Accounts Executive Salary in Sri Lanka 2026

How much does an accounts executive earn in Sri Lanka?

The accounts executive salary in Sri Lanka is about LKR 70,000-120,000 a month for most roles in 2026. Juniors with AAT or a part-finished professional qualification start at roughly LKR 60,000-90,000, and senior accounts executives earn about LKR 120,000-200,000. Progress in CA Sri Lanka, CIMA or ACCA, employer size and Colombo location are the biggest pay drivers.

Accounts executive salary in Sri Lanka by level

The ranges below are monthly gross pay in LKR, estimated from 2025-2026 job adverts and employer pay ranges in Sri Lanka. Actual offers vary by company. Bonuses, overtime and transport or mobile allowances are usually paid on top of these figures at larger employers.

Level	Typical qualification	Monthly (LKR)
Junior Accounts Executive (0-2 yrs)	AAT, or CA/CIMA/ACCA in progress	60,000 - 90,000
Accounts Executive (2-4 yrs)	AAT plus mid-level professional papers or a degree	80,000 - 130,000
Senior Accounts Executive (4-7 yrs)	Final stages of CA, CIMA or ACCA	120,000 - 200,000
Assistant Accountant / Asst. Manager	Qualified or near-qualified	150,000 - 250,000

What an accounts executive does

An accounts executive sits between the accounts assistant and the accountant. Typical duties are:

Bank, supplier and customer reconciliations
Accounts payable and receivable, including payment runs and debtor follow-up
VAT, WHT and other statutory workings, and preparing schedules for tax filings
Month-end close: accruals, prepayments, fixed asset registers and journal entries
Preparing schedules for external auditors and management reports
Payroll support, including EPF and ETF calculations, at smaller companies

Salary by employer type

Employer type	Accounts Executive (LKR)	Senior (LKR)
Multinationals and shared service centres	90,000 - 140,000	140,000 - 220,000
Banks, finance and leasing companies	85,000 - 130,000	130,000 - 200,000
Large conglomerates and listed companies	80,000 - 125,000	120,000 - 190,000
Apparel, manufacturing and BOI exporters	75,000 - 115,000	110,000 - 170,000
SMEs and trading companies	60,000 - 95,000	90,000 - 140,000

What affects an accounts executive salary

Professional qualification progress. Employers price candidates by how far they are through CA Sri Lanka, CIMA, ACCA or CMA. Reaching the final level is usually worth more than an extra year of experience.
ERP and Excel skills. Experience with SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics or similar systems, plus strong Excel (pivot tables, lookups, Power Query), opens the better-paid multinational roles.
Tax and statutory knowledge. Handling VAT, WHT, APIT and the annual income tax return without supervision is a clear step up from assistant-level work.
Location. Colombo and the Western Province pay more than regional offices for the same title.
Audit background. Candidates who trained at an audit firm often move into industry as senior accounts executives at a higher salary than those who started in industry.

Career path and pay progression

A common route is Accounts Assistant, then Accounts Executive, Senior Accounts Executive, Assistant Accountant, Accountant and Finance Manager. Most people who finish a professional qualification move out of the executive band within four to six years. Once qualified, pay follows the chartered accountant salary ranges rather than executive pay, and the step into a finance manager role is where salaries usually move above LKR 250,000.

If you are still choosing a qualification, the accounting certification salary guide compares AAT, CA, CIMA and ACCA. If you searched for the client-servicing "account executive" job in advertising or sales, the sales executive salary guide is the closer match.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary of an accounts executive in Sri Lanka?

Most accounts executives in Sri Lanka earn about LKR 70,000-120,000 a month in 2026. A junior accounts executive with AAT or part of CA, CIMA or ACCA usually starts at LKR 60,000-90,000. Senior accounts executives with four or more years of experience and a near-complete professional qualification earn about LKR 120,000-200,000. These are editorial estimates from job adverts and employer pay ranges, not an official scale.

