MAP Survey finds CPA firm starting pay on the rise

Lower starting salaries compared to those in other professions have long been seen as a challenge in recruiting students into the accounting talent pipeline. Survey results released Wednesday show CPA firms boosting compensation for new graduates.

The 2025 National Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) Survey found that new hires with master’s degrees saw starting salaries increase roughly 17% to a median $67,750 from the previous survey in 2023. Salaries for those with bachelor’s degrees rose 11% to $60,834.

The growth in starting pay for master’s graduates was strongest among firms with less than $5 million in net client fees (NCF). Those practices accounted for 81% of the 1,073 firms that completed the survey, which is conducted every two years by the AICPA’s Private Companies Practice Section (PCPS) and CPA.com.

The MAP Survey is the largest benchmarking study of public accounting firms. The survey reports data for the public accounting profession overall as well as firm details that are broken down by size and region. The 2025 survey, fielded from May 5 through July 18, 2025, reveals KPIs and other important financial and practice management information from fiscal year 2024, including data gathered for the first time on firms’ use of artificial intelligence and automation.

Compensation up at all levels

Firms reported that compensation rose for all 10 positions the survey tracks. Among the biggest hikes from the 2023 survey, pay rose 15% for managers over the two-year period.

Equity partners and owners also saw double-digital gains, with their compensation rising 10% to $202,521, which as a median result is affected by smaller firms representing a majority of the respondents. Similarly, net remaining per owner saw a 12% increase to $252,663.  

“Higher starting salaries and more competitive pay across the board will definitely help accounting firms attract and retain more talent,” said Lisa Simpson, CPA, CGMA, vice president–Firm Services at the AICPA. “The profession is making progress in this area, but we need to continue to evaluate pay compared to other career opportunities.” 

Revenue growth continues but not as fast

The starting salary increases came during a time of slowing but still solid growth in firm revenue.

Firms in all seven of the revenue bands tracked by the survey posted median year-over-year increases in NCF, a measure of net revenue calculated by the formula “Gross fees for services + writeups – writedowns.” Here’s a look at NCF trends by firm size:  

• Firms with less than $200,000 in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $106,301 and a median year-over-year NCF increase of 5.2%
• Firms with $200,000 to $500,000 in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $330,000 and a median year-over-year increase of 5.8%
• Firms with $500,000 to $750,000 in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $609,852 and a median year-over-year increase of 6.1%.
• Firms with $750,000 to $1.5 million in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $1.0 million and a median year-over-year increase of 7.1%.
• Firms with $1.5 million to $5 million in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $2.6 million and a median year-over-year increase of slightly under 6%.
• Firms with $5 million to $10 million in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $6.5 million and a median year-over-year change of 6%.
• Firms with least $10 million in annual revenue reported a median NCF of $17.7 million and a median year-over-year change of 9.1%

While growth was steady across the board, it was also slower than it was two years earlier. Year-over-year growth rates in NCF slipped from 0.4 to 4.2 percentage points across the seven size categories compared to year-over-year growth reported in the 2023 MAP Survey. For all firms, the median year-over-year growth checked in at 6.7% compared with 9.1% in the previous survey.

While the 2023 results benefited from a post-pandemic bounce-back in business, the 2025 results may reflect multiple factors including strategic evaluation of the existing client base and capacity considerations while evaluating new client opportunities, according to Simpson.  

Despite the slower growth rate, Erin Hartman, CPA, AICPA senior manager–Firm Services–Public Accounting, sees signs that firms are ready to push forward with strategic growth amid an ongoing push for business model transformation in public accounting.

“There has definitely been a shift from firms being too busy to take on new business to now talking about generating new business and strategically doing so,” she said.

Eye on AI and automation

For the first time, the 2025 MAP Survey asked firms about their attitude and actions related to AI and automation. The results indicate that while most firms are eyeing the technologies, few have taken concrete steps to strategically incorporate them.

AI and automation generated generally positive reviews from firms, with 65% reporting a proactive or open mindset to adopting new tools and 56% indicating they are very or somewhat confident in their ability to adapt to AI and automation in the next three years.

The positive vibes have not yet translated into widespread adoption, with 13% of firms reporting they have already implemented AI and automation successfully.  Asked about barriers to adoption, firms most often pointed to the lack of time to explore or implement the technology. Other barriers cited include limited budget or ROI concerns, lack of internal expertise or leadership, and simply not knowing where to start.

Only 5% of survey respondents had instituted formal training to allow their people to take on strategic roles as automation takes on routine tasks, and 26% had occasional, informal training. Slightly more than one-third were still discussing their options.

As new technologies automate repetitive and manual work, firms will have to decide how to use the resulting added capacity. The survey found that one-third of firms did not yet have a plan. Among those that did, quality of life was their top consideration, with 45% of all the survey respondents saying they would reduce hours to improve work/life balance. Firms also planned to offer more advisory or consulting services (40%), increase client load without adding staff (39%), or offer new services or niche specialization (20%).

“Although some firms are taking a cautious approach to implementing AI and automation tools, it is exciting to see them thinking about the benefits as they look to the future. said Hartman.

Benchmarking and strategy

Hartman, the MAP survey leader for PCPS, stresses that the real power of the survey is realized when firms benchmark their results against the MAP results to identify opportunities for improvement. Results are available on the MAP Survey landing page, and AICPA members can download a national summary and reports by firm size and region. Firms that completed the survey can access results via the Dynamic Benchmarking survey platform. PCPS member firms that completed the survey can access the dynamic capabilities of the platform and analyze data via multiple filters for attributes such as firm size and region.

— Anita Dennis is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. Jeff Drew is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Accountancy. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Drew at Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com.