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The national median salary for Tax Preparers is $50,565 per year ($24.31/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,752 and $75,587 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $96,242 per year. There are approximately 73,570 tax preparers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.5%
Faster than average
Annual openings
10K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
91K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services
NAICS 541200
70K
$49,630
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
830
$71,540
Software Publishers
NAICS 513200
800
$61,020
Legal Services
NAICS 541100
390
$63,580
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities
NAICS 523000
360
$88,250
Wage range across top 5 industries: $49,630 to $88,250 (78% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.66
$30,493
P25
$18.15
$37,752
P50MEDIAN
$24.31
$50,565
P75
$36.34
$75,587
P90
$46.27
$96,242
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.0%
Quits Rate
1.2%
Finance and Insurance openings surged to 428K (+98K) in March, pushing the openings rate to 6.0% -- the highest in any major sector. Quits ticked up to 1.2%. Demand for finance talent has reaccelerated sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average tax preparers salary?
The national median salary for Tax Preparers is $50,565 per year ($24.31/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,752 and $75,587 annually.
How much do top-earning tax preparers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Tax Preparers is $96,242 per year ($46.27/hr). The 75th percentile is $75,587 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for tax preparers?
Entry-level Tax Preparers (10th percentile) earn approximately $30,493 per year ($14.66/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,752 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.