I just consumed hours of H-1B visa content so you don’t have to. Here are my findings.

Accounting isn’t the heaviest H-1B user (that’s IT & Tech) but the profession does rely on international grads in audit, tax, advisory, and increasingly data / automation roles. In 2024, USCIS approved around 400k H-1Bs overall, with 2-3% of those in categories that could include accounting. So while other industries are far more reliant on this program, that may still be thousands of roles in accounting.

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What changes, in plain English

• Cost to hire a new H-1B: Add $100,000 per new worker on top of standard filing and compliance costs. Given most lower-level accounting roles rely on low costs, that essentially wipes out H-1B applicants from the talent pool for firms.

• Who’s not hit by the fee: Existing H-1B holders and extensions aren’t in scope per current reporting. So workers who are already in jobs physically in the US may not be affected based on the current wording.

What this might mean for firms

• The math just doesn’t math out for hiring internationally for lower-level (and most) roles in accounting. Although you could likely spread this cost over 4-6 years, that’s a big additional cost to absorb into hiring from this talent pool.

• From what I was able to find, it seems like mostly the top 10 firms are the ones hiring folks on H-1B visas. This will however affect all firms, as those larger firms may be pulling more heavily from a now more constrained talent market. Combined with the pipeline crisis in accounting, with fewer students opting to study in accounting, this may actually be felt when the talent pool shrinks by a few thousand people for new hires.

• Outsourcing is not currently being impacted by these changes to the administration, although there have been proposals to tax outsourcing as well.

What do I expect to happen to salaries in accounting as a result?

• As was the case in 2024 (see chart at the bottom of the email), I expect this might skew salary increases a bit more to the lower levels in accounting firms in 2026.

• I don’t think this will totally rock the world of accounting though. I could see this possibly pushing salaries higher, or certain firms hoping to attract the cream of the crop students may see a bit more competition on campus, but nothing too crazy.

• If we do see an excise tax implemented on outsourcing (the current proposal is 25%) I do expect that would have a much more profound impact on salaries in the accounting space, as it changes the equilibrium on how worthwhile it is to maintain all of the systems needed to support offshoring, versus hiring onshore talent. Currently, having the increased cost only on the H-1B hires will probably equally promote an appetite for new local hires and for more offshoring.

When there are changes like this in the talent equation for accounting firms, you may see some irregular movement in salary trends, particularly at the lower levels of seniority. So assuming a flat % increase to salaries across the board, or relying on shaky, often outdated data just won’t cut it for your firm’s compensation needs.

And that was already the case. In Tax and Audit in 2024, increases in salary bands were far from being evenly distributed.

Luckily, Big 4 Transparency is here to support your firm’s needs when it comes to compensation data, offering you a view of the entire market, real salaries being paid to accountants, and quarterly updates on new salaries, keeping you on top of changes in compensation in accounting earlier than anyone else.

If you’re looking for help with accounting salaries at your firm, let’s get in touch.