market built around three headquartered national firms.