How To Become An Income Tax Auditor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an income tax auditor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Kelly Green

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an income tax auditor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.33 an hour? That's $54,758 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 81,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an income tax auditor?

Dr. Kelly Green

Assistant Professor, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

AI and DATA ANALYTICS!!! The typical role of a new accounting professional is shifting from typical bookkeeping to being able to process data in a meaningful way. Being versed with data analytical tools and techniques will likely be essential. In addition being able to work efficiently in a flexible environment will be helpful as the office place for accountants can be just about anywhere with remote capabilities being taken advantage of in each business.

ScoreIncome Tax AuditorUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,758

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 18.06%

Black or African American 7.48%

Hispanic or Latino 9.78%

Unknown 3.90%

White 60.34%

Gender

female 51.76%

male 48.24%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an income tax auditor

Explore income tax auditor education requirements

Most common income tax auditor degrees

Bachelor's

81.3 %

Master's

10.0 %

Associate

5.0 %

Start to develop specific income tax auditor skills

Skills	Percentages
Audit Findings	26.77%
Individual Tax Returns	20.53%
Income Tax Returns	12.63%
Individual Income Tax	8.91%
Partnerships	5.27%

Complete relevant income tax auditor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New income tax auditors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an income tax auditor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real income tax auditor resumes.

Research income tax auditor duties and responsibilities

Prepare and review tax exempt-bond arbitrage rebate calculations; communicate findings to managing director and clients.
Verify taxpayer income, deductions, and credits, as pertaining to Utah & IRS tax code.
Perform audits on hospitals participating in Medicaid program to ensure the hospitals are reimburse properly for services render to Medicaid beneficiaries.
Proofread documents for accuracy and correct any discrepancies before starting the ProSystem tax process.

Get income tax auditor experience

Apply for income tax auditor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an income tax auditor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do income tax auditors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Income tax auditor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

Sometimes decision taking is difficult