Quick Facts
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) internship · at a glance
Roles open and close throughout the year. Check CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen)'s careers portal for what is live today, and apply in the first week a role posts.
Before you applyWould your profile get you in?6 questions, under a minute. Compared with real interns who landed similar roles.Check my oddsAlso in this guide
Put real project work on your résumé, with the Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling Externship or the Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis & Strategy Externship.
Explore all externships →All quick facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | CLA Workday job board (one posting per office or region), linked from the early careers page, which also has a talent community sign-up |
| Application window (2027–28) | Winter 2027 (January to April 2027): 43 postings live on Oct 11, 2026, no stated end date. Winter 2028 (January to April 2028): 21 postings live; five carry cutoffs of Oct 12 to 16, 2026. Summer 2027 (June to August 2027): 4 postings left. Summer 2028: not posted, no date announced |
| Rolling? | Mixed. Denver, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City (Oct 12), Chicagoland (Oct 15), Minneapolis, Atlanta and Nashville (Oct 16) set dates for winter 2028; other offices state none |
| Eligibility | Working toward a bachelor's degree, accounting or finance strongly preferred; tax and audit roles add CPA exam credit eligibility; no GPA or sponsorship line in any posting |
| Duration | Winter: January to April. Summer: June to August. Full-time or part-time by office (20, 24 and 30-hour minimums all appear) |
| Compensation | Published only in pay-transparency states. Tax and audit: $25 to $35 an hour (Minnesota, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, California). Internal operations: $17 to $27. CAAS in Illinois: $21 to $27 |
| Return offers | No conversion rate published; the early careers page pairs internship and associate roles |
| Locations | Office and client-site based across about two dozen states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio, California and Washington; no remote intern posting found |
| # Programs | 6 tracks: Tax/Audit, Internal Operations, Client Accounting and Advisory Services, Business Risk, Business Valuation, Fund Administration |
Last updated: October 2026
CLA's main internship isn't a summer program. On October 11, 2026, the Workday job board of CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) listed 68 intern postings: 43 for winter 2027, 21 for winter 2028 and only 4 for summer 2027. A winter internship at CLA is a busy-season role that runs January to April, mostly tax and audit work. In plain words: you apply in fall 2026 for an internship that starts in January 2027 or January 2028, depending on the office.
Check your office's dates first. Five winter 2028 postings carry application periods or end dates between October 12 and 16, 2026, and the rest state no end date. Where state law requires it, CLA prints pay on the posting: tax and audit interns see $25 to $35 an hour across six states.
What Is a CLA Internship?
A CLA internship is a paid student role at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP), a national audit, tax and consulting firm. Most are winter busy-season internships from January to April; a smaller group runs June to August. Interns prepare tax returns, support audits, or process client tax documents in a local office. CLA says it has nearly 9,000 people in more than 120 US locations, and in a June 2024 release it called itself "the eighth largest accounting firm in the United States" and said more than 400 college interns had started that month. Vault ranks CLA #12 on its Most Prestigious Accounting Firms list (2027 Vault Rankings). The firm formed in 2012 from the merger of Clifton Gunderson and LarsonAllen. CLA also runs a separate paid high school internship each June for students aged 16 to 18; this page covers the college roles.
When Do CLA Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?
CLA recruits in one fall wave, office by office. Every one of the 68 intern postings live on October 11, 2026, went up between August 26 and October 7, 2026. Lead times differ by cohort: winter 2027 postings sit about 3 to 4.5 months ahead of a January 2027 start, summer 2027 postings about 8 to 9 months ahead of June 2027, and winter 2028 tax and audit postings about 15 to 16 months ahead of January 2028. There's no national deadline. The winter 2027 tax and audit postings are re-posts of older requisitions, so their first posting date isn't known. Summer 2028 isn't posted, and CLA hasn't announced when it will be.
Applications are open. On October 11, 2026, CLA's board listed 43 postings for winter 2027, 21 for winter 2028 and 4 for summer 2027. Winter 2027 covers tax and audit, internal operations, CAAS and fund administration; winter 2028 is tax, audit and assurance.
Winter 2028 cutoffs by office: Denver, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City, application period September 21 to October 12; Greater Chicagoland, posting end date October 15; Minneapolis, posting end date October 16; Atlanta and Nashville, October 1 to October 16 (Nashville calls it a priority period). Past these dates, look at the offices with no stated cutoff.
