Audit Friendly MONTH END CLOSERS
FRI · SEP 11 · FRIDAY TIE-OUT

FASB, the accountant shortage, and a quarter end on the horizon

 

This edition covers a FASB fair value update, the FTC's new business guidance path, and a structural look at the accountant shortage. Quarter end lands in 13 business days - Sep 15 hits first.

THE CLOSE AHEAD

13 business days to September month end and quarter end

Sep 15 brings estimated taxes, extended partnership and S-corp returns, and monthly payroll deposits - all before quarter end on Sep 30.

Tue Sep 15 Q3 estimated tax payment Third-quarter 2026 estimated tax installment for individuals and calendar-year corporations. IRS
Tue Sep 15 Extended partnership and S corporation returns Calendar-year Forms 1065 and 1120-S on extension are due. IRS
Tue Sep 15 Monthly payroll tax deposit August liabilities for monthly schedule depositors. PAYROLL
Wed Sep 30 September month end, quarter end Day one of the close is Thu Oct 1. CLOSE

Federal holidays per OPM; filing and deposit dates per IRS Publication 509 and the SEC's Form 10-Q and 10-K instructions; weekend due dates shown on the rolled business day.

THE TIE-OUT

Five things from the week, reconciled

 
FASB updates investment company fair value reporting standard
Sep 10, 2026 · journalofaccountancy.com
FASB updated its investment company fair value reporting standard this week - worth a read if your entity or any you consolidate falls under ASC 946.
FTC offers businesses new path to clarify rules
Sep 10, 2026 · cfodive.com
The FTC opened a new path for businesses to seek rule clarification - relevant if your team fields compliance questions on pricing or contract terms.
The Accountant Shortage in 2026: Causes, Impacts & Solutions
Sep 9, 2026 · ramp.com
Ramp's analysis frames the accountant shortage as structural - retirements, a thinner graduate pipeline since 2010, and burnout - and argues automation eases strain without solving the underlying...
CFO Brew: Fragmented Systems and Financial Reporting Reliability
Sep 9, 2026 · cfobrew.com
Fragmented tech stacks are making board-facing financial reports harder to defend - CFO Brew's piece names stack consolidation as the practical fix finance and RevOps need to pursue together.
CFOs on the Move: Week Ending Sept. 4
Sep 4, 2026 · finance.yahoo.com
Pinterest CFO Julia Brau Donnelly is leaving for Sierra, an AI customer-experience startup; VP of Finance Vikram Naidu steps in as interim principal financial officer.

WEEKEND READ

One long read worth the time

 
Finance teams still wary of giving AI control: PEX
Sep 10, 2026 · cfodive.com
A PEX piece on where finance teams are drawing the line on AI autonomy. Worth a read for anyone weighing how much control to hand off in a close workflow where an error has real consequences.

THREE ROLES

Close roles paying above market this week

 
Senior Accountant at Legora
jobs.ashbyhq.com
$160K to $188K, 1.9x the $90K median for the title across 4,518 postings.
Senior Director, Controller at Anduril Industries
boards.greenhouse.io
$220K to $292K, 1.9x the $135K median for the title across 4,179 postings, Costa Mesa, California, United States.
Senior Accountant at Latigo Bio
latigobio.bamboohr.com
$160K to $180K, 1.9x the $90K median for the title across 4,518 postings, San Francisco, California.

ONE NUMBER

Director of Accounting postings pay a median of $163K

Remote US medians by close role, from postings that disclosed a range, counted September 11, 2026.

Director of Accounting
 
$163K
Senior Accounting Manager
 
$152K
Controller
 
$150K
Assistant Controller
 
$138K
Accounting Manager
 
$128K

4,592 live remote roles on the board; 57% disclose pay.

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GO DEEPER

Go deeper

Remote accounting and finance jobs → The Audit Friendly job board, every posting verified live
The insights wire → Cross-dataset findings, refreshed hourly
Skills that pay → Which named tools move the number
AF Stack Designer → Design your accounting stack in ten minutes

Next issue: the week's close-software releases and roles worth a look.

Forward this to the controller still tying out by hand. They will owe you an hour back.

Items are reported from the linked source pages as published on the dates shown. Calendar dates come from OPM, IRS Publication 509 and SEC form instructions; confirm your own filer status and deposit schedule. Pay figures are measured from live postings on jobs.auditfriendly.co.

Audit Friendly's flagship weekly for the people who run the close: the tools, the workflows, what the roles pay and who is hiring.

Accounting Stack · Audit Friendly Data · Remote A&F Jobs

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