Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$63,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$6,000
9.8% of base
Total target cash
$69,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$3,50050th$6,00075th$10,000
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.
Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.
Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.
Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
Top skills:Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingTime ManagementSpeakingActive Learning
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Tax Preparer pay by experience level
Entry level$35,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$40,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$57,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$79,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$102,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+4.5%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
10,400
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Tax Preparer salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
74,040 workers
$63,000
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services
72,250 workers
$62,500
Publishing Industries
1,240 workers
$61,000
Software Publishers
1,240 workers
$61,000
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
1,010 workers
$81,500
Legal Services
640 workers
$67,500
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities
310 workers
$82,000
Social Assistance
50 workers
$55,500
Individual and Family Services
50 workers
$55,500
Nondepository Credit Intermediation
40 workers
$99,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 134,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
57.3%
White
74%
Black or African American
14.3%
Asian
5.1%
Hispanic or Latino
23.7%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $44,300 to $54,920.
+24.0% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$35,000
Early career25th percentile
$40,500
Median50th percentile
$57,000
Experienced75th percentile
$79,000
Top earners90th percentile
$102,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.
Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.
Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.
Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Professional, Administrative, or Executive exemption
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Exempt when paid above the salary threshold, provided they satisfy the duties test for one of the FLSA exemption categories. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$63,000
2027$65,000
2028$67,500
2029$70,000
2030$72,500
2031$75,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Keep your market comparison in a print-ready PDF, with negotiation targets, a script using your numbers, and a five-year market-pay illustration. Career ladder where available.
StateYears of experienceCurrent salary
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Tax Preparer in the United States is about $63,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Tax Preparer?
Most Tax Preparer pay falls between about $40,500 (25th percentile) and $79,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $102,500.
What does a Tax Preparer do?
Core responsibilities include: compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables; and use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
Is pay for Tax Preparer roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $44,300 in 2020 to $54,920 in 2025, a change of +24% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Tax Preparer pays 33% below the average across 47 roles in the Business and Financial Operations job family (family average $94,500).
Similar-paying roles in Business and Financial Operations
Need Tax Preparer pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
