Tax Preparers Salary
In Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA, tax preparers earn $62,050 at the median, or about $29.83 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $81K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 110.53), so that salary is closer to $56,139 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,693/month, about 66.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $62K get you in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura’s Regional Price Parity (110.53). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tax preparers
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What this looks like in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura sits well above the national pay line for tax preparers, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $55K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,693/month, which is 64.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 11% above the national average (BEA RPP 110.53), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tax preparers in metros near Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $60K | $56K |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $59K | $59K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $65K | $57K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $84K | $73K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Entry-level tax preparers (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $62K. Top earners bring in $81K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Tax Preparers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tax Preparers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $72K | +31% | 7,620 |
| California | $70K | +28% | 10,270 |
| Utah | $67K | +21% | 1,190 |
| Montana | $63K | +15% | 360 |
| Missouri | $63K | +14% | 1,330 |
| Colorado | $63K | +14% | 1,540 |
| Alaska | $62K | +14% | 70 |
| Oregon | $61K | +12% | 1,590 |
| New Hampshire | $61K | +12% | 420 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | +12% | 2,010 |
| Nevada | $60K | +9% | 1,410 |
| Minnesota | $59K | +8% | 1,040 |
| Virginia | $59K | +7% | 1,960 |
| Massachusetts | $58K | +6% | 1,500 |
| Wyoming | $58K | +6% | 90 |
| Rhode Island | $58K | +5% | N/A |
| North Dakota | $57K | +4% | 220 |
| Illinois | $54K | -1% | 1,310 |
| Iowa | $54K | -2% | 780 |
| South Dakota | $53K | -4% | 280 |
| Delaware | $52K | -5% | 240 |
| Mississippi | $51K | -8% | 580 |
| Georgia | $49K | -10% | 1,670 |
| Ohio | $49K | -11% | 1,590 |
| Florida | $49K | -11% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $48K | -12% | 2,710 |
| Texas | $47K | -14% | 6,010 |
| Kansas | $47K | -14% | 450 |
| Maine | $47K | -14% | 250 |
| Maryland | $47K | -14% | 1,240 |
| Michigan | $46K | -16% | 1,660 |
| Indiana | $46K | -17% | 1,820 |
| Washington | $45K | -17% | 1,360 |
| Arizona | $45K | -18% | 2,240 |
| Wisconsin | $44K | -19% | 1,550 |
| New Jersey | $43K | -21% | 3,220 |
| Nebraska | $43K | -22% | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $43K | -22% | 1,300 |
| Connecticut | $41K | -25% | 700 |
| South Carolina | $39K | -29% | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -29% | 650 |
| New Mexico | $38K | -31% | 340 |
| Kentucky | $37K | -33% | 1,080 |
| Tennessee | $37K | -33% | 1,260 |
| West Virginia | $36K | -35% | 330 |
| Arkansas | $35K | -36% | 550 |
| Hawaii | $35K | -37% | N/A |
| Alabama | $33K | -39% | 290 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tax preparers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tax preparer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $62K, rent takes 64.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,693/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tax preparers in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tax preparers typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,402/month. At HUD’s $2,693/month FMR, rent would take 112% 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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $62K here vs. $55K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 11% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura compare to the national average for tax preparers?
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura pays $62K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 110.53), the purchasing-power equivalent is $56K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do tax preparers make in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA?
The median is $62,050 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,040, and experienced tax preparers can clear $80,650. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $62K enough to live in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,153/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,693/month, which eats 64.8% 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 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura?
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura has a Regional Price Parity of 110.53 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tax preparers salary is worth about $56,139 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.