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Job outlook for tax clerks in the United States
Tax clerk job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected tax clerk job growth rate is -5% from 2018-2028.
About -77,200 new jobs for tax clerks are projected over the next decade.
Tax clerk salaries have increased 10% for tax clerks in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,455 tax clerks currently employed in the United States.
There are 93,267 active tax clerk job openings in the US.
The average tax clerk salary is $32,304.
Are tax clerk jobs in demand?
Tax clerk job and salary trends over time
Tax clerk jobs over time
Tax clerk job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,455 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,262 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 4,465 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,517 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,523 | 0.00% |
Average tax clerk salary over time
Tax clerk salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $32,304 | $15.53 | +2.9% |
| 2025 | $31,405 | $15.10 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $30,651 | $14.74 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | $29,890 | $14.37 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $29,242 | $14.06 | +3.1% |
Tax clerk jobs by state
Most common states for tax clerks
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 163 | 23% |
| 2 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 816 | 20% |
| 3 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 544 | 19% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 180 | 19% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 988 | 18% |
| 6 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 643 | 18% |
| 7 | Alaska | 739,795 | 131 | 18% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,269 | 17% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 536 | 17% |
| 10 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 535 | 17% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 144 | 17% |
| 12 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,149 | 16% |
| 13 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 966 | 16% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 315 | 16% |
| 15 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,918 | 15% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,054 | 15% |
| 17 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 975 | 15% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 887 | 15% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 838 | 15% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 91 | 15% |
Most common cities for tax clerks
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomasville | 1 | 4% | $30,291 |
| 2 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $30,280 |
| 3 | Tampa | 1 | 0% | $29,993 |
Tax Clerk job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of tax clerk experts
Eastern Illinois University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Iona College
University of Texas at El Paso
Florida International University
Winona State University
Bucknell University
Dr. Nicholas Robinson
Director of AccountancyEastern Illinois University
EIU School of Business
What soft skills should all Tax Clerks possess?
Dr. Nicholas Robinson: Thinking of the less than the obvious answer would be the ability to ask questions the right way. If something is unclear or you just cannot figure it out, ask a question. The key part to this is TRYING to figure it out first and understanding when you are wasting your own time not getting anywhere. People will respect that you tried before coming to them for help. Another aspect of asking questions is listening to the answer. Make sure the answer is clear, and you know where or what you are supposed to do from there. Carry a notebook or something like that to both write down the questions you have on your project and their answers. I always find it impressive when people take notes and pay attention to the answer because it happens far too often that people ask questions but never listen to the response.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Tax Clerks?
Dr. Nicholas Robinson: Excel, excel, excel. It does not matter how much you know in Excel. There is always something more to learn, improve upon, or make more efficient. If you are coming straight out of school, you may have had a lot of exposure to Excel, but if you are not using it every day in a work-like setting, you can get slow and forget how things work. Know how to look up techniques and tools. You will spend much of your working life dealing with Excel spreadsheets, so be sure you are comfortable with them.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Tax Clerk job market given the pandemic?
Zev Fried Ph.D.: The good news is that there is still a high demand, if not an even greater demand for CPA's now. Individuals and companies are dealing with unpredictable business cycles and cash flows as well as constantly changing regulations. CPAs are needed to deal with all this and more. Of course, now that remote work is considered normal, it is likely here to stay in one form or another, deepening the pool of talent that employers can potentially dip into.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Tax Clerk job market given the pandemic?
Qian Song Ph.D.: The pandemic has accelerated the immersion of technology in our work and life. People work remotely, study remotely, shop online from grocery to furniture, tour the museums and consult a doctor virtually. Increased closures of brick and mortar stores and online business play a role in the surge of technology stocks. Thus, the pandemic has changed the way companies use technology to conduct business. Ultimately, accounting and other professionals are expected to be proficient in the use of technology in their work. The Big Four and other public accounting firms are increasing their investments in technology such as data analytics and robotic process automation. Entry-level accounting or structured, repetitive, and rule-based tasks are increasingly being automated. Such automation in business processes also occurs in other industries. It is only a matter of time before we see robots and machines (and they do not get COVID) taking over a large number of accounting and other jobs that can be automated. Advances in data analytics will speed up this process and change the nature of the accounting function. For example, instead of a traditional audit sampling, data analytics tools can be used to examine the entire dataset. The accounting firms are expected to hire more data science professionals rather than traditional accountants.
