The Salary of a Tax Advisor
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that the mean hourly wage for a tax preparer was $17.34 and the mean annual wage was $36,060 in May 2009.
- According to the PayScale website, the entry-level salary of a tax preparer with less than 1 year of experience as of October 2010 was between $22,500 to $48,812.
- The accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services industry employed the most tax preparers, who earned an annual mean wage of $35,740, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that employed high numbers of tax preparers were management, scientific and technical consulting services, with a salary of $38,750; management of companies and enterprises, at $51,500; securities commodity contracts and other financial investments and related activities, at $54,110; and insurance carriers, at $62,090.
- Many of the top-paying industries also employ the most tax preparers. The insurance carriers industry paid the highest salary above other industries with an annual mean wage of $62,090, as revealed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that offered high pay were: legal services, at $58,000; securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments and related activities, at $54,110; management of companies and enterprises, at $51,500; and management, scientific and technical consulting services, at $38,750.
- Massachusetts offered the highest pay above all other states with an annual mean wage of $60,440, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other states that offered high pay were: Alaska, at $57,170; California, at $49,620; Hawaii, at $49,350; and New Jersey, at $48,450.