Auditor vs tax accountant

The differences between auditors and tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax accountant has an average salary of $62,142, which is higher than the $54,853 average annual salary of an auditor.

The top three skills for an auditor include audit reports, customer service and financial statements. The most important skills for a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.

Auditor vs tax accountant overview

	Auditor	Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$54,853	$62,142
Hourly rate	$26.37	$29.88
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	20,325	57,919
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	4

What does an auditor do?

An auditor is responsible for reviewing financial statements and making sure that the reports align with the accounting principles and legislative standards. Some of the important duties of an auditor are verifying the company's account statements, ensuring that the business is free from fraud and other unusual activities, providing recommendations to boost operations' performance, and creating financial reports for the board. An auditor should have excellent analytical and decision-making skills to spot inaccuracies of financial statements and resolve financial issues immediately.

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.

Auditor vs tax accountant salary

Auditors and tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Auditor	Tax Accountant
Average salary	$54,853	$62,142
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $84,000	Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Microsoft	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between auditor and tax accountant education

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

	Auditor	Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Auditor vs tax accountant demographics

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

	Auditor	Tax Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1%	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% 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 auditor and tax accountant duties and responsibilities

Auditor example responsibilities.

Lead FDA readiness audits and participate in regulatory inspections.
Manage the collection, analysis and verification of managerial payroll information to detect fraud and/or unethical practices.
Work with department analyst to create measurement tools and methods for communicating results and managing QA analysis in compiling/reporting results.
Perform semi-annual financial audits w/ externally contract CPA to validate accounts payable and receivables.
Develop and facilitate training for SOX process owners and other stakeholders using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Work efficiently and effectively with various process owners to develop SOX specific business processes and mating documentation controls.

Show more

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

Show more

Auditor vs tax accountant skills

Common auditor skills

Audit Reports, 18%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Statements, 6%
Audit Findings, 5%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Payroll, 5%

Common tax accountant skills

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

Auditor vs. similar jobs

Auditor related careers

Auditor related jobs

Auditor jobs by location

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z