Survey of Chargeable and Total Hours for 2008

Source: Accounting Office Management & Administration Report

Following are highlights excerpted from an AOMAR report on the IOMA 2009 survey:

• Just 63.7 percent of billings are via an hourly rate now, this year’s respondents told us. That means more than a third (36.3 percent) of billings are being done in non-hourly ways, such as set fees for individual services or full engagements, value billing, or other means.
• The average chargeable hours for CPA firm owners among survey respondents was 1,253, up slightly from last year’s 1,217. Total hours among owners were 2,466, up significantly from last year’s 2,324.
• Non-CPA owners billed an average of 1,194 hours, with total hours at 1,880.
• Seniors among responding firms billed an average of 1,702 hours, with total hours of 2,523. This is an increase from last year’s results of 1,535 and 2,206, respectively.
• Supervisors and managers averaged 1,542 chargeable hours and 2,133 total hours this year, compared to last year’s 1,382 and 2,215, respectively.
• Chargeability by firm hours averaged 58.8 percent among all respondents (52.8 percent last year). For owners, chargeability averaged 53.3 percent (49.1 percent last year); among professionals, it averaged 68.9 percent (66.3 percent last year), and among paraprofessionals (non-CPA billers such as non-CPA juniors, accountants, and bookkeepers), it averaged 69.2 percent (68.1 percent last year).

Note that comparisons are affected by the fact that different firms report each year.

To read the entire article and tables, click here.

From Accounting Office Management & Administration Report, Institute of Management and Administration, Inc., Newark, NJ, [email protected], January 2009, p. 1, “Exclusive AOMAR Research: Chargeable & Total Hours Rise in FY08 for Specific Work Areas.”