# Tax Preparers

US SOC code 13-2082. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/13-2082

Also called: Tax professional, Income tax preparer, Tax associate, Tax consultant, Tax specialist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **76,480** US tax preparers, with median pay of **$54,920** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **83,190**, in May 2021. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block) of **40,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for tax preparers: Online DIY tax software + Free File Alliance, 2003 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-2082&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **62.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.99** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.99. BLS counted **67,810** of these jobs in May 2013 and **76,480** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Tax Preparers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1913
- Latest US employment: 76,480 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $54,920 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +4.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 40,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1980 | 65,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 2000 | 65,280 | $26,000 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [2]; Est., Wikipedia (pay) [5] |
| 2003 | 50,410 | $26,530 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 51,950 | $27,730 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 58,850 | $25,700 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 62,860 | $27,360 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 61,890 | $28,510 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 63,030 | $29,420 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 61,130 | $30,060 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 56,990 | $30,990 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 59,180 | $32,320 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 61,140 | $33,730 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 67,810 | $35,310 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 68,590 | $35,990 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 72,060 | $36,450 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 70,030 | $36,550 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 68,720 | $38,730 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 68,090 | $39,390 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 66,670 | $43,080 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 62,600 | $44,300 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 83,190 | $46,290 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 82,370 | $48,250 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 81,650 | $49,010 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 73,570 | $50,560 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 76,480 | $54,920 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (83)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — H&R Block (founding 1955, first franchise 1956, public 1962)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block), Wikipedia
2. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [BLS OEWS May 2010, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Wage series

5. [Wikipedia — H&R Block (seasonal employment and compensation structure); estimate: tax prep is heavily seasonal (Jan-Apr 15), H&R Block seasonal pay ~$10-14/hr in 2000.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block), Wikipedia
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [Wikipedia — Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (ratification February 3, 1913)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), Wikipedia
9. [Wikipedia — Internal Revenue Code (1939 codification)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Code), Wikipedia
10. [Wikipedia — Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 (employer withholding, signed June 9, 1943)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_Tax_Payment_Act_of_1943), Wikipedia
11. [Wikipedia — H&R Block (January 25, 1955 founding, Kansas City; first franchise 1956 New York; NYSE 1962)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block), Wikipedia
12. [Wikipedia — TurboTax (Chipsoft 1984 founding; Intuit acquisition 1993, $225 million)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboTax), Wikipedia
13. [Wikipedia — IRS Free File (2003 founding; public-private partnership origin)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_Free_File), Wikipedia
14. [O\*NET 13-2082.00: Tax Preparers occupation summary](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2082.00), O\*NET / BLS
15. [Wikipedia — IRS Direct File (2024 12-state pilot; 2025 25-state expansion; 140,000 filers; suspended November 2025)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_Direct_File), Wikipedia

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 13-2082 Tax preparers (2025: 95.8 thousand; 2035: 100.3 thousand; +4.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=13-2082&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 13-2082 Tax Preparers: probability 0.99, rank 695 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
18. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 13-2082.00, human-rated β 0.625)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

19. [Wikipedia — Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (ratified February 3, 1913)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia — Current Tax Payment Act of 1943 (signed June 9, 1943; employer withholding)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_Tax_Payment_Act_of_1943), Wikipedia
21. [Wikipedia — H&R Block (January 25, 1955 founding; Kansas City; first franchise New York 1956; NYSE 1962)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block), Wikipedia
22. [Wikipedia — TurboTax (Chipsoft 1984 founding)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboTax), Wikipedia
23. [Frey & Osborne (2013) — "The Future of Employment" (Tax Preparers 13-2082 at 0.99 probability of computerisation)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School
24. [Wikipedia — IRS Direct File (2024 12-state pilot; 140,000 filers; $90 million refunds)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_Direct_File), Wikipedia

### Predecessors & successors

25. [Wikipedia — H&R Block (seasonal preparers drawn from bookkeeping and accounting backgrounds)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%26R_Block), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Tax Preparers (13-2082.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-2082.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Intuit — TurboTax AI simplifies tax prep for millions with Google Cloud AI (2026 tax season)](https://investors.intuit.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1246/intuit-further-simplifies-tax-prep-for-millions-of-turbotax-customers-this-tax-season-with-google-cloud-ai), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Accounting Today — TaxGPT AI agent completes returns start to finish (Mar 2026)](https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/taxgpt-touts-ai-that-automatically-completes-returns-from-start-to-finish), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Thomson Reuters — Ready to Review: agentic AI for 1040 preparation (Dec 2025)](https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/innovation/transforming-busy-season-introducing-ready-to-review-thomson-reuters-agentic-ai-for-1040-preparation/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [April — 8th-largest online tax provider in the U.S.; 1.4 million returns in 2025 season (Apr 2026)](https://www.finopotamus.com/post/april-demonstrates-growing-demand-for-embedded-tax-filing-with-2025-season-results), accessed 2026-05-23
- [April — $38M Series B to embed tax into every financial decision (Jul 2025)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250723253218/en/april-Raises-$38M-Series-B-to-Embed-Tax-into-Every-Financial-Decision), accessed 2026-05-23
- [CPA Practice Advisor — Canopy Smart Prep powered by Filed: AI-to-review-ready returns (Jan 2026)](https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/01/18/canopy-adds-ai-powered-tax-prep-through-new-filed-integration/176378/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [H&R Block — Sidekick AI + OpenAI partnership deployed for Tax Season 2026](https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/newsroom/company-news/ai-power-combined-with-digital-enhancements/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Federal News Network — IRS Direct File will not be available in 2026 (Nov 2025)](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/it-modernization/2025/11/irs-direct-file-will-not-be-available-in-2026-agency-tells-states/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wages — Tax Preparers, May 2025 (76,480 jobs; median $49,010)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes132082.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Thomson Reuters — How AI will impact the tax and accounting profession (2025 survey)](https://tax.thomsonreuters.com/blog/how-ai-will-impact-the-tax-profession/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Acculink CPA — AI Tax Preparation for CPA Firms: What to Know (2026)](https://acculinkcpa.com/blog/ai-powered-tax-preparation-what-cpa-firms-need-to-know-before-adopting), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Bloomberg Tax — Can AI Replace Tax Professionals? (2025)](https://pro.bloombergtax.com/insights/tax-automation/can-ai-replace-tax-professionals/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [CPA Practice Advisor — Canopy Smart Intake: AI document request lists, saves up to 20 min per client (Oct 2025)](https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/10/16/canopy-launches-ai-powered-client-intake-system/171032/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Karbon — End-to-end tax workflows: client intake to filing and archiving (Jun 2025)](https://karbonhq.com/feature/ai/), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.