Tax Preparers Salary
In Florida, tax preparers earn $49,020 at the median, or about $23.57 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $94K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.58), that's roughly $49,726 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 47% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Florida. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $49K get you in Florida?
About tax preparers
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What this looks like in Florida
Pay for tax preparers in Florida runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $55K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 48% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.58) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tax preparerss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Florida
Entry-level tax preparers (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $94K or more, a $64K spread from bottom to top.
Tax Preparers salary by metro in Florida
15 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naples-Marco Island | $60K | +22% | 130 |
| Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor | $59K | +21% | 70 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | $59K | +20% | N/A |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | $58K | +18% | 150 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | $58K | +18% | 100 |
| Ocala | $55K | +12% | 110 |
| Punta Gorda | $50K | +3% | 60 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $50K | +2% | 430 |
| Tallahassee | $50K | +1% | 80 |
| Jacksonville | $50K | +1% | N/A |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $49K | -1% | 1,060 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $48K | -1% | N/A |
| Port St. Lucie | $46K | -6% | 140 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | $46K | -7% | 130 |
| Lakeland-Winter Haven | $46K | -7% | 100 |
Showing 1–10 of 15 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Florida numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tax preparer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Florida?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 48% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tax preparers in Florida?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tax preparers typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,823/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 91% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tax preparer a high-paying job in Florida?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $49K here vs. $55K nationally.
How does Florida compare to the national average for tax preparers?
Florida pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.58), the purchasing-power equivalent is $50K — below the national median.
How much do tax preparers make in Florida?
The median is $49,020 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $30,380, and experienced tax preparers can clear $94,330. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Florida?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,452/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 48% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tax preparers salary go in Florida?
Florida has a Regional Price Parity of 98.58 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tax preparers salary is worth about $49,726 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tax preparers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.