Illinois · Tax Manager Salary
Tax Manager Salary in Illinois
What tax managers earn in Illinois — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Illinois wage ($80,230) → tax manager role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Tax Manager make in Illinois?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Illinois 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
$124,400
Modeled median for a tax manager in Illinois, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payIllinois · verified BLS median
$80,230
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Illinois — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Illinois payState rank (verified)
#21 of 51
Where Illinois 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 Illinois — not for tax managers, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,510 | $26.21/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $66,290 | $31.87/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $80,230 | $38.57/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $102,270 | $49.17/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $131,990 | $63.46/hr | Top earners |
The Illinois figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $80,230 median across 54,930 accountants and auditors employed in Illinois.
Every tax manager figure on this page — $124,400 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 Illinois vs. national
Illinois's measured accountant median runs -4.1% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Tax Manager — Illinois
estimated median
$124,400
+55.1%Tax Manager — national
estimated median
$129,700
+61.7%All accountants — Illinois
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$80,230
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+4.3%
The tax manager estimate sits +55.1% above the verified Illinois accountant median and -4.1% versus the national tax manager estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Illinois market
What shapes tax manager pay in Illinois
Illinois pay is concentrated in the Chicago metro — a top-tier hub for corporate finance, insurance, and Big 4 and national accounting firms. Outside Chicagoland, wages move toward the national median, and the metro’s higher pay comes with a higher cost of living.
The tax manager owns a portfolio of client engagements end to end — planning, review, technical positions, and the client relationship. The CPA license is effectively required at this level, and business development starts to matter.
Local pay depends heavily on the firm mix in the market: Big 4 and national-firm offices carry a brand premium over regional and local practices at the same title. Specialized groups — international, M&A, partnership, and SALT — command more than general compliance work.
Role ladder
Tax Manager vs. other roles in Illinois
Each level's multiplier applied to Illinois's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Illinois
On Illinois's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $65,800 (Tax Associate) to $288,800 (Partner). Tax Manager sits at $124,400.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner | $288,800 | ||
| Senior Manager | $164,500 | ||
| Tax Manager | $124,400 | ||
| Tax Senior | $86,600 | ||
| Tax Associate | $65,800 |
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 Illinois
Illinois's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the tax manager level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $106,900 | $119,700 |
| 2–4 years | $119,400 | $133,700 |
| 5–7 years | $134,300 | $150,400 |
| 8–12 years | $149,200 | $167,100 |
| 13–20 years | $164,200 | $183,900 |
| 20+ years | $176,600 | $197,800 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Tax Manager pay by employer type in Illinois
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 | $139,300 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $130,600 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $121,900 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $114,400 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $129,300 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Tax Manager pay across Illinois metros
BLS measures 8 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Illinois. The measured median is verified; the tax manager column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Tax Manager medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $86,440 | $134,000 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $82,360 | $127,700 |
| Peoria | $79,540 | $123,300 |
| Decatur | $76,720 | $118,900 |
| Bloomington | $76,510 | $118,600 |
| Rockford | $75,260 | $116,700 |
| Kankakee | $71,610 | $111,000 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $69,670 | $108,000 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The tax manager column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Illinois
Ranked immediately around Illinois (#21 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 — Illinois ranks #21 of 51.
Tax Manager salary in Illinois — FAQ
- How much does a Tax Manager make in Illinois?
- A tax manager in Illinois earns an estimated $124,400 per year, typically ranging from $102,800 to $158,600+. That is -4.1% 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 Illinois median for accountants and auditors ($80,230) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Illinois?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or tax managers specifically. For Illinois, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $80,230, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $66,290–$102,270 and 54,930 accountants and auditors employed in Illinois. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Illinois a good state to work as a Tax Manager?
- Illinois ranks #21 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -4.1% 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 Illinois earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the tax manager estimate of $124,400 runs +55.1% versus the verified Illinois median for all accountants and auditors ($80,230). 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 Illinois metro pays tax managers the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Springfield leads Illinois at $86,440 — about +24.1% versus Champaign-Urbana ($69,670). 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 Illinois tax manager salary
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