Hiring a tax preparer in Chicago, IL

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay tax preparers a median of $48,670, with the middle half of the market between $44,500 and $63,180. Chicago residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $86,405, which is 78% above what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a tax preparer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$44,500
Median	$48,670
75th percentile	$63,180

Half of tax preparers in this area earn between $44,500 and $63,180. A band set below $44,500 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Chicago residents earn

$86,405

Median earnings of Chicago residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 121,526 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 78% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

Residents here already earn more than this role pays, so your offer is competing with whatever they currently commute to.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.
Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.
Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.
Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns.
Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 13-2082.

Tools and technologies in demand

Intuit TurboTax, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Tax compliance property tax management software, Tax software, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Access.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. 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.

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.

The average Chicago commute runs 33.5 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

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 preparers. 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 median would bill roughly $9,734 to $14,601 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.

Price this search

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