Key Takeaways
- Baker Tilly US is now a top-five US accounting firm following the January 2025 Moss Adams merger, with roughly $3B in revenue and about 10,000 employees.
- The firm split into Baker Tilly US LLP (the licensed CPA attest firm) and Baker Tilly Advisory Group LLC (the PE-owned tax and advisory entity) — understand which side of the split a role reports into.
- Hellman & Friedman and Valeas Capital Partners' December 2023 investment introduced PE governance expectations; evaluate roles with that context in mind.
- Middle-market focus is a genuine differentiator from Big 4 — faster client exposure, broader engagement variety, but a different ceiling on prestige and exit options.
- Workday is the ATS; apply directly at baker-tilly.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com and complete structured fields carefully, not just the resume upload.
- Busy-season hours are real — February through April for audit, with tax extension season through October — and candidates are expected to come in eyes open.
- The Moss Adams integration continues through 2026 with likely role rationalization in overlapping markets; ask direct questions about team stability in your target practice.
- Fit matters as much as credentials — relationship orientation, communication, and coachability repeatedly surface as partner-level decision factors.
About Baker Tilly
Baker Tilly US is the US member firm of the Baker Tilly International network and, as of 2026, one of the five largest accounting and advisory organizations in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with major offices in Milwaukee, Tysons (Virginia), Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco, the firm traces its US lineage to Virchow Krause, which rebranded as Baker Tilly Virchow Krause in 2009 and shortened to Baker Tilly in 2016. Until recently, it sat firmly in the 7th-to-8th spot among US accounting firms by revenue at roughly $1.5B. That changed dramatically in January 2025, when Baker Tilly US LLP merged with Moss Adams LLP, combining two large middle-market firms into a single organization with roughly $3B in revenue, around 10,000 employees, and approximately 400 partners. The combined entity kept the Baker Tilly name.
The merger was enabled by a December 2023 private equity investment from Hellman & Friedman and Valeas Capital Partners — part of a broader wave of PE money entering the accounting profession alongside Grant Thornton (New Mountain), CohnReznick (Apax), EisnerAmper (TowerBrook), and Citrin Cooperman (New Mountain). To comply with AICPA independence rules, the firm split into two legal entities: Baker Tilly US LLP, the licensed CPA firm that performs attest work, and Baker Tilly Advisory Group LLC, the PE-owned alternative-practice-structure entity that holds the tax and advisory businesses. Most non-audit employees sit under Advisory Group.
The firm serves middle-market private companies, not-for-profits, higher education, state and local government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, construction, and professional services. Service lines include Audit and Assurance, Tax, and a broad Advisory practice covering risk, IT, ERP implementation (Oracle, Workday, NetSuite, Sage Intacct), M&A transaction services, valuation, forensic accounting, restructuring and bankruptcy, and outsourced finance/staffing.
Candidates should know what they are walking into. The 2025 Moss Adams integration is ongoing through 2026, which means role rationalization, office consolidation in overlapping metros, and some cultural friction. The PE ownership of Advisory Group introduces return-on-investment pressure that did not exist under the old partnership model. The industry-wide CPA pipeline shortage and PCAOB inspection pressure on audit quality create real workload intensity, particularly in busy season. Baker Tilly remains a middle-market firm with a middle-market ceiling — it is not Big 4 — and compensation, client prestige, and exit options should be evaluated on that basis.
Application Process
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Search open roles at bakertilly
Search open roles at bakertilly.com/careers, which routes to the Workday-hosted job board at baker-tilly.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com — filter by service line, location, and experience level.
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Create a Workday candidate profile once and reuse it; the system saves your resu
Create a Workday candidate profile once and reuse it; the system saves your resume parse, work history, and education so you can apply to multiple requisitions without re-entering data.
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Submit a tailored resume and, for advisory or specialized roles, a brief cover l
Submit a tailored resume and, for advisory or specialized roles, a brief cover letter; generic applications are visibly generic to campus and experienced-hire recruiters who review high volumes daily.
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Expect a recruiter phone screen within one to three weeks for target roles
Expect a recruiter phone screen within one to three weeks for target roles — longer for niche advisory postings, shorter for staff-level audit and tax campus pipelines.
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Complete any pre-interview assessments Workday assigns; these can include case s
Complete any pre-interview assessments Workday assigns; these can include case studies for advisory, technical accounting questions for audit and tax, or behavioral assessments for campus hires.
