Tax Accounting Programs in Pennsylvania

Educational Information:

With over 121 accounting programs available in Pennsylvania, students can take time to research programs that appeal to them. A tax auditing program prepares students with courses like cost accounting, budget control, legal aspects of accounting, tax auditing processes, accounting for businesses, accounting for the government, accounting professionalism and ethics, financial consulting and other courses.

Licensing Information:

To practice as an accountant in Pennsylvania, individuals must have completed at least 150 credit hours in an approved accounting program. Individuals are eligible to sit for the CPA exam prior to achieving the credit hour requirement. Individuals must also be at least 18 years old and be a resident of both the United States and Pennsylvania. Students should have a bachelor’s degree that includes at least 24 completed credit hours of accounting coursework.

Employment Information:

Accounting firms, government agencies, private corporations and banks make up the majority of employers for accounting students in Pennsylvania. The reality is that many students also choose to pursue employment in other types of fields, such as real estate or law. Some popular career options for accounting students include service as an accountant, personal financial advisor, investment banker, tax lawyer, real estate appraiser, real estate broker, loan officer, insurance underwriter, actuary, financial analyst, budget analyst and even more career options.

As of May 2020, accounting professionals earned an average salary of $77,810 in Pennsylvania, while tax preparers here earned an average salary of $56,010. Between 2018 and 2028, the number of accountant and auditor jobs in the state is projected to increase by 6%, and the number of tax preparer jobs is projected to increase by 5%.

About 5,870 annual job openings for accountants and 290 annual job openings for tax preparers are expected during this ten-year period leading to 2028 due to a combination of new job growth, retirements, and natural job turnover.

May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market trends for accountants and auditors and tax preparers. Figures represent state data, not school specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2021.

Job growth projections for accountants and auditors and tax preparers sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored O*Net database and based on state-specific information (2018-2028)