CPA firms in Chicago, IL

532 firms in Chicago employ at least one accountant the IRS lists as credentialed, and 439 of them are one-person practices. Grouped below by size, smallest first — because that is the shelf most people actually need.

Why the two counts differ. The firm list on this page covers the city of Chicago and comes from the IRS, which records every credentialed accountant, including sole practitioners working from home. The Census figures cover the whole Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area and count only businesses with paid employees. Different areas, different definitions: the two numbers are not meant to match.

The Chicago market in numbers

At 14.9 employees per establishment against 10.5 nationally, Chicago is above the national average. In absolute terms that is a market of mid-sized practices. That tells you who you will be dealing with rather than what you will pay: where practices are one- and two-person shops you talk to the person doing the work, and where they are bigger you are likelier to get an account manager and cover through filing season.

Licensed CPA practices — audit, assurance, tax planning and advisory.

Cite this page

CountingFirms, “CPA firms in Chicago, IL”, countingfirms.com/cpa/chicago-il, data as of September 1, 2026. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022; IRS Return Preparer PTIN listing, released under FOIA.

CPA firms in other metros

• New York, NY — 4,261 firms
• Los Angeles, CA — 3,514 firms
• Miami, FL — 2,009 firms
• Dallas, TX — 1,197 firms
• Atlanta, GA — 1,179 firms
• Washington, DC — 1,065 firms
• Houston, TX — 1,037 firms
• Philadelphia, PA — 1,028 firms

Other accounting services in Chicago

• Bookkeeping services — 1,407 firms
• Tax preparation — 786 firms
• Payroll services — 146 firms

Questions

How many CPA firms are there in Chicago?

532 firms in Chicago employ at least one accountant the IRS lists as credentialed, and 439 of those are one-person practices. Separately, the Census counts 1,818 accounting establishments with paid employees across the wider Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area.

Should I use a solo CPA or a larger firm?

For a business under a few million in revenue the choice is between a solo practice and a firm of two to five. A solo costs less and knows your business personally, but one person is also one point of failure in filing season. National firms are listed here for completeness — their minimum engagements run into five figures and most do not take small-business clients.

What do accountants earn in Chicago, IL?

Average annual pay in this category is $110,543 across Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area, against $99,530 nationally. Pay is a rough proxy for what a market charges: firms in expensive cities bill more because they pay more.

How do I check that an accountant is actually licensed?

The IRS publishes a directory of credentialed preparers, and every state board of accountancy runs a license lookup. The listings on this page come from the IRS record, which shows a credential — it does not say anything about the quality of the work, and this site does not rank firms.

Firm list: IRS Return Preparer PTIN listing, released under the Freedom of Information Act, February 2026. Market figures: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022. We publish firm-level records only — no individual names or street addresses. Last updated September 1, 2026.