What is the starting salary of an accounts executive in Sri Lanka?

A first accounts executive job usually pays about LKR 60,000-90,000 a month. The lower end is typical at small and medium firms in and outside Colombo. Larger groups, BOI companies and multinationals tend to offer the upper end, especially to candidates who have finished AAT or reached the strategic or professional levels of CIMA, ACCA or CA Sri Lanka.

Is "account executive" the same as "accounts executive"?

Not always. In accounting, an accounts executive handles bookkeeping, reconciliations, payables, receivables and month-end work, which is what this page covers. In advertising, media and sales, an "account executive" is a client-servicing role that manages customer accounts and campaigns. Many people in Sri Lanka search "account executive salary" while meaning the accounting job. If you mean the client-servicing role, see the sales executive and account manager salary guides.

How much does a senior accounts executive earn in Sri Lanka?

Senior accounts executives usually earn about LKR 120,000-200,000 a month. The role often includes preparing management accounts, supervising one or two assistants, handling tax and statutory filings and working with auditors. Pay moves toward LKR 200,000 when the person is close to finishing CA, CIMA or ACCA and works for a large group or multinational.

What qualifications do I need to become an accounts executive?

Employers usually ask for AAT Sri Lanka, or partial CA Sri Lanka, CIMA, ACCA or CMA Sri Lanka, plus one to three years of accounting work. A BCom, BBA or accounting degree is also common. Practical skills matter as much as exams: Excel, an accounting package (for example QuickBooks, Sage, Tally or an ERP such as SAP or Oracle), bank reconciliations, VAT and WHT, and month-end close.

Does a CIMA or ACCA qualification increase accounts executive salary?

Yes. Progress through CIMA, ACCA or CA Sri Lanka is the main thing that moves pay from the junior band to the senior band. Fully qualified members usually move out of the executive title into accountant or assistant manager roles, where pay is typically LKR 150,000-250,000 and above. See the chartered accountant salary guide for qualified pay.

Which industries pay accounts executives the most?

Multinationals, banks and finance companies, large conglomerates, IT and BPO firms and audit-related shared service centres tend to pay the most. Apparel exporters and manufacturing groups pay competitive mid-range salaries. Small trading businesses and family firms generally pay the least, though they often give broader hands-on experience.

Is EPF and ETF deducted from an accounts executive salary?

Yes. Private sector employees contribute 8% of gross earnings to EPF and the employer adds 12% to EPF and 3% to ETF. APIT (PAYE tax) applies only to the part of monthly income above LKR 150,000, so most junior and mid-level accounts executives pay no APIT. The take-home table on this page shows estimates at each level.

What is the difference between an accounts assistant and an accounts executive?

An accounts assistant mainly does data entry, invoicing and filing under supervision, and usually earns about LKR 45,000-100,000. An accounts executive owns a set of accounting tasks such as reconciliations, payables or receivables, VAT workings or month-end schedules, and earns about LKR 60,000-200,000 depending on seniority. The executive role is the usual step between accounts assistant and accountant.

Sources

Employees' Provident Fund - Central Bank of Sri Lanka (EPF contribution rates)
Inland Revenue Department - APIT and tax tables
CA Sri Lanka - Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka
AAT Sri Lanka - Association of Accounting Technicians

Salary ranges are SalaryLK editorial estimates based on public job adverts and employer pay information. They are not an official pay scale.

Level	Gross	EPF 8%	APIT	Take-home
Junior Accounts Executive (0-2 years)	LKR 75,000	LKR 6,000	LKR 0	LKR 69,000
Accounts Executive (2-4 years)	LKR 105,000	LKR 8,400	LKR 0	LKR 96,600
Senior Accounts Executive (4-7 years)	LKR 160,000	LKR 12,800	LKR 600	LKR 146,600
Assistant Accountant / Asst. Manager (6+ years)	LKR 200,000	LKR 16,000	LKR 3,000	LKR 181,000