Winter 2027 internships run January to April 2027, through tax season. The few summer 2027 internships (business risk, business valuation, one tax and audit office) run June to August 2027.
Summer 2028 and winter 2029 aren't posted and CLA hasn't given dates. This year's whole wave posted between late August and early October, so fall 2027 is when to watch the board. We have one dated cycle to go on, so treat this as low confidence.
Winter 2028 internships run January to April 2028. CLA publishes no intern-to-associate conversion rate; tax and audit roles are written around CPA exam eligibility, the path into its associate jobs.
How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.
Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open
CLA's urgency depends on the office. Some winter 2028 offices set hard cutoffs. The Denver, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City posting states "Application Period: September 21 - October 12" and says applications are "reviewed after the posting closes." Atlanta states October 1 to October 16, and Nashville calls the same dates a "Priority Application Period." The Chicagoland and Minneapolis postings carry end dates of October 15 and 16. If a date has passed when you read this, that office is closed for winter 2028. Everywhere else, no end date is stated. The Minnesota postings say applications are "accepted and reviewed throughout the application period," so earlier applicants get read sooner. Postings do come down: the summer 2027 tax and audit role in Denver and the business risk role in Nashville had already closed by October 11. The calendar also looks to be moving earlier. Reddit posts from 2023 and 2024 describe offers one to three months before the start (community-reported), against 15 to 16 months for winter 2028.
Which CLA Internship Programs Should You Target?
CLA posted six intern tracks in fall 2026. Tax/Audit and Internal Operations account for 60 of the 68 postings.
| Program | Focus | Cohorts posted | Hours and published pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax/Audit Intern (also titled Tax, Assurance) | Prepares individual, corporate and partnership tax returns; audit, review and compilation work | Winter 2027 (15), winter 2028 (21), summer 2027 (1) | Full-time or part-time by office; $25 to $35 an hour where published |
| Internal Operations Intern | Intake, scanning and tracking of client tax documents; assembling returns; e-filing | Winter 2027 (23) | Part-time; $17 to $27 where published |
| Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAAS) Intern | Payables, receivables and payroll processing; simple account reconciliations for clients | Winter 2027 (4) | Part-time; $21 to $27 in Illinois |
| Business Risk Intern | Reviews client controls over business processes, networks, servers and security devices | Summer 2027 (2) | Tempe posting: 40 hours a week; pay not published |
| Business Valuation Intern | Financial models, comparable company analysis and valuation reports | Summer 2027 (1, Indianapolis) | Pay not published |
| Fund Administration Intern | Reconciliations and statements for real estate, private equity and venture funds | Winter 2027 (1, Minneapolis) | Full-time; $27 to $31 |
Counts are postings, not seats: one posting can cover two to five offices. Filter the CLA board by your city.
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
We read all 68 intern postings on CLA's board on October 11, 2026. They share a short list of requirements:
• Degree: "Working towards the achievement of a bachelor's degree" with a "Degree in Accounting or Finance strongly preferred." Business risk adds management information systems.
• CPA track: 37 of 68 postings (the tax and audit family) ask that you're "achieving credit requirements to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam per state requirements."
• Basics: general knowledge of accounting principles, Microsoft Windows and Office, and a "willingness to learn new technologies."
• Transport: 67 of 68 ask for "reliable transportation and willingness to travel to client sites."
• GPA, class year, work authorization: none of the 68 states a GPA, a graduation window or a sponsorship policy.
Is There a GPA Cutoff at CLA?
Not a published one. No CLA intern posting names a GPA, and the firm's early careers page doesn't either. Community reports suggest the door is wider than at larger firms: second-year students describe getting interviews, and a community college sophomore reported a spring tax internship in an Arizona office (Reddit, 2023). The internal operations role asks only for progress toward a bachelor's degree, so it's the easier first step if you haven't finished intermediate accounting.
Profile Match · Extern Data
Could You Get In at CLA? Compare Your Profile
Based on 127 Big 4 audit and tax interns at the Big 4 from the classes of 2025 and 2026 (public LinkedIn profiles, aggregated). Six questions, under a minute.
Which summer are you applying for?
Recruiting timelines differ by class year, so we compare you with the right group.
Which group is your school closest to?
Firms recruit on campus in tiers. We match you against admits from schools like yours.
Is your major accounting?
Accounting is the credential the Big 4 screen for first; other business majors are less common.
How many internships, externships or research positions have you held so far?
