How Much Do Tax Accountants Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary tax accountants make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for tax accountants and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of tax accountants are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much tax accountants can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Tax Accountants
According to data from 2023, there were about 1,500,254 positions for tax accountants in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for tax accountants was reported to be $79,893. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 434,500 job postings related to positions for tax accountants.
How Much Money Do Tax Accountants Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money tax accountants and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for tax accountants.
Annual Salary for Tax Accountants
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for tax accountants and related professions earned about $50,440 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $137,280 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for tax accountants in the United States in 2023 was $79,893.
Annual Salary Range For Tax Accountants In 2023
Hourly Salary for Tax Accountants
The BLS also breaks down compensation for tax accountants by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for tax accountants in 2023 was $38. Lowest hourly earners took home $24 while the highest reported hourly salaries for tax accountants was $66.
Hourly Salary Range For Tax Accountants In 2023
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Degree Options for Tax Accountants
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Advertised Compensation for Tax Accountants
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for tax accountants, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for tax accountants.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Tax Accountants
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 316,270 job postings related to tax accountants, advertised salary was included in 137,633 of them, which was 44%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for tax accountants was $73,088 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Tax Accountants
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for tax accountants. Based on 32% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for tax accountants in the United States is about $35.
Salary Trend for Tax Accountants
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for tax accountants. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for tax accountants dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for tax accountants have increased 21%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Tax Accountants
What's the Job Growth for Tax Accountants?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for tax accountants over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 1,500,411 jobs for tax accountants in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 145,880 jobs will be added. That's a 9.7% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Tax Accountants
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about tax accountants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for tax accountants.
What do tax accountants do?
Tax Accountants: How do you become one?
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