Tax Preparers
SOC 13-2082 · 2024-2034
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $71,205per year
- Projected openings
- 15,610
- Projected change
- +12.1%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Speaking
- Time Management
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $86,070 | 1,370 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $85,150 | 1,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $76,050 | 4,060 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $76,014 | 2,300 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $62,701 | 240 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $61,540 | 70 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $58,912 | 150 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $58,322 | 770 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $58,077 | 40 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $55,887 | 690 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $52,679 | 30 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $49,562 | 1,350 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $45,712 | 250 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $45,580 | 70 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $45,356 | 90 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $45,345 | 50 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $45,121 | 130 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $44,887 | 50 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $44,347 | 110 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $40,691 | 40 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $39,132 | 40 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $37,218 | 780 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $36,545 | 40 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $35,588 | 40 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | Not reported | 90 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents | $75,353 | 7,640 | +4.3% |
| Accountants and Auditors | $98,678 | 154,340 | +7.5% |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $132,516 | 28,210 | +9.4% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $60,632 | 178,570 | -4.1% |
| Credit Counselors | $68,246 | 1,690 | +4.2% |
| Credit Analysts | $99,502 | 2,580 | -9.4% |
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