Tax Prep Wages and Salaries Hit 4-Year High
Even as DIY returns cut into pros’ market share.
By CPA Trendlines
PAY & COMPENSATION
Jeremy Dubow: Raising the Bar for Talent | Big 4 Transparency
Why equity is the new standard for talent retention.
Big 4 Transparency
By Dominic Piscopo, CPA
For CPA Trendlines
Busy Season 2026: IRS Problems, Staffing Issues and Client Wrangling Emerge as Top Pressures
IRS dysfunction replaces OBBBA as top concern.
By CPA Trendlines
With only a week to go before the opening of filing season 2026, tax practitioners are focusing on IRS dysfunction as their biggest potential problem this year
And no wonder. The agency was already chronically underfunded, buried under a mountain of overdue paperwork, and crippled by ancient computer systems when it lost 25% of its workforce in early 2025.
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MORE TAX, PRICING, and THE 2026 OUTLOOK
Today 63% of tax professionals say a beleaguered IRS poses the single biggest risk to this year’s tax season, up from 54% just a couple of months ago, according to the CPA Trendlines Busy Season Barometer.
Outlook 2026: The Painful Paradigm Shift in Staff Pay and Hiring
New jobs data signal fundamental pivot for accounting firms.
By CPA Trendlines Research
The year 2026 may be long remembered as the paradigm-shifting moment when accounting firms were forced to pivot everything from their business models to their budgets.
MORE Outlook 2026, Pay, Hiring
The reason: Salary and pay increases are accelerating even as hiring momentum stalls.
Going into 2026, labor costs have been cleaved from labor supply. The new, structurally higher staffing line is forcing firms to rewrite their budgets as well as business models.
Outlook 2026: Can Tax & Accounting Payrolls Keep Surging to New Highs?
By CPA Trendlines Research
The full tax and accounting industry—which includes accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services—has hit a new record high with 1,163,600 jobs, representing an annualized growth rate of 2%, which is measurably stronger than the year-over-year 1.23% gain, according to new data examined by CPA Trendlines. But a choppy economy and political volatility have accountants and observers alike wondering if the trends can continue in 2026
CPA offices managed to add 1,700 jobs over the past year, keeping the segment on a slow but positive trajectory. Employment at offices of certified public accountants is holding steady at 544,300 positions, matching the month-before figure. The revision from the previous estimate of 544,600 marks a modest 0.06% downgrade. The year-over-year trend improved slightly to 0.3%, up from 0.2% in the prior report. READ MORE →