Tax Preparers: salary, outlook & degrees
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
Middle half $38,910–$76,300. 76,480 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
69% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $72,618.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 9,400 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | 35% | Accounting |
| Business Management And Administration | 10% | Business Administration |
| Finance | 6% | Finance · Insurance |
| General Business | 5% | Business |
| Economics | 3% | Economics |
| Political Science And Government | 3% | Political Science |
| Psychology | 2% | Psychology |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 2% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Biology | 2% | Biology |
| Mathematics | 2% | Mathematics |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| New York | $71,850 |
| California | $70,030 |
| Utah | $66,720 |
| Montana | $63,080 |
| Missouri | $62,780 |
| Colorado | $62,620 |
| Alaska | $62,360 |
| New Hampshire | $61,370 |
| Oregon | $61,370 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,270 |
| Nevada | $60,000 |
| Minnesota | $59,200 |
| Virginia | $58,520 |
| Massachusetts | $58,400 |
| Wyoming | $57,990 |
| Rhode Island | $57,680 |
| North Dakota | $57,060 |
| Illinois | $54,480 |
| Iowa | $53,660 |
| South Dakota | $52,530 |
| Delaware | $51,960 |
| Mississippi | $50,670 |
| Georgia | $49,330 |
| Florida | $49,020 |
| Ohio | $49,020 |
| North Carolina | $48,130 |
| Texas | $47,460 |
| Kansas | $47,300 |
| Maine | $47,150 |
| Maryland | $47,020 |
| PR | $46,730 |
| Michigan | $46,400 |
| Indiana | $45,710 |
| Washington | $45,370 |
| Arizona | $44,770 |
| Wisconsin | $44,340 |
| New Jersey | $43,420 |
| Nebraska | $43,010 |
| Oklahoma | $42,700 |
| Connecticut | $41,130 |
| South Carolina | $39,220 |
| Louisiana | $38,740 |
| New Mexico | $38,060 |
| Kentucky | $36,620 |
| Tennessee | $36,600 |
| West Virginia | $35,880 |
| Arkansas | $35,040 |
| Hawaii | $34,720 |
| Alabama | $33,280 |
Florida metro areas
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$48,550
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$50,220
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$58,020
- Port St. Lucie$46,100
- Naples-Marco Island$59,610
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$45,820
- Ocala$54,880
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$57,920
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$57,890
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$44,320
- Richmond$62,160
- Kingsport-Bristol$42,700
- Roanoke$53,630
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$65,120
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$84,240
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$81,180
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$60,430
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$70,170
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$62,050
- Fresno$58,970
- Modesto$64,630
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Knowledge used
- Economics and Accounting
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Law and Government
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Tax Preparers: questions
How much do tax Preparers make?
Tax Preparers earn a U.S. median $54,920 a year; the middle half earn $38,910 to $76,300 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $60,915 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is tax Preparers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,400 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a tax Preparer?
BLS lists the typical entry education as high school diploma or equivalent. In O*NET's survey, 24% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is accounting (35%).
How much do tax Preparers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $49,020 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $54,920 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 13-2082. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Tax Preparers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/tax-preparers.