Senior Internal Auditor Average Salary & Hourly Rate in 2025
Senior internal auditors are responsible for conducting internal auditing based on auditing standards and regulatory requirements and using established auditing governance frameworks and procedures.
The senior internal auditor's salary is affected by different factors like experience level, location, and education. Read on as we give you their salary overview, responsibilities, and job outlook moving forward.
An Overview of Senior Internal Auditor Salaries
As of June 12, 2025, the average salary of senior internal auditors is $100,690 per year or $43 per hour in the United States, ranging between $84,260 to $118,457, with most senior internal auditors earning $92,090 to $109,990.
| Percentile | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10% | $84,260 |
| 25% | $92,090 |
| 50% | $100,690 |
| 75% | $109,990 |
| 90% | $118,457 |
The industry of job titles has an effect on its salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has no wage data specific for senior internal auditors, only for auditors in general.
According to BLS, auditors in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services earn $80,510, while those in finance and insurance can earn $87,980. Here are the median annual wages of the top industries:
- Finance and insurance: $87,980
- Management of companies and enterprises: $86,010
- Government: $81,120
- Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services: $80,510
Senior Internal Auditor Salary: Hourly, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Breakdown
The average salary for senior internal auditors per week is $1,717 while the average salary per month is $7,441. Here is the breakdown of the hourly, weekly, monthly, and yearly pay for senior internal auditors:
- Average salary per hour: $43
- Average salary per week: $1,717
- Average salary per month: $7,441
- Average salary per year: $100,690
How Experience Impacts Senior Internal Auditor Salaries
For senior internal auditors, the entry level will be $95,184. A senior level earns $97,087, whereas the expert level with more than 8 years of experience can expect $104,321 per year on average.
- Entry level senior internal auditor: $95,184
- Intermediate level senior internal auditor: $95,818
- Senior level senior internal auditor: $97,087
- Specialist level senior internal auditor: $101,796
- Expert level senior internal auditor: $104,321
State-by-State Breakdown of Average Salaries for Senior Internal Auditor
Senior internal auditor salaries vary across different states in the US due to differences in industry presence, cost of living, and local economies.
The top 5 states with the highest average senior internal auditor salaries are: the District of Columbia at $111,490, California at $111,090, Massachusetts at $109,590, New Jersey and Washington at 109,190, and Alaska at 108,990.
| State | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Alaska | $108,990 |
| Alabama | $92,490 |
| Arkansas | $90,990 |
| Arizona | $98,090 |
| California | $111,090 |
| Colorado | $102,790 |
| Connecticut | $107,590 |
| District of Columbia | $111,490 |
| Delaware | $101,990 |
| Florida | $95,290 |
| Georgia | $97,090 |
| Hawaii | $105,290 |
| Iowa | $96,390 |
| Idaho | $93,990 |
| Illinois | $102,690 |
| Indiana | $96,690 |
| Kansas | $95,890 |
| Kentucky | $94,790 |
| Louisiana | $95,790 |
| Massachusetts | $109,590 |
| Maryland | $103,790 |
| Maine | $98,190 |
| Michigan | $99,190 |
| Minnesota | $103,090 |
| Missouri | $95,690 |
| Mississippi | $89,790 |
| Montana | $95,090 |
| North Carolina | $95,690 |
| North Dakota | $99,490 |
| Nebraska | $94,890 |
| New Hampshire | $101,790 |
| New Jersey | $109,190 |
| New Mexico | $93,290 |
| Nevada | $99,690 |
| New York | $107,090 |
| Ohio | $98,090 |
| Oklahoma | $93,090 |
| Oregon | $102,290 |
| Pennsylvania | $100,290 |
| Rhode Island | $104,390 |
| South Carolina | $94,390 |
| South Dakota | $91,490 |
| Tennessee | $94,090 |
| Texas | $98,190 |
| Utah | $96,390 |
| Virginia | $101,390 |
| Vermont | $98,890 |
| Washington | $109,190 |
| Wisconsin | $99,090 |
| West Virginia | $90,690 |
| Wyoming | $96,590 |
Senior Internal Auditor Salaries: Top Earning Cities Revealed
The top 3 cities with the highest pay for senior internal auditors are San Jose at $126,990, San Francisco at $125,790, and Oakland at $122,990. Here is the list of other top-paying cities in the United States:
| Top Paying Cities | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $126,990 |
| San Francisco, CA | $125,790 |
| Oakland, CA | $122,990 |
| New York, NY | $116,690 |
| Queens Village, NY | $115,990 |
| Paramus, NJ | $115,090 |
| Passaic, NJ | $114,990 |
Explore Senior Internal Auditor Benefits and Perks Beyond Salary
Senior internal auditors receive benefits and perks alongside their annual base salary and average additional cash compensation. In Salary.com’s HR-reported data, the average total compensation for senior internal auditors includes social security, healthcare, and pension.
