Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-2082

Tax Preparers

The published band from $33,760 to $99,270 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Financial Risk Specialists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Tax Preparers: Financial Risk Specialists ($117K) , Logisticians ($82K) , Business Operations Specialists, All Other ($83K) , Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes ($83K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Tax Preparers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-2082 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructio…
  2. 2. Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum
  3. 3. Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion
  4. 4. Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances
  5. 5. Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses
  6. 6. Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns
  7. 7. Check data input or verify totals on forms prepared by others to detect errors in arithmetic, data entry, or procedures
  8. 8. Explain federal and state tax laws to individuals and companies
  9. 9. Answer questions and provide future tax planning to clients
  10. 10. Consult tax law handbooks or bulletins to determine procedures for preparation of atypical returns
  11. 11. Calculate form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required
  12. 12. Schedule appointments with clients

Tax Preparers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-2082 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Economics and Accounting. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.9
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.5
  4. 4. Speaking 3.1
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.1
  6. 6. Time Management 3.1
  7. 7. Writing 3.0
  8. 8. Mathematics 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Economics and Accounting 3.9
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.7
  4. 4. Mathematics 3.6
  5. 5. Law and Government 3.6
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$33,760 to $99,270
median $54,920 · ~2.9× spread
$55K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
10,400
Annual openings
76,480
Estimated US jobs
Financial Risk Specialists
Highest-pay peer · $117K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Tax Preparers

1. California $70,030
2. Colorado $62,620
3. Pennsylvania $61,270
4. Missouri $62,780
5. Alaska $62,360
6. Montana $63,080
7. New Hampshire $61,370
8. Utah $66,720
9. Oregon $61,370
10. New York $71,850

Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations titles

  1. 1. Business Operations Specialists, All Other $83,050
  2. 2. Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes $82,890
  3. 3. Financial Risk Specialists $117,330
  4. 4. Management Analysts $101,860
  5. 5. Logisticians $82,320
  6. 6. Project Management Specialists $102,320

The OEWS band for Tax Preparers runs from $33,760 (10th) to $99,270 (90th), about 2.9× wide, with median $54,920. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 10,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $70,030. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Financial Risk Specialists at $117,330. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Tax Preparers pay-rank #31 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

On the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table (32 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Tax Preparers lands at #31, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Tax Preparers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Tax Preparers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 13-2082

California · top state for Tax Preparers

$70K published median

Colorado · #2 state pay

$63K · behind California

Financial Risk Specialists

Highest-pay peer vs Tax Preparers · $117K

Logisticians

Lower-pay peer beside Tax Preparers · $82K

Compare Tax Preparers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Tax Preparers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Tax Preparers land on the Business and Financial Operations Occupations median table? ▼
Tax Preparers is pay-rank #31 of 32 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Credit Counselors ($52K), Farm Labor Contractors ($58K), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners ($61K), Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents ($62K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do tax preparers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Tax Preparers. Leading ones include: Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructio…; 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. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for tax preparers? ▼
For SOC 13-2082, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.5), Speaking (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Economics and Accounting, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Tax Preparers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $33,760 and the 90th at $99,270 for Tax Preparers (2.9× spread). The national median is $54,920. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Tax Preparers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Tax Preparers is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 10,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Tax Preparers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Tax Preparers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Tax Preparers? ▼
California ($70,030), Colorado ($62,620), Pennsylvania ($61,270) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Tax Preparers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-2082. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Tax Preparers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics