What does it cost to hire a tax preparer in St. Petersburg?

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 $48,550 median wage in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $9,710 to $14,565 on the first year salary alone.

Hiring a tax preparer in St. Petersburg, FL

Employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay tax preparers a median of $48,550 a year, with the middle half of the market between $42,770 and $61,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2082). 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 St. Petersburg residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay?

St. Petersburg residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $72,030 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $76,775 as the median of the 28 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 6%, with the employers 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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area the group covers 28 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from credit counselors at $46,130 to labor relations specialists at $101,970 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with tax preparers at $48,550 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 28 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 St. Petersburg 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 tax preparer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to tax preparers by employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2082.
25th percentile	$42,770
Median	$48,550
75th percentile	$61,710

Half of tax preparers in this area earn between $42,770 and $61,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $42,770 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 13-2082 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What St. Petersburg residents earn

$72,030

Median annual earnings of St. Petersburg residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 10,863 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

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.

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

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.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 13-2082 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in St. Petersburg?

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 13-2082.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 41.3% of St. Petersburg adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of St. Petersburg aged 25 and over.

The average St. Petersburg commute runs 25.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% of St. Petersburg 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 St. Petersburg.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Pinellas County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 4,215 and turns over 10.9% a quarter, with 738 hires against 542 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $6,738 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 $48,550 median in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $9,710 to $14,565 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 tax preparer in St. Petersburg

What does it cost to hire a tax preparer in St. Petersburg?: 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 $48,550 median wage in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $9,710 to $14,565 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a tax preparer in St. Petersburg look like?: Employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay tax preparers a median of $48,550, with the middle half of the market between $42,770 and $61,710 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $42,770 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do St. Petersburg residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay?: St. Petersburg residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $72,030 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $76,775 as the median of the 28 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 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 St. Petersburg?: This is a job zone 3 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 41.3% of St. Petersburg 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 tax preparer somewhere else?

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

Other business and financial operations roles in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the 6th largest of 9 Florida cities in this dataset.