What does it cost to hire a revenue agent in Chicago?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $93,590 median wage in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $18,718 to $28,077 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a revenue agent in Chicago look like?

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents a median of $93,590, with the middle half of the market between $71,990 and $118,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $71,990 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Hiring a revenue agent in Chicago, IL

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents a median of $93,590 a year, with the middle half of the market between $71,990 and $118,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2081). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Chicago residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay?

Chicago residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $86,405 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $81,740 as the median of the 29 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 6%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole business and financial operations group, not this one role. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area the group covers 29 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from tax preparers at $48,670 to personal financial advisors at $113,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents at $93,590 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 29 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Chicago and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does a revenue agent earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents by employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2081.
25th percentile	$71,990
Median	$93,590
75th percentile	$118,870

Half of tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents in this area earn between $71,990 and $118,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $71,990 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 13-2081 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Chicago residents earn

$86,405

Median annual earnings of Chicago residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 121,526 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Send notices to taxpayers when accounts are delinquent.
Confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
Notify taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment, and either issue a refund or request further payment.
Maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken.
Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.

Task statements for SOC 13-2081, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Alteryx software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft PowerPoint, SAP software, Tax compliance property tax management software.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 13-2081 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Chicago?

This is a job zone three: medium preparation needed occupation. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. O*NET OnLine, SOC 13-2081.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 43.3% of Chicago adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Chicago aged 25 and over.

The average Chicago commute runs 33.5 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% of Chicago workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Chicago.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Cook County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 37,366 and turns over 8.9% a quarter, with 7,989 hires against 6,571 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,571 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $93,590 median in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $18,718 to $28,077 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a revenue agent in Chicago

What does it cost to hire a revenue agent in Chicago?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $93,590 median wage in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $18,718 to $28,077 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a revenue agent in Chicago look like?: Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents a median of $93,590, with the middle half of the market between $71,990 and $118,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $71,990 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Chicago residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay?: Chicago residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $86,405 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $81,740 as the median of the 29 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 6%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Chicago?: This is a job zone 3 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 43.3% of Chicago adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a revenue agent somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in Chicago

Chicago is the largest of 1 Illinois cities in this dataset.