Washington · Tax CPA Salary
Tax Manager Salary in Washington
What tax managers earn in Washington — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Washington wage ($96,550) → tax manager role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Tax Manager make in Washington?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Washington wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The tax manager figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Tax Manager · estimated median
$149,700
Modeled median for a tax manager in Washington, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payWashington · verified BLS median
$96,550
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Washington — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Washington payState rank (verified)
#8 of 51
Where Washington ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Washington — not for tax managers, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $66,330 | $31.89/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $79,180 | $38.07/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $96,550 | $46.42/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $122,480 | $58.88/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $152,310 | $73.23/hr | Top earners |
The Washington figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $96,550 median across 34,740 accountants and auditors employed in Washington.
Every tax manager figure on this page — $149,700 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (1.55×), because BLS publishes no tax manager-specific wage.
Comparison
Tax Manager pay in Washington vs. national
Washington's measured accountant median runs +15.4% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Tax Manager — Washington
estimated median
$149,700
+55.0%Tax Manager — national
estimated median
$129,700
+34.3%All accountants — Washington
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$96,550
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
-13.3%
The tax manager estimate sits +55.0% above the verified Washington accountant median and +15.4% versus the national tax manager estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Washington market
What shapes tax manager pay in Washington
Washington has no state income tax and a Seattle metro dominated by large technology employers, which raises pay for accountants supporting tech and corporate finance functions. Pay drops toward the national median outside the Puget Sound region.
A tax manager leads engagements across compliance and planning — individual, corporate, partnership, and international tax — reviewing work, managing client relationships, and supervising associates and seniors. It sits above tax senior on the public-accounting tax track and below senior manager and partner.
Pay reflects specialization and firm size: international, M&A/transaction, and SALT expertise command a premium, and Big 4 and national firms pay above regional and local firms. Busy-season intensity drives overtime and strong raises for top performers.
Role ladder
Tax Manager vs. other roles in Washington
Each level's multiplier applied to Washington's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Washington
On Washington's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $75,300 (Staff Accountant) to $376,500 (Chief Financial Officer). Tax Manager sits at $149,700.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $376,500 | ||
| Partner | $347,600 | ||
| Director of Finance | $236,500 | ||
| Senior Manager | $197,900 | ||
| Controller | $188,300 | ||
| Tax Manager | $149,700 | ||
| Audit Manager | $149,700 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $137,100 | ||
| Audit Senior | $106,200 | ||
| Tax Senior | $104,300 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $98,500 | ||
| Audit Associate | $80,100 | ||
| Tax Associate | $79,200 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $75,300 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Tax Manager pay by experience in Washington
Washington's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the tax manager level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $128,700 | $144,100 |
| 2–4 years | $143,700 | $160,900 |
| 5–7 years | $161,600 | $181,000 |
| 8–12 years | $179,600 | $201,200 |
| 13–20 years | $197,500 | $221,200 |
| 20+ years | $212,500 | $238,000 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Tax Manager pay by employer type in Washington
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $167,600 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $157,100 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $146,700 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $137,700 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $155,600 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Tax Manager pay across Washington metros
BLS measures 11 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Washington. The measured median is verified; the tax manager column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Tax Manager medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $99,370 | $154,000 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater | $94,470 | $146,400 |
| Kennewick-Richland | $93,280 | $144,600 |
| Longview-Kelso | $93,130 | $144,400 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes | $92,920 | $144,000 |
| Walla Walla | $89,630 | $138,900 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard | $88,250 | $136,800 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee | $87,770 | $136,000 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The tax manager column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Washington
Ranked immediately around Washington (#8 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a tax manager weighing a move.
Compare states
Tax Manager pay in other states
Where tax managers are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Washington ranks #8 of 51.
Tax Manager salary in Washington — FAQ
- How much does a Tax Manager make in Washington?
- A tax manager in Washington earns an estimated $149,700 per year, typically ranging from $122,800 to $189,900+. That is +15.4% versus the national tax manager estimate of $129,700. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no tax manager-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Washington median for accountants and auditors ($96,550) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Washington?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or tax managers specifically. For Washington, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $96,550, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $79,180–$122,480 and 34,740 accountants and auditors employed in Washington. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Washington a good state to work as a Tax Manager?
- Washington ranks #8 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running +15.4% versus the national median. Tax managers are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Tax Manager in Washington earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the tax manager estimate of $149,700 runs +55.0% versus the verified Washington median for all accountants and auditors ($96,550). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Washington metro pays tax managers the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue leads Washington at $99,370 — about +13.2% versus Wenatchee-East Wenatchee ($87,770). Tax Manager pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Washington tax manager salary
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