Tax Preparers
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small businesses.
76,480 people do this job in the US. $54,920 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 93%
- 7%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 72%. Today's estimate: 80%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 12 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 33% | 2.1 h50 min to 5 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns.Done daily by most who do it. | 12% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.1 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 11% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Answer questions and provide future tax planning to clients.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 6% | 33 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Explain federal and state tax laws to individuals and companies.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Check data input or verify totals on forms prepared by others to detect errors in arithmetic, data entry, or procedures.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Consult tax law handbooks or bulletins to determine procedures for preparation of atypical returns.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 1% | 33 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Calculate form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required.Done daily by most who do it. | 0.9% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Schedule appointments with clients.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 0.5% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).