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The differences between control accountants 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 a control accountant and a tax accountant. Additionally, a control accountant has an average salary of $66,563, which is higher than the $62,142 average annual salary of a tax accountant.
The top three skills for a control accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and payroll taxes. The most important skills for a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.
| Control Accountant | Tax Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $66,563 | $62,142 |
| Hourly rate | $32.00 | $29.88 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 75,702 | 57,919 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Control Accountant is in charge of managing a company's accounting records and spearheads the development of financial reports. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their place or industry of employment, it typically includes coordinating with different teams to gather and analyze data, conduct audits and risk analyses, monitor budgets and expenditures, review documents and other transactions and develop strategies to optimize operations. A Control Accountant leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Control accountants and tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Control Accountant | Tax Accountant | |
| Average salary | $66,563 | $62,142 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $91,000 | Between $45,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Marathon Oil | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a control accountant and a tax accountant in terms of educational background:
| Control Accountant | Tax Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between control accountants' and tax accountants' demographics:
| Control Accountant | Tax Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% 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% |