Income across Australia’s 100 biggest accounting firms jumped 14.5 per cent to hit $14.09 billion last financial year, as clients grappling with the pandemic and economic downturn sought tax, compliance and refinancing advice.

This drastically outpaced the previous year’s revenue growth of 4.3 per cent, and staff shortages were the only significant constraint on how much money firms pulled in, The Australian Financial Review Top 100 Accounting Firms list for 2022 revealed.