- Social Security: $8,093
- 401K/403B: $4,443
- Disability: $2,116
- Healthcare: $8,352
- Pension: $5,713
- Time off: $13,020
Senior Internal Auditor Job Description: Roles and Responsibilities
Senior internal auditors are responsible for conducting internal auditing based on auditing standards and regulatory requirements and using established auditing governance frameworks and procedures.
They review internal processes, transactions, documentation, and systems to validate compliance, evaluate effectiveness, identify issues, and prepare reports and recommendations for remediation. Moreover, they coordinate with or prepare reports for external auditors or regulatory bodies.
According the BLS, here are the specific roles they usually do:
- Review financial statements to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance
- Compute taxes owed, arrange tax returns, and ensure proper and timely tax payments
- Examine account books and accounting systems for efficiency and use of accepted accounting procedures and identify potential risks for fraud
- Organize, analyze, and maintain financial records
- Analyze financial operations, determine risks and challenge, and provide recommendations to management
- Propose ways to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and improve profits
When and How to Ask for a Raise as a Senior Internal Auditor
As a senior internal auditor, the proper conduct of internal auditing that meets standards and regulations is your responsibility. So, if you are eyeing for a pay raise, here are ways to prepare your pitch for a salary increase:
- Reflect on achievements. Assess your performance as an internal auditor in terms of identifying and mitigating risks, increasing the efficiency of organizational processes, giving valuable insights, and ensuring reliability and compliance.
- Research the benchmark. By looking at market trends, find the most appropriate salary that aligns with your current position, qualification, location, and industry. The average senior internal auditor salary in the United States is $100,690 per year or $43 per hour.
- Choose the perfect timing. To ensure positive outcomes, pitch your proposal when your projects and management are doing well, when given additional responsibilities, or during performance reviews.
- Be open to discussion. Healthy negotiation is key to good pay raise experience. Avoid using demanding tones and lean towards solutions and alternatives. Listen to the management’s side while properly articulating your grounds.
Why Does Senior Internal Auditor Make So Much?
Senior internal auditors require 4 to 7 years of experience in the related field, so it accounts for their salary.
It also helps senior internal auditors have highly compensated skills, which translates to higher salary increases. In Salary.com’s Real-time Job Posting Salary Data, you can view job skills for senior internal auditors that give them greater compensation:
- Internal Audit: +8.07% salary increase
- Life Insurance: +6.34% salary increase
- Audit Documentation: +5.83% salary increase
- Internal Controls: +5.34% salary increase
- Auditing: +4.54% salary increase
- Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP): +3.45% salary increase
The Future of Senior Internal Auditor: Job Outlook and Career Trends
While the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a job outlook and career trends specific for senior internal auditors, they have data generally for accountants and auditors.
From 2023 to 2033, BLS projects that the employment of auditors will grow by 6%, which is faster than the average for all jobs. In fact, there are an average of 130,800 job openings for auditors every year.