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Interview loops typically run two to four rounds: recruiter screen, hiring manag
Interview loops typically run two to four rounds: recruiter screen, hiring manager, a senior manager or partner, and occasionally a peer or cross-functional interview for advisory roles.
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For campus and internship pipelines, attend Baker Tilly career-fair events and o
For campus and internship pipelines, attend Baker Tilly career-fair events and on-campus interviews — many full-time offers are extended to returning interns before external recruiting opens.
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Offers usually arrive within one to two weeks of final-round interviews; expect
Offers usually arrive within one to two weeks of final-round interviews; expect a written offer through Workday with start date, office, service line, and compensation details.
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Background checks, independence disclosures (for audit-track roles), and drug sc
Background checks, independence disclosures (for audit-track roles), and drug screening may apply depending on role, client, and jurisdiction.
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Onboarding is conducted through Baker Tilly's internal L&D program; new hires in
Onboarding is conducted through Baker Tilly's internal L&D program; new hires in audit and tax are typically aligned to a busy-season start or a specific national training cohort.
Resume Tips for Baker Tilly
recommended
Use a clean, single-column, ATS-friendly format — Workday parses plain text reli
Use a clean, single-column, ATS-friendly format — Workday parses plain text reliably but struggles with tables, multi-column layouts, text boxes, and graphics.
recommended
Name the service line you are targeting explicitly (Audit, Tax, Advisory, Risk,
Name the service line you are targeting explicitly (Audit, Tax, Advisory, Risk, Transaction Services, ERP, Valuation) so the recruiter can route your application to the correct practice group.
recommended
List CPA status prominently if licensed, including state and license number; for
List CPA status prominently if licensed, including state and license number; for candidates progressing through the exam, note sections passed and expected completion date.
recommended
Quantify client and engagement experience: industries served, revenue-size range
Quantify client and engagement experience: industries served, revenue-size range of clients, engagement hours, team size managed, and specific audit or tax software used.
recommended
Name the technical tools you have used — CaseWare, CCH Axcess, GoSystem, Thomson
Name the technical tools you have used — CaseWare, CCH Axcess, GoSystem, Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE, Workiva, Alteryx, Power BI, Tableau, and ERP systems like Oracle, Workday, NetSuite, or Sage Intacct.
recommended
For advisory candidates, emphasize project delivery, methodology (Agile, waterfa
For advisory candidates, emphasize project delivery, methodology (Agile, waterfall, hybrid), client management, and measurable business outcomes rather than hours or headcount alone.
recommended
Campus candidates should include relevant coursework, GPA if 3
Campus candidates should include relevant coursework, GPA if 3.3 or higher, leadership roles, Beta Alpha Psi or equivalent accounting society involvement, and prior internships or leadership programs.
recommended
Mirror language from the Workday job posting — service line names, industry vert
Mirror language from the Workday job posting — service line names, industry verticals, and certifications — because Workday keyword-ranks applications before a recruiter reviews them.
recommended
Keep experienced-hire resumes to one to two pages; partners and senior managers
Keep experienced-hire resumes to one to two pages; partners and senior managers skim, and dense walls of text are frequently deprioritized in high-volume requisition pools.
recommended
Do not inflate titles or engagement roles; Baker Tilly recruiters regularly chec
Do not inflate titles or engagement roles; Baker Tilly recruiters regularly check LinkedIn, references, and prior firm directories, and inconsistencies surface quickly.
ATS System: Workday
Baker Tilly US hosts its job board on Workday at baker-tilly.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com. Workday is one of the most common enterprise ATS platforms, which means candidates can reuse profile data across other Workday-based employers, but it also means the platform is strict about parsing formats and keyword matching.
- Upload a .docx or text-based .pdf resume; scanned or image-based PDFs will parse poorly or not at all.
- Complete every structured field (work history, education, certifications) in addition to uploading your resume — Workday ranks applications on structured data, not just the uploaded file.
- Save your Workday candidate profile so subsequent applications take two to three minutes rather than twenty.
- Use standard section headings such as Experience, Education, Certifications, and Skills so the parser maps content correctly.
- Check application status through the Baker Tilly Workday candidate portal; email notifications can be delayed or filtered by corporate spam rules.
