Internal revenue agent vs tax compliance officer

The differences between internal revenue agents and tax compliance officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an internal revenue agent and a tax compliance officer. Additionally, an internal revenue agent has an average salary of $71,853, which is higher than the $48,584 average annual salary of a tax compliance officer.

The top three skills for an internal revenue agent include partnerships, CPA and IRS. The most important skills for a tax compliance officer are IRS, tax compliance, and income tax returns.

Internal revenue agent vs tax compliance officer overview

	Internal Revenue Agent	Tax Compliance Officer
Yearly salary	$71,853	$48,584
Hourly rate	$34.54	$23.36
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	35,750	95,304
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	2	2

What does an internal revenue agent do?

An internal revenue agent is primarily in charge of auditing and examining businesses' and individuals' financial records to ensure compliance with tax laws and payments. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, traveling to different locations, gathering and reviewing documentation, and even processing tax payments. Furthermore, as an internal revenue agent, it is essential to discuss and help taxpayers understand the tax laws, assist in complex procedures, and provide counseling as needed, all while adhering to the government laws and regulations.

What does a tax compliance officer do?

A Tax Compliance Officer works for the IRS. This office primarily focuses on whether businesses and individual are making their necessary tax payments. Looking after the business reported revenue and paid taxes are the functions of the Tax Compliance Officer.

Internal revenue agent vs tax compliance officer salary

Internal revenue agents and tax compliance officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Revenue Agent	Tax Compliance Officer
Average salary	$71,853	$48,584
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $161,000	Between $33,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Laguna Niguel, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Internal Revenue Service	Morgan Stanley
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between internal revenue agent and tax compliance officer education

There are a few differences between an internal revenue agent and a tax compliance officer in terms of educational background:

	Internal Revenue Agent	Tax Compliance Officer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Internal revenue agent vs tax compliance officer demographics

Here are the differences between internal revenue agents' and tax compliance officers' demographics:

	Internal Revenue Agent	Tax Compliance Officer
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%	Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.3% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 10.5% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between internal revenue agent and tax compliance officer duties and responsibilities

Internal revenue agent example responsibilities.

Manage teams of cooperating agents from areas such as international taxation, employment tax, and economists when conducting tax audits.
Utilize computer technology to access legal bulletins, IRS notices, and tax-relate court decisions.
Conduct workshops on occasion in specific areas of the tax law and regarding IRS procedures.
Negotiate with CPA's and attorneys to settle and close audits and assess deficiencies and refunds.
Review and approve relief application forms.
Generate partnerships with existing and new businesses.

Tax compliance officer example responsibilities.

Reconcile tax liabilities withhold by the business partners against deposits and the IRS transcripts monthly.
Collect and deposit tax liabilities withhold by various business partners throughout the firm to the IRS.
Assist the organizations in computing accurate taxation amounts.
Account administration of ultra high net worth clients encompassing all aspects from initial implementation through termination, emphasizing taxation.
Update taxpayers addresses, assign temporary ITIN numbers to taxpayers without a social security number, establish fiduciary accounts for taxpayers
Used databases, spreadsheet software such as IDRS to enter, revise, manipulate, store and retrieve data.

Internal revenue agent vs tax compliance officer skills

Common internal revenue agent skills

Partnerships, 23%
CPA, 18%
IRS, 15%
Financial Transactions, 13%
Income Tax Returns, 9%
Tax Issues, 5%

Common tax compliance officer skills

IRS, 39%
Tax Compliance, 35%
Income Tax Returns, 5%
Taxation, 4%
Indirect Tax, 2%
Tax Issues, 2%

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Internal Revenue Agent
Internal Revenue Agent vs Tax Compliance Officer

Updated January 8, 2025

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