Count anything with a real employer, mentor or principal investigator attached. Retail and food service do not count.
Has any of that experience been accounting-related?
Accounting, tax, audit or bookkeeping. A local CPA firm or a company finance department counts.
Are you in a Beta Alpha Psi, accounting society or business fraternity?
About a third of Big 4 admits were members before the offer.
Aggregated from public LinkedIn profiles of people who held the internship. No individual profile is shown. Read the full Big 4 intern profile analysis and the cross-industry study of 2,500+ intern profiles.
What Skills Does CLA Look For, and How Do You Build Them?
The tax and audit postings describe the job in one line: interns prepare "individual, corporate, partnership, and other types of tax returns" and perform "audit, review, compilation, and other assurance services." They also ask interns to support several client engagements "on time and within budget." Internal operations postings are about process: organizing, scanning and tracking tax documents, assembling returns and e-filing under "strict government deadlines." The two business risk postings add IT controls, and they prefer candidates working toward a CPA, CIA, CISA, CRISC or CISSP.
What CLA looks for in interns
Skills across 68 CLA intern & analyst job descriptions · live US intern postings, October 2026
Method: phrase counts across the full text of all 68 CLA intern postings live on its Workday board on October 11, 2026. Twenty-three of the 68 are Internal Operations roles, which is why document handling ranks where it does.
How Is Demand for Accounting Interns Moving Right Now?
Accounting intern postings · Sep vs Aug 2026
vs 362 in August
For CLA applicants: All 68 intern postings on CLA's board on October 11, 2026, went up between August 26 and October 7, and 64 of them are winter busy-season roles. Search its board by city this month instead of waiting for a summer posting.
Daily US job-posting counts, Sep 1–30 vs Aug 1–31, 2026. Covers under half of US postings; shows direction, not market size. Pay = median of employer-published ranges only (83 postings in September, 44 in August).
Build These Skills Before You Apply
Each CLA skill below maps to a remote Externship that leaves you with a finished project to describe in an interview.
| Skill (from real JDs) | JD evidence | Externship that builds it |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting principles and financial statements | 45 of 68 postings: "General knowledge of accounting principles and reporting of financial data" | Yinan Zhao Investing & Financial Modeling |
| Financial models and company analysis | Business Valuation: "Creates customized financial models" and "comparable company financial analysis" | HP Tech Ventures Deal Sourcing & Startup Analysis |
| Organized data handling | CAAS and Internal Operations: reconciliations, document tracking, keeping client records current | Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis & Strategy |
| IT and security controls | Business Risk: "controls relevant to the business, network, security devices, servers and end-user computing devices" | Hydroficient Advanced: IoT Cyber Defense |
None of these replaces accounting coursework, which the tax and audit postings assume. They add a project you can walk through when the interviewer asks what you've done.
What Is the CLA Application and Interview Process Like?
CLA doesn't publish its interview steps. This is what the postings and applicant reports show:
1. Find your office's posting. CLA posts by office or region, so search the Workday board by city. The early careers page has a talent community sign-up for alerts.
2. Apply on Workday. Offices with an application period say applications are "accepted throughout the application period and reviewed after the posting closes."
3. Recruiter screen. Applicants describe a phone or Zoom call with a campus recruiter (community-reported, 2024).
4. Staff interview. Either a 30-minute Zoom with four staff members or an in-person visit with two back-to-back interviews, two staff in each (community-reported, 2024).
5. Decision. Timing varies by office. One applicant reported an offer letter two days after interviewing (community-reported, September 2025).
Reported questions were behavioral, with no technical round. Our behavioral interview guide covers the STAR format applicants mention.
What Students on Reddit Say
CLA intern threads on r/Accounting cover the interview, the tax work itself and busy-season hours.
Applicants said the internship interview was calm and behavioral: how you'd handle a situation, why CLA, why this role. No technical questions came up, and one applicant had an offer letter two days later.
A tax intern in an Arizona office started on corporate and partnership returns, then moved mostly to individual returns. The team was friendly, the budgeted hours per return were the stressful part, and keeping detailed notes on every change helped.
A second-year student had a campus recruiter call, then a 30-minute Zoom with four staff. Another applicant's final round was in person and relaxed, built around the resume, with standard conflict and teamwork questions at the end.
Asked whether busy-season interns work overtime, commenters said to assume yes. One said interns at their branch complained about constant weekend work, and that it depends on the office.