Accounting graduates will face challenges and also opportunities in today's advanced technological environment. Other than the basic accounting knowledge, accounting students can acquire data analytics and technological skills. Although accounting jobs are predicted to increase in the future, the increase is likely to be for the newly transformed accounting jobs that utilize technology
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Tax Clerks?
Dr. Andrew Griffith: As a student (both undergraduate and graduate), the most important experience you can have while a student is collaborating with faculty on research projects that lead to co-authorship of academic research publications in legitimate, highly visible journals. For the past several years, higher education institutions have advocated for continual learning (AKA lifetime learning). I see this become more of a requirement than an elective as the workforce evolves over the next few decades. The institutions that will be truly successful in adding long-term value to their students' futures in the workforce are the ones that embrace research in high quality journals AND include their students on their projects. The collaboration of students with faculty on academic research that addresses real life problems or pushes the field forward is critical to those students' future success because it helps them understand the value of and how to use academic research. That experience also equips these students with the skills necessary to be able to identify early where their field of expertise is going throughout their careers. The engagement of students with current research projects at the undergraduate and graduate levels of higher education is a trend that is emerging in the business disciplines and it will become more obvious as the workforce evolves. In the long run, the lack of engaging students at all levels through serious academic research will certainly contribute to hastening the demise of financially insecure higher education institutions in the U.S.
Regarding certifications and licenses in the accounting field, I cannot emphasize enough that anyone entering the accounting field must make it a priority to obtain more than just the minimum licenses and credentials required to obtain or retain an employment opportunity. Meeting just the minimum expectations of their employment market is insufficient and will limit their employment opportunities. As Charles Windeknecht of Atlas Air Worldwide once said to some of my students, "Today is the day to get ready for the opportunities of tomorrow. If you don't, the opportunities of tomorrow will pass you by." His words are very accurate. To maximize one's employment opportunities while in the workforce, each of us need to exceed the minimum qualifications and expectations of every role we hold and pursue in the workforce. With that in mind, I highly recommend and encourage those in the accounting field to obtain the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) as a minimum qualification goal because this is the #1 credential sought by employers according to Robert Half International (see https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/salaries-and-skills/finance-and-accounting-certifications-employers-want-to-see). Based on the data presented by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, I conclude that approximately half of the people working in the accounting field hold an active CPA license. This statistic alone is suffient enough to justify the CPA as everyone's first license/credential goal in the accounting field. Once that goal has been satisfied, I recommend that each person quickly shift their focus to any major licenses and certifications that are more in line with their career goals and current career opportunities. For example, if a CPA wants to work primarily in income taxation, then that person should also obtain the Enrolled Agent (EA) credential because it adds tangible value to those in the tax field. I also recommend that CPAs and EAs in the tax field consider obtaining the US Tax Court Practitioner (USTCP) credential. Another example involves CPAs who want to work in internal audit; they should obtain the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and other related credentials offered by The Institute of Internal Auditors as quickly as they can. CPAs who want to work in the fraud examination field should consider the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. CPAs who want to seek management positions should consider the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and/or the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from the Institute of Management Accountants.
I highly recommend that "minor" credentials in every field be avoided because they do not add value to one's career. Instead, those consume valuable resources including time and money. Everyone is much better off pursuing well established and widely recognized licenses and credentials that are highly desired by employers and serve to enhance one's career opportunities. With that in mind, the list compiled by Robert Half International is a great starting place. As a selling point to get people to spend their money, most organizations that offer a professional credential in the accounting field make a claim that their credential holders make more money than those without the promoted credential. Such statements are often very misleading or not true. Unless one works for a beauracy (like the federal government), obtaining the next degree or license or certification does not normally result in a salary increase. Instead, the major accounting licenses and credentials will create more career opportunities for their holders that, depending on how one performs with the new opportunities, could lead to other better compensated opportunities. In other words, an employee's performance has a larger role in influencing compensation over time than some of these organizations are willing to acknowlege in their quest to entice people to spend their money to obtain the promoted credentials.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Tax Clerk job market given the pandemic?
