Certified Public Accountant Vs Tax Consultant

The differences between certified public accountants and tax consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a certified public accountant has an average salary of $76,693, which is higher than the $66,737 average annual salary of a tax consultant.

The top three skills for a certified public accountant include CPA, customer service and IRS. The most important skills for a tax consultant are CPA, tax planning, and tax issues.

Certified public accountant vs tax consultant overview

	Certified Public Accountant	Tax Consultant
Yearly Salary	$76,693	$66,737
Hourly rate	$36.87	$32.09
Growth Rate	6%	6%
Number Of Jobs	78,792	39,379
Job Satisfaction	-	-
Most Common Degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average Age	44	47
Years Of Experience	4	-

What does a Certified Public Accountant do?

A certified public accountant (CPA) acts as an advisor to small businesses and chief financial officers to Fortune 500 companies. They typically work for both small and large public accounting firms. They offer advice on many issues, such as accounting and taxation. They aid businesses and individuals to plan and achieve their financial goals. There are several requirements to become a CPA, including having a degree in accounting, passing the CPA examination, and obtaining a CPA license to practice.

What does a tax consultant do?

Tax consultants are experts in providing commercially centered tax advice and tax services to wide-ranging clients who function in all sectors of the economy. The work they do involves devising tax-efficient strategies for international and domestic-based clients in various business situations, including takeovers, company merges, and corporate reconstructions. They work continually to help clients ensure that the best business decisions are met. They also monitor and get ahead of possible changes concerning tax legislation and responding fast with guidance specific to their clients' tax requirements.

Certified public accountant vs tax consultant salary

Certified public accountants and tax consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Public Accountant	Tax Consultant
Average Salary	$76,693	$66,737
Salary Range	Between $49,000 And $119,000	Between $47,000 And $93,000
Highest Paying City	Washington, DC	Hartford, CT
Highest Paying State	New Jersey	Rhode Island
Best Paying Company	Applied Materials	Cargill
Best Paying Industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between certified public accountant and tax consultant education

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

	Certified Public Accountant	Tax Consultant
Most Common Degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most Common Major	Accounting	Accounting
Most Common College	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Certified public accountant vs tax consultant demographics

Here are the differences between certified public accountants' and tax consultants' demographics:

	Certified Public Accountant	Tax Consultant
Average Age	44	47
Gender Ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
Race Ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 12.4% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between certified public accountant and tax consultant duties and responsibilities

Certified Public Accountant Example Responsibilities.

Mentor highly skil accounting and tax management team to achieve establish objectives including conformity with GAAP compliance.
Maintain monthly client bookkeeping including bank reconciliations, account payable and prepare preliminary financial statements for CPA review.
Conduct bookkeeping, bank reconciliations and generate general ledgers as well as raise concerns about expenditure classifications and revenue recognition.
Prepare and review month-end close, including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, and financial statement supporting documentation.
Gain a working knowledge of audit objectives and procedures in compliance with GAAP and GAAS.
Prepare and monitor audit programs, assist management in design and monitoring of SOX compliance programs.

Tax Consultant Example Responsibilities.

Manage the training and use of new FactSet products and enhancements with various client bases including portfolio management and performance teams.
Maintain and generate the process of structuring and conducting business transactions to ensure that GAAP procedures are followed.
Develop, maintain, and ensure accounting policies and procedures are in accordance with company member agreements & GAAP.
Prepare returns and consult on tax and accounting issues for own clients as well as contract work for other CPA firms.
Work closely with CPA on data verification and documentations processing.
Save customers thousands of dollars on Mexico-U.S. cross-border taxation advisory.

Certified public accountant vs tax consultant skills

Common Certified Public Accountant Skills

CPA, 48%
Customer Service, 22%
IRS, 7%
State Tax Returns, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 2%
Financial Statement Preparation, 1%

Common Tax Consultant Skills

CPA, 13%
Tax Planning, 7%
Tax Issues, 6%
Taxation, 6%
Tax Research, 5%
Income Tax Returns, 5%

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Certified Public Accountant vs Tax Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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