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AI exposure Business and financial operations

Will AI replace tax preparers?

Tax Preparers. US occupation 13-2082.

12.8%

of the time tax preparers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of tax preparers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 161 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 78% of them.Further along than 78% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for tax preparersWhat tax preparers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 12 tasks for tax preparers. AI use at work shows up in 4 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Check data input or verify totals on forms prepared by others to detect errors in arithmetic, data entry, or procedures.Core task mostly automated 0.90
  2. Furnish taxpayers with sufficient information and advice to ensure correct tax form completion.Core task automated and assisted 0.73
  3. Explain federal and state tax laws to individuals and companies.Core task automated and assisted 0.73
  4. Schedule appointments with clients.Core task automated and assisted 0.72

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

8 of the 12 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Answer questions and provide future tax planning to clients.Core task
  • Calculate form preparation fees according to return complexity and processing time required.Core task
  • Compute taxes owed or overpaid, using adding machines or personal computers, and complete entries on forms, following tax form instructions and tax tables.Core task
  • Consult tax law handbooks or bulletins to determine procedures for preparation of atypical returns.Core task
  • Interview clients to obtain additional information on taxable income and deductible expenses and allowances.Core task
  • Prepare or assist in preparing simple to complex tax returns for individuals or small businesses.Core task
Show the other 2
  • Review financial records, such as income statements and documentation of expenditures to determine forms needed to prepare tax returns.Core task
  • Use all appropriate adjustments, deductions, and credits to keep clients' taxes to a minimum.Core task

How that compares

Among the 29 business and financial operations occupations, tax preparers rank 15. The group averages 17.7%, and its most exposed job is Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists at 64.8%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 158Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers 13.3%
  2. 158Dietitians and Nutritionists 13.3%
  3. 160Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks 13.0%

Just below

  1. 162Personal Service Managers, All Other 12.4%
  2. 163Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers 12.3%
  3. 164Lodging Managers 12.2%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.