How Do You Stand Out for a CLA Internship?
Three moves. First, search by city and season, not by "summer." Sixty-four of the 68 postings are winter roles, and each office runs its own calendar. If you can work January to April 2027, winter 2027 had the most postings open. Second, show you're on the CPA path. Tax and audit postings ask that you're earning the credits to sit for the exam, so know your state's rule and your graduation plan. If you're early in the degree, the internal operations role is the realistic entry point. Third, prepare behavioral stories and ask about hours. Applicants report conflict, teamwork and "why CLA" questions. Weekly hours differ by office, and Reddit commenters say to expect overtime in busy season, so ask. CLA said more than 400 college interns started in June 2024; it publishes no applicant count or offer rate.
What Other Companies Should You Consider?
Students applying to CLA usually look at the other national firms outside the Big 4, especially those with Midwest offices.
- RSMClosest national competitor, also with Minnesota roots and a middle-market client baseGuide →
- Baker TillyOverlaps with CLA across Wisconsin and the upper MidwestGuide →
- WipfliWisconsin and Minnesota firm recruiting from many of the same campusesGuide →
- Forvis MazarsTop-10 US firm with a large audit and tax intern classGuide →
- Plante MoranMidwest regional firm that recruits summer interns well over a year aheadGuide →
Our Big 4 accounting and audit internships guide compares recruiting calendars across the largest firms.
FAQ
Can I still apply for a summer 2027 CLA internship?
Only in a few offices. On October 11, 2026, four summer 2027 postings were live: business risk in Tempe and Maumee, business valuation in Indianapolis, and tax and audit in Albuquerque. The Denver tax and audit and Nashville business risk postings had already closed. Most open CLA internships are winter roles starting January 2027 or January 2028.
When do CLA internship applications open?
In a fall wave, office by office. All 68 intern postings live on October 11, 2026, went up between August 26 and October 7, 2026, covering winter 2027, summer 2027 and winter 2028. Summer 2028 isn't posted and CLA hasn't announced a date, so watch the board again from late summer 2027.
Does CLA have internship application deadlines?
Some offices do. For winter 2028, Denver, Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City state an application period of September 21 to October 12, 2026; Atlanta and Nashville state October 1 to October 16; the Chicagoland and Minneapolis postings end October 15 and 16. Other postings give no end date, so apply as soon as your office appears.
What is a winter internship at CLA?
It's a busy-season internship that runs January to April, when tax returns and audits peak. Most roles are tax and audit or internal operations, and hours vary by office: postings mention 20-hour, 24-hour and 30-hour minimums as well as full-time. The winter 2027 and winter 2028 cohorts were both posted in fall 2026.
How much do CLA interns make?
CLA prints pay only where state law requires it. Tax and audit postings list $27 to $31 an hour in Minnesota, Colorado and Maryland, $29 to $31 in Virginia, $25 to $35 in Illinois and $29 or $30 to $35 in California. Internal operations postings list $17 to $27 depending on the state.
What GPA do you need for a CLA internship?
CLA doesn't state one. None of the 68 intern postings we read on October 11, 2026, mentions a GPA. They ask for progress toward a bachelor's degree, with accounting or finance strongly preferred, and tax and audit roles add being on track for the credits your state requires to sit for the CPA exam.
What is the CLA internship interview like?
Applicants on Reddit describe two steps: a phone or Zoom call with a campus recruiter, then a 30-minute panel or two back-to-back interviews with staff. Questions were behavioral, in the STAR style, with no technical questions, and one applicant got an offer letter two days later. These are community reports from 2024 and 2025.
Do CLA interns get full-time offers?
CLA doesn't publish a conversion rate. Its early careers page pairs internships with associate roles, and the tax and audit postings are built around CPA exam eligibility, which points to a hiring pipeline. One Reddit intern reported a full-time offer after a spring internship. Ask your interviewers what share of interns receive associate offers.
CLA's winter postings are live now and some offices close this month, so apply to your office first. Then build something to talk about: a remote Externship gives you a finished finance or data project for the behavioral interview.
About the Author
Bifei Wang has spent 17 years focused on human flow and the growth of young professionals, spanning international education, career training and coaching, and recruitment process outsourcing. Over 7 years at Extern, he has had one-on-one sessions with thousands of students exploring careers in consulting, finance, tech, marketing, and data, giving him a firsthand view of how the job market has shifted for early-career professionals and what it actually takes to break in.
