How We Build the Directory

Every listing on accounting8 comes from public records. This page sets out which records, what a firm needs to get its own page, and how the lists are ordered, so that any list on the site can be checked.

The numbers

Sources

• Google Maps business listings. Business fields only: name, address, phone, website, category, opening hours, and the aggregate star rating with its review count. Review text, reviewer names, photos and other personal data are not collected.
• The IRS register of paid tax return preparers (PTIN). Public. Used to flag listed firms that appear in it and to add preparers the map listings miss.
• Company LinkedIn pages. Business pages only, linked from a firm’s profile when the website matches. No personal profiles.

Which firms get a profile page

A firm gets its own page if it meets one of these rules:

• at least 5 Google reviews and a website;
• a match in the IRS preparer register, a website, and at least 1 Google review;
• for registered agents: a website or at least 1 Google review.

Firms below that bar still appear as plain rows on their city page, with phone and website, but get no page of their own. A city gets its own page when at least 3 firms there have profiles; a service within a city when at least 5 do.

Services

Each firm is placed in one service from its own Google category and business type: CPA and accounting firms, bookkeepers, tax preparers, financial planners. Registered agents are identified from category and business name. A firm whose Google category is wrong can land in the wrong service; tell us and we move it.

How lists are ordered

Every list is sorted by Google rating, then by number of reviews, then by name. The top-rated city lists use the same order but only admit firms with at least 5 reviews and a website. Payment plays no part, and there is no paid tier.

What the badges mean

• Verified on Google: the business has verified its Google Business Profile, which means it controls the profile. It says nothing about licensing or quality.
• IRS PTIN: the firm’s name and location match an entry in the IRS preparer register.

accounting8 does not check professional licenses. To confirm that someone is a licensed CPA, use the state board lookup: how to verify a CPA license.

Limits of the data

• Phone numbers, hours and ratings change between data collections. The firm is the final source.
• A firm that has closed can stay listed until the next collection or until someone tells us.
• Firms with no public listing, or none in our four states, are not in the directory.

To add, correct or remove a firm, see add or update a listing.