- Apply directly through Workday rather than third-party aggregators — some aggregators strip formatting and cause parse errors in Workday.
Interview Culture
Baker Tilly's interview culture mirrors the middle-market accounting profession: professional, relationship-oriented, and heavily focused on fit alongside technical ability.
Expect a blend of behavioral questions (the firm uses a structured competency framework emphasizing client service, collaboration, accountability, and integrity) and service-line-specific technical content. Audit candidates should be ready for questions on the audit risk model, materiality, internal controls under SOX or single-audit frameworks, recent PCAOB inspection themes, and revenue recognition or lease accounting scenarios. Tax candidates should anticipate questions on pass-through entity taxation, ASC 740, state and local tax nexus, and recent IRS or legislative developments. Advisory candidates can expect case-style discussions on client problem-solving, methodology fluency, and ERP or risk-framework knowledge.
Interviewers are typically senior associates, managers, senior managers, and a partner or principal at the final stage. Partners place significant weight on communication, executive presence, and coachability because client-facing work begins early. Campus hires should expect behavioral interviews grounded in the STAR format and questions about why accounting, why middle-market, and why Baker Tilly specifically over Big 4 or regional competitors. The honest answer of wanting earlier client exposure, broader engagement variety, and a clearer path to manager-level responsibility than Big 4 offers generally lands well. Throughout the loop, expect direct, candid conversations about workload, busy-season hours, and the firm's ongoing Moss Adams integration and PE ownership transition — candidates who ask thoughtful questions about those topics are typically viewed favorably rather than penalized for raising them.
What Baker Tilly Looks For
- CPA licensure, CPA candidacy, or clear progress toward it for audit and tax roles — with the 150-hour rule under reform in multiple states, pathway clarity matters more than jurisdiction.
- Middle-market and private-company fluency — comfort with owner-operator dynamics, family ownership, PE portfolio companies, and less-polished financial reporting than public-company work.
- Industry-vertical depth in one or more focus areas (not-for-profit, higher ed, state and local government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, real estate, construction).
- Technical fluency with accounting, tax, and advisory tooling — CaseWare, CCH, GoSystem, ONESOURCE, Workiva, Alteryx, Power BI — and openness to adopting new platforms post-merger.
- Professional communication — clear writing, composed client presence, and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical client stakeholders.
- Client service orientation and ownership of deliverables, particularly in a middle-market context where staff carry more client-facing responsibility earlier than at Big 4.
- Resilience and realistic expectations about busy season — February through April for audit and tax, with extension season through September and October for tax teams.
- Comfort with change — the Moss Adams integration, PE governance model, and ongoing office and practice consolidation mean stability is not the firm's selling point in 2026.
- Team orientation and low ego — middle-market engagements are small-team by design, and interpersonal friction surfaces quickly in peer and manager feedback.
- Career clarity — candidates who can articulate why Baker Tilly over a Big 4 or RSM, BDO, or Grant Thornton alternative tend to progress further in the loop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baker Tilly US the same firm after the Moss Adams merger?
Legally yes — Baker Tilly US absorbed Moss Adams LLP in January 2025, keeping the Baker Tilly name. Operationally, the combined firm has roughly $3B in revenue, about 10,000 employees, and 400 partners, making it one of the top five US accounting firms rather than the seventh or eighth, as Baker Tilly was pre-merger. Integration of offices, practices, and technology platforms is ongoing through 2026.
What is Baker Tilly Advisory Group and how is it different from Baker Tilly US LLP?
The firm split into two entities to comply with AICPA independence rules after the 2023 Hellman & Friedman and Valeas Capital Partners private equity investment. Baker Tilly US LLP is the licensed CPA firm that performs attest and audit work and remains under a traditional partnership-style governance structure. Baker Tilly Advisory Group LLC holds the tax and advisory practices and is the PE-invested entity. Most non-audit roles sit inside Advisory Group.
Does private equity ownership affect employees?
Yes. PE ownership typically introduces stronger ROI expectations, tighter utilization targets, more aggressive M&A, and faster strategic change than a traditional partnership model. It can also mean expanded equity-participation programs for senior staff. Similar dynamics are playing out at Grant Thornton (New Mountain), CohnReznick (Apax), EisnerAmper (TowerBrook), and Citrin Cooperman (New Mountain), so Baker Tilly is not an outlier in 2026.
What ATS does Baker Tilly use and how do I apply?
