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One reason top-performing

firms brought in twice the

median net income per

partner of all firms is that

they charge more.

one captured in the 2018 MAP survey, this article
compares the attributes of all the participating
accounting firms with those of the 25% with the
highest net income per partner. Full survey results
are available on the AICPA website to PCPS
members and firms that participated in the survey.
The PCPS team planned to publish an in-depth
analysis of the survey results early in 2022, but a
quick comparison of top-performing firms with
their peers finds the following differences of note.
When compared with the overall survey results,
the results of the top 25% of firms in terms of net
income per partner showed that these top perform-
ers had:
ouble the revenue per partner. Double the ■ Median net client fees per partner of nearly
profit per partner. Double the compensation $1.25 million, compared with a median of
Dper partner. $556,654 for all firms.
Those are three of the revelations about how ■ Median net remaining per owner (profit) of
top-performing accounting firms compare with slightly above $490,000, compared with about
their peers, as measured by the 2021 National $208,000 for all firms.
Management of an Accounting Practice (MAP) ■ Median partner compensation of just under
survey from the AICPA Private Companies $400,000, compared with about $167,000 for
Practice Section (PCPS). all firms.
The survey, fielded earlier this year, drew A full list of net client fees and net remaining
responses from more than 1,000 U.S. accounting per owner can be found in the table “Revenue,
firms on a series of questions about dozens of Profitability, and Performance.”
financial and other firm benchmarks. The MAP What accounts for the significantly higher
survey had been conducted biennially since it revenue, profit, and compensation reported by
was launched more than 20 years ago, but it was top-performing firms? The survey results provide a
delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic few clues.
and the massive amounts of work accounting firms
took on related to tax changes and government FIRM SIZE AND LONGEVITY
relief programs. Top-performing firms generally had more people
Because the 2021 MAP survey collected results and more years in service than all firms. While the
during a period significantly different from the median top-performing firm is no giant with

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