How To Become A Senior Tax Accountant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior tax accountant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Thomas King

A senior tax accountant manages tax records and prepares tax returns, tax-related schedules, and reports. He/She oversees the analysis of tax regulations to ensure they are met by the organization. He/She oversees the operations of junior tax accountants. Asides from that, he/she regularly reviews financial books and various journal entries to ensure accurate financial reporting. Additionally, he/she conducts research on various tax issues, determines tax projections and suitable tax notice responses.

For this job, candidates must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or a related field and must possess at least five years of experience in a related position. Having relevant certifications is a plus. You must possess accounting, multitasking, interpersonal, people, and communication skills. Also, you must be proficient in Microsoft Office. Senior tax accountants earn about $80,354 in a year. Their salary varies between $65,000 and $99,000.

What general advice would you give to a senior tax accountant?

Thomas King

Department Chair, Director, Master of Accountancy Program, Professor, Accountancy, Case Western Reserve University

Be dependable. Reputations form quickly after people join organizations. A newly hired professional who demonstrates the ability to get things done rapidly and accurately will soon become a "go-to" person when new opportunities arise. Such exposure early in a career is invaluable.

ScoreSenior Tax AccountantUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $77,537

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%

Asian 14.27%

Black or African American 8.37%

Hispanic or Latino 10.70%

Unknown 3.95%

White 62.25%

Gender

female 49.43%

male 50.57%

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

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior tax accountant

Explore senior tax accountant education requirements

Most common senior tax accountant degrees

Bachelor's

74.4 %

Master's

18.9 %

Associate

4.6 %

Start to develop specific senior tax accountant skills

Skills	Percentages
CPA	14.26%
State Income	5.00%
Tax Research	4.95%
Income Tax Returns	4.09%
Tax Planning	3.96%

Complete relevant senior tax accountant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior tax accountants 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 a senior tax accountant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior tax accountant resumes.

Gain additional senior tax accountant certifications

Senior tax accountant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific senior tax accountant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for senior tax accountants include Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

More About Certifications

Research senior tax accountant duties and 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.

Get senior tax accountant experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior tax accountant. The most common roles before becoming a senior tax accountant include tax accountant, staff accountant team lead and accountant.

Prepare your senior tax accountant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior tax accountant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior tax accountant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior tax accountant resume templates

Build a professional senior tax accountant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior tax accountant resume.