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Statistics • Updated 8 Oct 2026
Accountant Workload Statistics 2026
On 77.7% of platforms the fee is taken before the earner is paid, so the gross figure appears on no bank statement.
What platform income records look like when they reach an accountant: fees, payout schedules and currency conversion across 145+ platforms.
Cite this page
PlatformTaxHub. "Accountant Workload Statistics 2026." 4042 Solutions Group LLC, 2026. platformtaxhub.com/statistics/accountant-workload-2026
The charts and figures on this page may be reused with credit to PlatformTaxHub and a link to this page.
Key Statistics
01
How many platforms take their fee before paying?
On 77.7% of platforms the fee is taken before the earner is paid. The earner receives the net; the gross figure appears on no bank statement.
77.7%
Platforms taking the fee before payout
02
How long do payout schedules run?
Payout schedules run from same-day to 180 days.
180 days
Longest payout schedule
03
Currency conversion
Of the platforms that convert currency, 29.8% publish the conversion rate.
29.8%
Converting platforms that publish a conversion rate
04
How do the hubs compare?
Africa has the highest share of platforms that take their fee before paying, at 91.7%.
| Hub | Fee taken before payout | Converting platforms publishing an FX rate |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | 83.3% | 0% |
| Europe | 83.3% | 33.3% |
| Africa | 91.7% | 0% |
| Middle East | 72.7% | 0% |
| Asia | 70% | 0% |
| Operate globally | 73% | 34.9% |
05
What other research shows
Traditional business
One bank feed, a sales ledger, purchase invoices.
Mixed income
All of the above, plus payout reports from every platform.
Platform income only
Payout reports, in several currencies, on payout schedules that do not align.
3,988,892
sellers reported by platforms for 2025, against 1,466,171 for 2024, covering £54.8bn of consideration.
HMRC, Platform operator reports, 2024 and 2025.
75%
had two or more sources of income; 45% had three or more and 16% four or more.
Avalara, Survey of marketplace sellers, creators, hosts and drivers (US), 2025.
25%
said they had fully covered their time through the fees they charged. The biggest obstacle was getting information from clients (67%).
Accountants Therapy, reported by ICAEW, First quarter of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, August 2026 (142 respondents).
65.2%
named getting information and documents from clients as their biggest workflow challenge, up from 53.8% the year before.
Financial Cents, 2024 State of Accounting Workflow Automation (367 firm owners).
4h 46m
a week spent detecting errors in client data, against an anticipated 1 hour 48 minutes.
Dext, Survey of 2,183 accountants and bookkeepers in six countries, 2021.
85%
kept no record of their transactions; 15% held a business bank account.
Ghana Enterprises Agency, 12,611 enterprises, 2022.
Nearly 40%
of small businesses record information rarely or not at all.
International Growth Centre, Small businesses in Nairobi, August 2026.
89%
of the smallest businesses that keep records keep them on paper.
Kenya MSME Outlook, Survey of 2,000 businesses, 2024.
Sources
- Each platform’s own published fee, payout and currency terms, checked September–October 2026.
- Excludes payment processors, money transfer services and programmes that no longer pay earners.
- Third-party figures are attributed to the organisation that produced them, with the sample and date as published.
Research methods and reuse: Terms of Service, section 11.