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The differences between accountant-contractors and senior 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-contractor and a senior tax accountant. Additionally, a senior tax accountant has an average salary of $77,537, which is higher than the $56,906 average annual salary of an accountant-contractor.
The top three skills for an accountant-contractor include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and payroll taxes. The most important skills for a senior tax accountant are CPA, state income, and tax research.
| Accountant-Contractor | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $56,906 | $77,537 |
| Hourly rate | $27.36 | $37.28 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 60,024 | 57,686 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An accountant contractor directly manages a customer's business. The contractor works exclusively on the company and organizes all its financial reports. The accountant contractor controls, inspects, and encodes all the company's financial transactions, ensuring that everything is well-accounted for and adequately documenting its activities. The contractor must be licensed, have expert skills in accountancy, be well-organized, have a high level of communication skills, and work under pressure.
Senior Tax Accountants recommend tax strategies, as well as assist the preparation of federal, state, and local taxes. They contact clients to resolve minor tax issues and work with the senior tax manager to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax legislation.
Accountant-contractors and senior tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accountant-Contractor | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Average salary | $56,906 | $77,537 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $73,000 | Between $60,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Broadridge | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Professional |
There are a few differences between an accountant-contractor and a senior tax accountant in terms of educational background:
| Accountant-Contractor | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between accountant-contractors' and senior tax accountants' demographics:
| Accountant-Contractor | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 14.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |