Financial-services demand trends and cross-tabs
How requested services change over time and differ by industry and business size. Shares are calculated within each group, so each row sums to its share of that group's selections.
Data period: Feb 23, 2024 to Oct 25, 2026. Last updated Oct 25, 2026.
Services by quarter
| Quarter | Leading services (share within group) |
|---|---|
| 2026 Q2 | Tax prep & filing 17.6%; Tax strategy & planning 17.0%; Financial planning 6.3%; Investment management 6.2%; Bookkeeping 6.0% |
| 2026 Q3 | Tax prep & filing 23.1%; Tax strategy & planning 21.0%; Bookkeeping 10.3%; Financial planning 6.2%; Investment management 5.1% |
| 2026 Q4 | Tax prep & filing 44.4%; Tax strategy & planning 31.5%; Bookkeeping 24.1% |
Services by industry
| Industry | Leading services (share within group) |
|---|---|
| SaaS / Software | Tax prep & filing 29.4%; Tax strategy & planning 29.4%; Bookkeeping 16.7%; Sales tax compliance 12.7%; International tax 11.8% |
| Professional services | Tax prep & filing 38.7%; Tax strategy & planning 38.7%; Bookkeeping 22.6% |
| Consulting | Tax prep & filing 46.3%; Tax strategy & planning 35.2%; Bookkeeping 18.5% |
| Real estate | Tax prep & filing 51.2%; Tax strategy & planning 48.8% |
| E-commerce | Tax strategy & planning 54.1%; Tax prep & filing 45.9% |
| Construction & trades | Tax prep & filing 52.9%; Tax strategy & planning 47.1% |
Services by business size
| Business size | Leading services (share within group) |
|---|---|
| $500K–$5M | Tax prep & filing 26.2%; Tax strategy & planning 24.9%; Bookkeeping 11.3%; Sales tax compliance 7.0%; Payroll 6.4% |
| Under $500K | Tax prep & filing 35.0%; Tax strategy & planning 30.4%; Bookkeeping 13.6%; Sales tax compliance 4.9%; International tax 4.6% |
| Over $5M | Tax strategy & planning 54.5%; Tax prep & filing 45.5% |
Methodology
Based on aggregate Sam's List quiz data. Percentages reflect the data included in each analysis.
Small categories below the minimum cell size are left out entirely. The data describes people who used Sam's List, not all U.S. businesses or households. No names, contact details or free-text answers are used.