Accountant vs tax advisor

The differences between accountants and tax advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax advisor has an average salary of $58,252, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for an accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a tax advisor are local tax returns, reconciliations, and customer service.

Accountant vs tax advisor overview

	Accountant	Tax Advisor
Yearly salary	$54,890	$58,252
Hourly rate	$26.39	$28.01
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	60,073	76,710
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	-

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

What does a tax advisor do?

Tax Advisors are responsible for providing tax advice to clients in the area of tax legislation and tax obligations. Their duties include researching tax legislation, gathering client information, submitting tax returns, liaising with internal revenue service representing clients, and developing tax strategies. They are responsible for performing tax computations, forming family trusts, undertaking estate planning as well as consulting on matters regarding domicile and tax residence. Tax Advisors also give advice related to indirect taxation and prepare reports.

Accountant vs tax advisor salary

Accountants and tax advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accountant	Tax Advisor
Average salary	$54,890	$58,252
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $72,000	Between $29,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Cumberland, RI
Highest paying state	New York	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Meta	DLA Piper
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between accountant and tax advisor education

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

	Accountant	Tax Advisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Accountant vs tax advisor demographics

Here are the differences between accountants' and tax advisors' demographics:

	Accountant	Tax Advisor
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 10.1% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between accountant and tax advisor duties and responsibilities

Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

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Tax advisor example responsibilities.

Manage a staff of six for all aspects of tax compliance, tax accounting, research, planning and IRS audits.
Provide payroll processing, invoicing and tax support services for small consulting business using QuickBooks software.
Assist customers with IRS correspondence/notices.
Advise companies on international taxation law and bilateral taxation recognition regimes to identify most cost effective strategies.
Review domestic payroll reporting metrics, ensure home/host payments are updated and reconcile for timely submission and payment.
Start job by assisting TurboTax user's on how to enter information into the TurboTax program.

Accountant vs tax advisor skills

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Common tax advisor skills

Local Tax Returns, 8%
Reconciliations, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
IRS, 7%
Income Statement, 6%
Individual Tax Returns, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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