Baker Tilly US uses Workday, hosted at baker-tilly.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com. Create a candidate profile, upload a text-based resume in .docx or .pdf, complete the structured work history and education fields, and apply directly through the Workday portal rather than through aggregator sites. Your Workday profile is reusable for other Workday-based employers.
How does Baker Tilly compare to Big 4 firms?
Baker Tilly focuses on middle-market private companies, not-for-profits, government, and specific industry verticals rather than Fortune 500 audits and complex multinationals. Staff typically get earlier client exposure, broader engagement variety, and a clearer path to manager. The tradeoffs are a lower compensation ceiling at the senior and partner levels, less Big 4 brand prestige, and different exit optionality — though PE-backed middle-market work is a meaningful differentiator for some candidates.
How are compensation and busy-season hours at Baker Tilly?
Compensation is competitive within the middle-market tier — generally below Big 4 for comparable levels but above smaller regional firms, with meaningful market variation by office. Busy season runs February through April for audit and tax, with tax extension season through September and October. Expect sustained 55-70 hour weeks during busy season, with lighter summer schedules in most practices. The CPA pipeline shortage and PCAOB audit-quality pressure have increased workload intensity industry-wide.
Is CPA licensure required?
CPA licensure is required for progression to manager and above in audit and most tax roles, with exceptions in specific advisory niches. Entry-level audit and tax roles generally require CPA eligibility (typically the 150-hour requirement, although multiple states are reforming this) and an active commitment to sitting for the exam within a defined window. Advisory roles may accept other credentials — CISA, CIA, CFA, PMP, ERP certifications — depending on the practice.
What industries and service lines is Baker Tilly strongest in?
Historical strengths include not-for-profit and higher education audit (a longstanding national niche), state and local government (including single audits), healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, and construction. Advisory strengths include ERP implementation (Oracle, Workday, NetSuite, Sage Intacct), risk advisory, M&A transaction services, valuation, forensic accounting, and restructuring. The Moss Adams addition strengthened West Coast presence and added deeper food, beverage, agriculture, and wine-industry specialization.
What happens to Moss Adams employees and clients after the merger?
Moss Adams employees transitioned into Baker Tilly in January 2025 under combined leadership, with most retaining roles and clients. Integration through 2026 involves unifying technology platforms, service-line structures, and compensation models, and some role rationalization is likely in overlapping markets such as San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Ask directly about team stability in your target office and practice during interviews — the firm generally answers these questions candidly.
Does Baker Tilly hire remote or hybrid?
Most roles are hybrid, with two to three days per week expected in the office or at client sites, varying by office, practice, and level. Some advisory and specialized roles offer fully remote options, but audit and tax staff are typically expected to be location-anchored due to client travel and in-office training. Confirm the specific role's flexibility with the recruiter before accepting.
What should I ask during interviews at Baker Tilly in 2026?
Reasonable, signal-positive questions include: how the Moss Adams integration is affecting your specific target team, how the LLP/Advisory Group split affects day-to-day work and career progression, what the partner track looks like under PE governance, how busy-season staffing and utilization targets are being managed, and what industries or service lines the combined firm is investing growth headcount into. Interviewers expect and appreciate these questions in 2026.
Does Baker Tilly sponsor work visas?
Sponsorship is case-by-case and role-specific. The firm does sponsor H-1B and other visas for certain positions, particularly in specialized advisory, tax, and experienced-hire tracks, but sponsorship is not guaranteed for campus hires or generalist audit and tax roles. Confirm sponsorship availability with the recruiter before investing in a full interview loop.
Open Positions
Baker Tilly currently has 335 open positions.
Related Resources
Sources
- Baker Tilly US — Official Careers Site —
- Baker Tilly US Workday Job Board —
- Baker Tilly and Moss Adams Combination Announcement —
- Baker Tilly Receives Investment from Hellman & Friedman and Valeas Capital Partners —
- Accounting Today — Top 100 Firms Ranking —
- Inside Public Accounting — IPA 100 Firms —
- Journal of Accountancy — Private Equity in Accounting —
- AICPA — CPA Pipeline and 150-Hour Rule Updates —
- PCAOB — Annual Inspection Reports —
- Hellman & Friedman — Portfolio —
- Valeas Capital Partners — Portfolio —
- Baker Tilly International — Network Overview —
