Tax Accounting Programs in Maine

Educational Information:

Tax auditors in Maine are responsible for evaluating the finances of an individual or business to ensure compliance with all local, state and federal tax laws. Other duties include interviewing financial stakeholders, advising clients on tax liabilities and regulations, identifying wasteful spending and preparing reports of audit results. You may work for a private organization as an internal auditor or for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Licensing Information:

People who work directly with the financial records of others are required to possess a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential. Before you can take the exam, you need to have completed at least 120 hours of a bachelor degree program in accounting or finance. Additionally, 15 semester hours must be in accounting, ethics and auditing combined with at least three hours each of auditing and accounting coursework. Your educational requirements must be fulfilled within 120 days of taking the exam. The Maine Board of Accountancy requires you to have 150 semester hours of post-secondary coursework before receiving your CPA certificate. As of 2021, the total fee for the CPA exam in Maine is $888.

Employment Information:

As of May 2020, accounting professionals earned an average salary of $70,720 in Maine, while tax preparers here earned an average salary of $40,650. Between 2018 and 2028, the number of accountant and auditor jobs in the state is projected to increase by 0.2%, and the number of tax preparer jobs is projected to decrease by 3%.

About 490 annual job openings for accountants and 40 annual job openings for tax preparers are expected during this ten-year period leading to 2028 due to a combination of new job growth, retirements, and natural job turnover.

May 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and job market trends for accountants and auditors and tax preparers. Figures represent state data, not school specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2021.

Job growth projections for accountants and auditors and tax preparers sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored O*Net database and based on state-specific information (2018-2028)