Hourly rates charged by accountants are on the rise overall, according to Intuit’s 2007 ProConnection rates survey, which polled more than 1,100 professional accountants.
According to the survey, average rate increases ranged from $1 to $10 per hour. Non-software business consulting and software installation services garnered the highest average hourly rates of $95 and $86 respectively, showing increases of 12 percent and 7 percent.
For the first time ever, the survey showed how Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors' rates compare to those of their peers. According to the survey, Certified ProAdvisors’ average rate for bookkeeping is $60 per hour versus $48 for bookkeepers who are not CPAs or ProAdvisors. The highest hourly rate for bookkeeping is held by CPAs at $71 per hour.
The 2007 Intuit rates survey also revealed a wide variation in pricing for fixed-fee services. For example, for fixed fees in bookkeeping, the highest fees average more than 50 times higher than the lowest fees. In tax preparation, the highest fees across types of returns averaged 80 times more than the lowest fees for the same kinds of returns.
Additionally, the survey showed that more than 35 percent of all respondents offered at least one fixed-fee service, which is an increase of about 3 percent over last year.
The survey also found that general bookkeeping was the most common hourly service (81 percent), while telephone consulting was the least common hourly service (57 percent).
Intuit ProConnection is a free program that provides tools and resources to help accountants serve their clients and grow their practice. Members receive a monthly e-newsletter that includes articles written by experts and practicing accountants. There are more than 100,000 active members of the program.
The survey relies on practitioners to volunteer their rates.