David Folsom Ph.D.: Although hiring for new graduates has slowed some, accounting firms are still recruiting for new positions. The students who have placed good job positions demonstrated leadership, adaptability, and a clear vision of what they can offer the firms/companies that employ them. Being able to successfully use technology and adapt to new technology is a needed skill as the workplace for accountants has largely moved to home or remote work. I believe the pandemic accelerated a commitment in the accounting profession to increased flexibility for workers and increased reliance on emerging technologies.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Tax Clerk job market given the pandemic?
Jose Aldrich: -Rapid increase in quality of technology based solutions allowing for robust remote working and business interaction, will support working more from home where the business can adapt and has the technology solutions to support the new working environment. This trend will impact commercial real estate, primarily office space. Some companies may seek to reduce office space.
-Budgets for business travel, large meetings and in-person business meetings may decrease and budgets for remote technology may increase. Business travel industry may need to adapt to the reduced business travel as remote technology solutions continue to evolve.
-E-commerce is on the rise and will continue to increase as consumers become more comfortable with online purchasing (groceries, clothes and household items, etc). Shift from physical stores to virtual stores for a larger percentage of sales will lower cost of entry and give rise to new businesses to support the trend.
-Social norms have adapted to the new pandemic environment and may not fully return to pre-pandemic levels. Face masks, social distancing, handshaking, etc. may become the norm for some time and taper slowly with some habits continuing.
What's a day at work look like for a Tax Clerk?
Jodi Olson: Graduates could see a range of possibilities from working entirely remotely to fully on-site with precautions in place, based on recent graduate and internship experiences we have seen during the pandemic. Except for a very few internships cut short or cancelled immediately at the onset of the pandemic as the profession adapted to unknowns and putting safety measures in place, we have not seen a significant change in the demand for interns or graduates. Some new graduates expect their first day on the jobs to be remote and feel ready to meet that challenge being familiar with the technology required to be productive and communicate virtually. It has become an assumption that precautions are in place, regardless of the remote or in-person setting. It seems that both graduates and employers are working hard together to achieve success, both with caution and the usual high professional standards.
What skills stand out on Tax Clerk resumes?
Curtis Nicholls Ph.D.: The obvious trends are going to become more pronounced: coding and technology-related skills. I think we are going to see an elevation in the coding expectations. In the future, I expect employers to begin providing coding assessments to potential candidates. This is a common feature of engineering and finance jobs, and I think we will see it with respect to claims about coding prowess.
Data skills will also continue to become more prevalent across all business disciplines. Employers are looking for experience with large data sets, data visualization software (e.g. Tableau, PowerBI, Alteryx, etc.) and statistical analysis. Data has become a major currency, and employees' ability to utilize data for decision making will be critical to success in the employment marketplace.
Beyond the obvious, I think the pandemic has also shifted focus to skills surrounding resilience and motivation. I've heard employers during the pandemic express surprise at the disparity of responses to the pandemic: some employees made the pivot to remote work seamlessly, others required significantly more support. Skills that demonstrate resilience, such as group work, honors programs, etc. will become more important.
I would encourage job seekers to highlight skills learned during the pandemic. I would anticipate a regular interview question inquiring about how the job seeker used their extra time during the pandemic. The most common answers will likely include lots of Queen's Gambit and Tiger King, but employers will look for answers surrounding the development of new skills or acquired certifications. Imagine the employer's thoughts when you suggest that you used the extra time to pursue a lifelong dream such as learning to play the piano or guitar. If you missed the early pandemic window of opportunity, take advantage now!
This line of questions may precede a dangerous trend for employers to look for indications of mental strength. I find this possibility disheartening as we could see employers screening employees with mental health challenges at a time when the solidarity of a job could provide much needed structure.