Tax preparation services in Chicago, IL

1,027 firms in Chicago employ someone the IRS credentials to prepare returns, and 831 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 5 employees per establishment against 4.7 nationally, Chicago is about the national average. In absolute terms that is a market of small 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.

Storefront and seasonal preparers. Average pay in this code is low nationwide because much of the work is part-time and seasonal.

Cite this page

CountingFirms, “Tax preparation services in Chicago, IL”, countingfirms.com/tax-preparation/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.

Tax preparation in other metros

• New York, NY — 1,839 firms
• Los Angeles, CA — 1,534 firms
• Miami, FL — 992 firms
• Atlanta, GA — 672 firms
• Houston, TX — 663 firms
• Dallas, TX — 633 firms
• Washington, DC — 454 firms
• Phoenix, AZ — 449 firms

Other accounting services in Chicago

• CPA firms — 1,818 firms
• Bookkeeping services — 1,407 firms
• Payroll services — 146 firms

Questions

How many tax preparers are there in Chicago?

1,027 firms in Chicago employ someone the IRS credentials to prepare returns — that includes CPAs, enrolled agents, attorneys and holders of the Annual Filing Season Program record.

What is the difference between a CPA, an enrolled agent and an AFSP preparer?

All three may prepare your return. A CPA, an enrolled agent and an attorney can also represent you before the IRS in an audit or appeal. An AFSP holder can only represent you on a return they prepared themselves. If representation matters to you, ask about the credential before you ask about the price.

What do accountants earn in Chicago, IL?

Average annual pay in this category is $34,581 across Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area, against $25,031 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.