1.1.5.4Vertical
State Income Tax Compliance
CPA practices managing state corporate income tax return preparation.
Market snapshot
These figures describe State & Local Tax (SALT) (1.1.5), the segment that State Income Tax Compliance sits within — not State Income Tax Compliance on its own.
FragmentationFragmentedEstimate
No discrete Census NAICS code — SALT services are embedded in CPA offices (541211) and tax-prep firms (541213) and are not separately sized by the Census Bureau.
Business model & economics
Revenue model
Recurring compliance filings plus project advisory and audit-defense fees
Key economics
- Recurring revenue
- Moderate
- EBITDA margin
- 20–30%
- Capex intensity
- Low
sales-tax filings recur; advisory is project-based
Characteristics
- Post-Wayfair economic nexus permanently widened the compliance burden.
- Tax-automation software (Avalara, Vertex) is both a partner and a substitute.
- Credits-and-incentives work can be contingency-priced on realized savings.
M&A deal context
Deal activityModerate
Who’s acquiring
- National & regional CPA firms
- Tax-technology companies
- PE-backed tax advisory platforms
What’s driving deals
- Wayfair-driven demand pulling SALT boutiques into national firms.
- Convergence of tax software and advisory services.
- Specialty credits and incentives growing with reshoring and clean-energy programs.
Find State Income Tax Compliance acquisition targets
Search Acquisera’s index for companies classified under State Income Tax Compliance (1.1.5.4) and build a targeted deal pipeline.
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