Junior accountant vs senior tax accountant

The differences between junior accountants and senior 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 junior accountant and a senior tax accountant. Additionally, a senior tax accountant has an average salary of $77,537, which is higher than the $50,444 average annual salary of a junior accountant.

The top three skills for a junior accountant include reconciliations, general ledger accounts and account reconciliations. The most important skills for a senior tax accountant are CPA, state income, and tax research.

Junior accountant vs senior tax accountant overview

	Junior Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$50,444	$77,537
Hourly rate	$24.25	$37.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	57,892	57,686
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

What does a senior tax accountant do?

Senior Tax Accountants recommend tax strategies, as well as assist the preparation of federal, state, and local taxes. They contact clients to resolve minor tax issues and work with the senior tax manager to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax legislation.

Junior accountant vs senior tax accountant salary

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

	Junior Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Average salary	$50,444	$77,537
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $66,000	Between $60,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Fuhu	Riverbed Holdings, Inc.
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between junior accountant and senior tax accountant education

There are a few differences between a junior accountant and a senior tax accountant in terms of educational background:

	Junior Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Junior accountant vs senior tax accountant demographics

Here are the differences between junior accountants' and senior tax accountants' demographics:

	Junior Accountant	Senior Tax Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 14.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between junior accountant and senior tax accountant duties and responsibilities

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

Senior tax accountant example responsibilities.

Research technical topics in taxation to present to the tax department and clients on areas of concern in the IRS code.
Participate in monthly accounting close with preparation and ownership of tax accrual journal entries and reconciliations.
Help implement, and maintain federal and state tax provision information into OneSource.
Work with internal and external resources to ensure implementation of CCH software on shopping cart is successful.
Assist and review the maintenance of the OneSource database relative to coding & mapping of the trial balance.
Conduct research with CCH and RIA on tax exposures, savings, refund, recovery, and credits.

Junior accountant vs senior tax accountant skills

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

Common senior tax accountant skills

CPA, 14%
State Income, 5%
Tax Research, 5%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Tax Planning, 4%
Tax Compliance, 4%

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Junior Accountant vs Senior Tax Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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