The US had 1,595,200 accountant and auditor jobs in 2025, with a median salary of $83,680, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% growth through 2035. Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs are moving the other way, projected to fall 6% over the same decade. The supply of new accountants turned up in 2024 to 2025 for the first time in years, small businesses keep moving their books to cloud software, and the federal 1099-K threshold for marketplaces is back to more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions. Figures were last checked on November 9, 2026.
Accounting jobs and pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook was updated in 2026 with 2025 employment, May 2025 pay and projections to 2035.
Accountants and auditors
- Jobs, 2025: 1,595,200
- Median pay, May 2025: $83,680 a year, or $40.23 an hour
- Projected growth, 2025 to 2035: 5%, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations
- New jobs by 2035: 79,400
- Openings per year: about 115,300 on average, many of them replacing people who change careers or retire
Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
- Jobs, 2025: 1,532,400
- Median pay, May 2025: $50,670 a year
- Projected change, 2025 to 2035: a 6% decline, or 85,600 fewer jobs
- Openings per year: about 144,100, all from replacing workers who leave
Routine recording work is shrinking. The judgment work of reviewing, explaining and advising on the numbers is growing. For a product business, that shift is visible in what an outside accountant will and will not do for the fee.
The CPA pipeline
The AICPA publishes an annual Trends report on accounting education and the CPA Exam. The 2026 edition reports:
- Bachelor's degrees in accounting rose 8.5% in the 2024 to 2025 academic year, the first increase in recent years.
- Master's degree completions fell over the same period, though combined bachelor's and master's completions rose.
- First-time CPA Exam candidates in 2025 reached their highest level since 2018, excluding the temporary surge tied to the CPA Evolution exam transition.
- Accounting graduates remained the majority of new graduate hires reported by participating public accounting firms.
One good year does not end a shortage that built over a decade. It does mean the pipeline stopped shrinking, which matters to any business that has struggled to find a bookkeeper or CPA who knows marketplace accounting.
Small business accounting software
Two of the largest small business accounting platforms publish their customer counts.
- Intuit (QuickBooks): 8.9 million online ecosystem paying customers at the end of fiscal 2026, up 3%. Intuit's definition includes QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, Mailchimp and related online products. QuickBooks Online Accounting revenue grew 23% in fiscal 2026, and the Global Business Solutions segment brought in $12.9 billion, up 16%.
- Xero: 4.9 million customers worldwide, according to Xero's investor relations page.
Neither company breaks out how many of those customers sell on marketplaces. What the numbers do show is where small business books live in 2026: in the cloud, connected to bank feeds and, for multichannel sellers, to their sales channels.
Tax thresholds ecommerce sellers ask about
This section describes how the rules work. It is not tax advice. Talk to a CPA about your own situation.
- Form 1099-K: the One, Big, Beautiful Bill retroactively restored the earlier federal threshold. Payment apps and online marketplaces must file a 1099-K only when payments to a seller exceed $20,000 and the number of transactions exceeds 200 in a calendar year, according to the IRS. Payment card transactions have no threshold. Platforms can still send a 1099-K below the threshold, and all income is reportable whether or not a form arrives.
- Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC: for tax years beginning after 2025, the minimum reporting threshold for many payments rose to $2,000 from $600, with inflation adjustments starting in 2027 (IRS Publication 1099).
- Sales tax: 45 states and the District of Columbia levy a statewide sales tax. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon do not, though Alaska allows local sales taxes. Thirty-eight states have local sales taxes (Tax Foundation, midyear 2026).
- Highest rates: California has the highest state rate at 7.25%. Louisiana has the highest average combined state and local rate at 10.13% (Tax Foundation, midyear 2026).
Worked example: when a 1099-K is and is not required
Both conditions have to be met. Illustrative numbers for one marketplace in one calendar year:
- $18,000 in payments over 400 transactions: no 1099-K required, because payments do not exceed $20,000
- $25,000 in payments over 150 transactions: no 1099-K required, because transactions do not exceed 200
- $25,000 in payments over 250 transactions: a 1099-K is required
In all three cases the income is taxable. A seller on four marketplaces can receive one form, four forms or none, and the books still have to reconcile to what was actually sold. Our post on the 1099-K for Amazon sellers in 2026 covers the reconciliation.
What these numbers mean for your books
Fewer bookkeepers and more advisory accountants push the same way: the business is expected to arrive at the accountant with clean, reconciled data. Three implications:
- Data entry is the part being automated. Marketplace settlements, fees and refunds should flow into your accounting system without retyping. That leaves the accountant's time for review and tax planning.
- A 1099-K is a cross-check, not your revenue number. The IRS says the gross amount on the form is not adjusted for fees, refunds or credits. Match it to your books by channel. See how to prepare and file 1099s as an ecommerce business.
- Sales tax follows where you sell. With 45 states and DC taxing sales and local rates in 38 states, growth on a new channel can add filing obligations in states you have never filed in. Start with our multi-state sales tax FAQ.
ConnectBooks syncs marketplace sales, fees and refunds into QuickBooks or Xero and helps sellers match their 1099-K. If you need an accountant who works with marketplace sellers, browse the ecommerce accountant directory.
Frequently asked questions
How many accountants are there in the US?
The BLS counted 1,595,200 accountant and auditor jobs in 2025, plus 1,532,400 bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk jobs.
What does an accountant earn?
The median annual wage for accountants and auditors was $83,680 in May 2025, according to the BLS. The median for bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks was $50,670.
Is there a shortage of accountants?
The pipeline shrank for years, but the AICPA's 2026 Trends report shows bachelor's degrees in accounting up 8.5% in 2024 to 2025 and first-time CPA Exam candidates in 2025 at their highest level since 2018, excluding the CPA Evolution surge. BLS projects about 115,300 openings for accountants and auditors each year through 2035.
What is the 1099-K threshold for 2026?
Payment apps and online marketplaces must file Form 1099-K when a seller's payments exceed $20,000 and transactions exceed 200 in a calendar year. The IRS says the One, Big, Beautiful Bill reinstated this threshold retroactively. Income is taxable whether or not you receive a form.
Sources
- Accountants and Auditors, Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Occupations with the most job growth, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2026
- 2026 Trends: A Report on Accounting Education, the CPA Exam, and Public Accounting Firms' Hiring of Recent Graduates, AICPA
- Intuit Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2026 Results, Intuit, August 25, 2026
- Xero investor information, Xero
- Form 1099-K FAQs: General information, Internal Revenue Service
- Publication 1099 (2026), Internal Revenue Service
- State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026, Tax Foundation, July 6, 2026
Take Control of Your E-Commerce Business with ConnectBooks
Running an e-commerce business comes with plenty of challenges, but ConnectBooks is here to make your life easier. With real-time insights, seamless integrations, and detailed tracking of your profitability and inventory, you can stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re selling on Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, TikTok or eBay, ConnectBooks helps you manage your finances with 100% accuracy and confidence, so you can focus on growing your business.
Ready to level up? Start making smarter, data-driven decisions every step of the way. Try ConnectBooks Free Today or Schedule a Demo
