The Absence Register
This register records two things most benchmark pages will not: which platforms publish no CPA number at all, and where every number that does appear on this site actually came from. Google, Meta, TikTok and the rest run auctions and publish no rate card; each such absence gets its own row here, stamped "no published number", instead of being papered over with an invented figure. The numbers we do carry resolve to rows too: figure, page, primary source, survey vintage, pull date. Inline copper stamps across the site link back to these rows; the pulled date on each row is the freshness claim.
Registry
Primary claims
Search-ads medians and averages: CPC $5.42, CTR 6.64%, CVR 8.18%, cost per lead $66.69 overall; 23 industry rows
pulled 2026-08-01Scope: Google Ads + Microsoft Ads search campaigns across LocaliQ's North American client base. Cost per lead is the survey's conversion-cost metric; for lead-shaped conversions it is the search-ads CPA.
Accountants and auditors (SOC 13-2011): employment 1,449,500; mean $94,750; percentiles $56,020 / $67,020 / $83,680 / $109,810 / $144,090
pulled 2026-08-02Pulled from the OEWS national flat file (oesm25nat.zip). Covers all accountants and auditors, licensed or not; BLS does not split out CPA credential holders.
CPA exam pass rates, Q2 2026: AUD 49.38%, FAR 42.47%, REG 66.87%, BAR 45.62%, ISC 67.98%, TCP 79.75%
pulled 2026-08-02Average base charge for a Form 1040 with schedules: $236 (2026), up from $162 (2024)
pulled 2026-08-02National Association of Tax Professionals pricing data as reported January 2026.
Per-form averages: itemized 1040 with Schedule A + state $273; non-itemized 1040 + state $143; Schedule C $205; Form 1120-S $717
pulled 2026-08-02Deliberately dated: the last NSA per-form schedule with public figures. Shown only as a historical per-form shape, never as a current price.
TurboTax online: Free Edition $0 (simple 1040 only, roughly 37% of filers qualify); Do It Yourself $0-$149; Expert Assist $89-$209; Full Service from $200; state extra
pulled 2026-08-02Prices are Intuit's listed ranges on the pull date; final price set at filing time.
no published numberNo published rates. Google Ads is auction-priced; advertisers set budgets and bids, costs set per auction
pulled 2026-08-01Explicit no-number row: Google publishes no average CPA. Anything labelled an official Google CPA benchmark is not first-party.
no published numberNo published rates. Meta prices by auction; recommended starting budget of at least $5 is a floor, not a rate
pulled 2026-08-01Explicit no-number row: Meta publishes no official CPA or cost-per-result benchmark.
no published numberDefinition only: Meta's cost per result = total amount spent divided by results, where the result is the campaign objective
pulled 2026-08-01Definitional source, no benchmark numbers.
TikTok Ads published budget floors: campaign budget over $50/day (or lifetime), ad group over $20/day
pulled 2026-08-01Budget floors, not rates. TikTok publishes no CPA benchmark; that absence has its own row below.
no published numberNo published CPA benchmark, first-party or otherwise, from TikTok
pulled 2026-08-01Explicit no-number row.
LinkedIn Ads published floors: $10 minimum daily budget, $2 minimum bid for CPC/CPM campaigns
pulled 2026-08-01Floors, not rates. LinkedIn publishes no CPA/CPL benchmark.
no published numberNo published rates or CPA benchmark. Microsoft Ads is keyword-auction priced like Google Ads
pulled 2026-08-01Explicit no-number row.
no published numberDefinition only: ACoS = ad spend divided by ad-attributed sales. Amazon reports ACoS, not CPA
pulled 2026-08-01Definitional source; no benchmark numbers.
no published numberDefinition only: Google's cost per action = total conversion cost divided by conversions
pulled 2026-08-01Definitional source.
no published numberMechanics only: Target CPA sets bids to average your chosen cost per conversion across auctions
pulled 2026-08-01Definitional source.
Exam structure: three cores (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one discipline (BAR, ISC or TCP) since January 2024; 30-month rolling credit window in most jurisdictions
pulled 2026-08-02Credit-window length is board-specific; most boards adopted 30 months.
AICPA and NASBA approved model legislation in May 2025 adding a bachelor's-plus-two-years licensure pathway; states enact individually
pulled 2026-08-02Per-state enactment status changes; state pages flag which claims were checked at write time.
no published numberRights, no numbers: you can cancel a continuous payment authority with your card provider, and payments taken after cancellation must be refunded
pulled 2026-08-02Regulatory source.
no published numberPolicy fact: the Care Programme Approach was phased out in England from 2021 in favour of the Community Mental Health Framework
pulled 2026-08-02Policy source.
no published numberRules, no numbers: affiliates must clearly disclose material connections to advertisers
pulled 2026-08-02Regulatory source.
no published numberFact, no numbers: enrolled agents hold unlimited practice rights before the IRS, the same representation scope as CPAs and attorneys
pulled 2026-08-02Regulatory source.
Generated
Industry benchmark rows
All 23 industry rows below come from one source: LocaliQ/WordStream Search Advertising Benchmarks, 2026 survey (Google Ads + Microsoft Ads search campaigns), pulled 2026-08-01. Cost per lead is the survey's conversion-cost metric.
| Industry | Avg CPC | Avg CTR | Avg CVR | Avg cost/lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animals & Pets | $4.06 | 7.49% | 16.22% | $31.50 |
| Apparel/Fashion & Jewelry | $4.44 | 6.64% | 4.5% | $97.51 |
| Arts & Entertainment | $1.63 | 12.75% | 5.91% | $26.84 |
| Attorneys & Legal Services | $9.87 | 5.87% | 5.55% | $131.63 |
| Automotive (For Sale) | $2.27 | 8.28% | 6.01% | $44.26 |
| Automotive (Repair, Service & Parts) | $4.35 | 5.56% | 15.51% | $29.96 |
| Beauty & Personal Care | $4.62 | 6.75% | 10.35% | $39.25 |
| Business Services | $5.87 | 6.1% | 4.85% | $93.69 |
| Career & Employment | $5.81 | 5.88% | 3.05% | $67.36 |
| Dentists & Dental Services | $8.00 | 5.66% | 10.67% | $72.97 |
| Education & Instruction | $4.81 | 7.56% | 13.14% | $77.48 |
| Finance & Insurance | $3.39 | 9.83% | 2.64% | $74.44 |
| Furniture | $3.97 | 6.57% | 2.99% | $106.70 |
| Health & Fitness | $6.17 | 5.81% | 6.94% | $67.36 |
| Home & Home Improvement | $8.33 | 6.47% | 8.05% | $90.92 |
| Industrial & Commercial | $5.87 | 6.57% | 8.2% | $75.19 |
| Personal Services | $7.17 | 7.16% | 12.34% | $54.60 |
| Physicians & Surgeons | $4.76 | 6.61% | 12.43% | $40.04 |
| Real Estate | $3.22 | 7.61% | 3.7% | $102.51 |
| Restaurants & Food | $2.05 | 6.83% | 8.05% | $30.57 |
| Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts | $4.14 | 8.28% | 4.01% | $49.40 |
| Sports & Recreation | $2.77 | 8.75% | 7.69% | $44.26 |
| Travel | $2.14 | 9.32% | 5.83% | $44.70 |
Generated
State salary and board rows
Wage figures: BLS OEWS May 2025 state flat file, SOC 13-2011 (accountants and auditors), pulled 2026-08-02. Requirement summaries: compiled 2026-08-02 from each state board's published framework; confirm current rules with the board before acting on them.