Accountant/consultant vs tax accountant

The differences between accountant/consultants and tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an accountant/consultant and a tax accountant. Additionally, an accountant/consultant has an average salary of $64,298, which is higher than the $62,142 average annual salary of a tax accountant.

The top three skills for an accountant/consultant include account management, product knowledge and strong analytical. The most important skills for a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.

Accountant/consultant vs tax accountant overview

	Accountant/Consultant	Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$64,298	$62,142
Hourly rate	$30.91	$29.88
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	38,916	57,919
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does an accountant/consultant do?

Accountants/consultants perform accounting tasks for organizations or companies. The accountants improve accounting practices and prepare financial statements at the end of every year. They analyze financial data and offer advice on regulatory compliance issues to the finance department. It is their job to make sure that the online system is secure. Most of the day, they organize invoices, prepare statements, and supervising systems. They should be equipped with analytical skills, industry knowledge, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication.

What does a tax accountant do?

A tax accountant is an individual who works with clients to produce tax return documents that follow tax laws and regulations while keeping them updated on their return information. Tax accountants must determine tax strategies for their clients that may minimize or eliminate tax payments while arranging audits with taxation authorities. They prepare tax documents for different clients, including private companies, non-profit organizations, and private individuals. Tax accountants are also required to obtain a bachelor's degree in accounting and should understand business concepts.

Accountant/consultant vs tax accountant salary

Accountant/consultants and tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant/Consultant	Tax Accountant
Average salary	$64,298	$62,142
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $86,000	Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	IBM	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accountant/consultant and tax accountant education

There are a few differences between an accountant/consultant and a tax accountant in terms of educational background:

	Accountant/Consultant	Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accountant/consultant vs tax accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accountant/consultants' and tax accountants' demographics:

	Accountant/Consultant	Tax Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accountant/consultant and tax accountant duties and responsibilities

Accountant/consultant example responsibilities.

Manage a staff of five to ensure their compliance with GAAP as well as best practices.
Manage company responsibilities for budgets, forecasting, payroll and accounts receivable.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Select and run weekly check run, ACH payments, and foreign payments.
Process bi-weekly ACH and EFT payment to vendors, reimbursement and rush check payments.
Coordinate with external CPA on financial tax filings i.e. , 990 for IRS regulations and maintain of IRS 501C status.

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Tax accountant example responsibilities.

Utilize QuickBooks to manage client data and prepare necessary financial statements.
Manage and prepare sales and use tax account reconciliations and property tax liability accounts and prepare corresponding journal entries.
Prepared/Review financial statements according to GAAP and propose adjusting entries for clients.
Prepare tax returns for corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals.
Work with various accounting departments, with duties such as account reconciliations, customer service, and administrative/clerical positions.
SAP, ONESOURCE, YESWIN, and BSAEfiling

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Accountant/consultant vs tax accountant skills

Common accountant/consultant skills

Account Management, 17%
Product Knowledge, 14%
Strong Analytical, 13%
Leveraged, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%

Common tax accountant skills

CPA, 9%
Tax Audits, 4%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Tax Research, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Statements, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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