2018 Intuit Rate Survey

The shape of business is shifting faster than ever before, and it’s important to get a clear understanding of the trends that affect you and your future. Intuit partners, Michelle Long, CPA, and Heather Satterley, EA, surveyed more than 1,000 accounting and tax professionals to provide an in-depth look at several areas of business, featuring rates and technology adoption.

1,002

respondents

Who they are

72.36%

Sole owners of an accounting, bookkeeping, tax, payroll, or consulting practice

16.57%

Owners or partners in a business/firm that serves multiple clients

4.09%

Professionals in a business/firm that serves multiple clients

2.79%

N/A – works for a company, not with multiple clients

2.50%

Managers in a business/firm that serves multiple clients

1.00%

Senior staff in a business/firm that serves multiple clients

0.69%

Paraprofessionals in a business/firm that serves multiple clients

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Designation

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.1258.98%34.93%26.95%15.97%15.17%8.08%7.58%BookkeeperAccountant (not CPA)Certified Public AccountantCertified bookkeeperTax accountantAccountant with other certifications (CMA, CITP, etc.)Enrolled Agent (EA)

Years in business

20.70%

20+ years

20.37%

6-10 years

20.15%

3-5 years

18.08%

11-19 years

12.85%

1-2 years

7.84%

Just starting my own business

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The vast majority of respondents have been in business between six and 19 years. However, more than 38 percent of respondents have been serving clients for 11 years or more.

Firm size

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.1254%32%5%3%2%1%2%1 (just me)2-56-1011-2021-5051-100101+

ProAdvisor Program status

41%

Paid ProAdvisor Premium

30%

Free ProAdvisor Program (only QuickBooks Online)

28%

Paid ProAdvisor Deluxe

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Average rates by state

+−

Accounting/bookkeeping

HOVER OVER A STATE

$0–55 $55–70 $70–85 $85–100 $100+

Leaflet

Rate changes since 2016

Since our last rate survey was conducted in 2016, the average rates for each service increased, with the highest increases noted for taxes and other services (both 19 percent).

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.1219%19%18%16%16%14%12%12%TaxesOtherIT/network consultingAccounting/bookkeepingPayrollTrainingQuickBooks consultingThird-party app consulting

Pricing method

Compared to 2016, value pricing and fixed fee methods have generally gained popularity across services, while hourly billing has seen an overall decrease.

Pricing for monthly accounting/bookkeeping services, 2016 vs. 2018

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.122016201688%18%2018201857%28%Hourly billingValue pricing

Client acquisition and retention

Though respondents indicated that referrals from existing clients is the most effective source for new clients, nearly a quarter (24.62 percent) said they have received new clients from Facebook, and 18.49 percent said the same for LinkedIn.

Top-rated source for gaining new clients:

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Referrals – from existing clients

50.38%

Referrals – from peers

15.43%

Referrals – Find a ProAdvisor website

12.12%

Referrals – from others

9.44%

Social media

4.72%

Local networking

3.44%

Other

2.43%

Referrals – other websites

2.04%

Average rates and population density

Those who indicated they live in rural or semi-rural areas reported the lowest hourly rates. The southwest region had the lowest hourly rates for categories outside of traditional core accounting services.

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.12$101$89$86$85$83$74Urban (dense)N/ASuburbanMid-sized cityRural (sparse)Semi-rural

Average rate by designation/certification

The average hourly rate increase for the top three specific QuickBooks-related services showed an average increase of 17 percent upon achieving Core Certification and another average increase of 25 percent upon achieving Advanced Certification status.

Increase in hourly billing rates by certification level

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.12$56$73$73$66$84$86$82$106$109Accounting/bookkeepingQuickBooks troubleshooting/consultingTraining

Not certified

Core certified (Desktop or QuickBooks Online)

Advanced certified (Desktop or QuickBooks Online)

Cloud adoption

The majority of respondents (61.75 percent) said they have their accounting data in the cloud, but only about a quarter said they have their clients’ data in the cloud. Interpreted risk of security was the main prohibitor of getting clients’ data migrated.

Respondents indicate where their accounting data is kept:

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In the cloud

61.75%

Not in the cloud

36.75%

Not sure

1.50%

Top goals for the future

More than anything, respondents say that marketing and getting clients are areas that need to be improved next year. Learning and implementing apps was tied for the second highest-rated category at 35.97 percent, which foreshadows increased cloud adoption.

JavaScript chart by amCharts 3.21.1253.7%35.97%35.97%28.32%26.02%25.51%23.47%11.22%Marketing/getting clientsImplementing value pricingLearning/implementing third-party appsProject managementEmployees/staffingGoing paperlessTrainingMoving to the cloud (accounting data)

Dive deeper into the results, and get more insights, tips, and predictions from the experts who created this survey by reading their articles on Firm of the Future:

2018 Intuit Rate Survey: Billing Rates, Value Pricing and Much More

2018 Intuit Rate Survey: Rates by Region, Credential & Certification

2018 Intuit Rate Survey: Best Sources to Find New Clients

2018 Intuit Rate Survey

1,002

respondents

Who they are

Designation

Years in business

The vast majority of respondents have been in business between six and 19 years. However, more than 38 percent of respondents have been serving clients for 11 years or more.

Firm size

ProAdvisor Program status

Average rates by state

Accounting/bookkeeping

Rate changes since 2016

Pricing method

Client acquisition and retention

Average rates and population density

Average rate by designation/certification

Cloud adoption

Top goals for the future

Dive deeper into the results, and get more insights, tips, and predictions from the experts who created this survey by reading their articles on Firm of the Future:

Would you like to receive more information, like the 2018 Intuit Rate Survey results, or participate in future surveys?

Rates per service 2016 vs. 2018 (per hour)

What experts found:

Billing methods for QuickBooks related services 2016 vs. 2018

Billing methods for non-QuickBooks related services 2018

Results suggest that accounting professionals prefer to bill hourly for services where time and effort for the work seems variable or unknown. Tasks that can be streamlined or automated tend to lean more toward fixed fees or value pricing methods.

When it comes to social media, respondents received new clients from the following channels

Respondents said they’ve received clients from the following sources

The most important factor respondents consider when deciding whether to accept or retain a client

Average billing rates for QuickBooks-related services by professional designation

Hourly rates for QuickBooks-related services by ProAdvisor certification

As you can see, it pays to be certified. Those who invested in training and certification were able to charge more for each of their services compared to those who were not yet certified.

Respondents tell us about client cloud adoption

Reasons for avoiding the cloud

Technology products used by respondents

When it comes to keeping up with technology, respondents said they feel: