How to hire a senior tax associate

How to hire a senior tax associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior tax associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior tax associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior tax associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior tax associate do?

Post a senior tax associate job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior tax associate, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior tax associate to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior tax associate that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior tax associates.

   Type of Senior Tax Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Tax Associate	Accountants and auditors prepare and examine financial records. They ensure that financial records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time... Show more	$31-60
   Accountant	An accountant is a professional whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with... Show more	$19-34
   Corporate Accountant	A corporate accountant is a professional who prepares financial statements and maintains financial records of an organization to ensure that they comply with laws, regulations, and the organization's policies. Corporate accountants are required to analyze financial statements to help executives make financial decisions for the organization... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPA
   • Tax Compliance
   • Client Relationships
   • Taxation
   • FAS
   • Tax Planning
   • Tax Services
   • International Tax
   • Partnership Tax
   • Tax Research
   • S Corporations
   • Tax Software
   • ASC
   • Indirect Tax

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Prepare and review tax exempt-bond arbitrage rebate calculations; communicate findings to managing director and clients.
   • Identify book-tax differences to reconcile GAAP basis income to tax basis income.
   • Prepare and audit year-end/quarterly provision for public and private companies (ASC [].
   • Maintain tax and GAAP capital accounts for investors and respond to limit partner requests when necessary.
   • Assist in the booking of in-transit, and audit invoices, to ensure sales tax bill accurately.
   • Register all new DG store locations for sales and use tax with the appropriate jurisdiction within each assign state.

   More senior tax associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the senior tax associate job description is a good way to get more applicants. A senior tax associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a senior tax associate in Mississippi may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level senior tax associate. Additionally, a senior tax associate with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average senior tax associate salary

   $91,872yearly

   $44.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior tax associate salary

   $66,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 31, 2025

   Average senior tax associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$110,549	$53
   2	New York	$108,030	$52
   3	California	$103,834	$50
   4	Massachusetts	$97,267	$47
   5	Connecticut	$96,542	$46
   6	Virginia	$95,157	$46
   7	North Carolina	$91,230	$44
   8	Maryland	$90,143	$43
   9	Washington	$88,491	$43
   10	Texas	$88,379	$42
   11	Arizona	$88,196	$42
   12	Georgia	$86,748	$42
   13	Illinois	$85,535	$41
   14	Indiana	$84,495	$41
   15	Pennsylvania	$84,066	$40
   16	Michigan	$82,732	$40
   17	Nevada	$81,372	$39
   18	Oklahoma	$81,358	$39
   19	Florida	$80,900	$39
   20	Colorado	$80,218	$39

   Average senior tax associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Lord Abbett	$125,230	$60.21
   2	BGC Partners	$117,188	$56.34
   3	Ropes & Gray	$116,856	$56.18
   4	Invesco	$112,677	$54.17
   5	State Street	$111,523	$53.62	2
   6	Uber Technologies	$111,060	$53.39	1
   7	Sullivan & Cromwell	$104,487	$50.23
   8	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$104,483	$50.23	4
   9	ICU Medical	$104,362	$50.17
   10	Autodesk	$103,755	$49.88
   11	Zoetis	$102,608	$49.33	3
   12	Pattern Energy Group	$101,072	$48.59
   13	RSM US	$98,508	$47.36	155
   14	Integral Ad Science	$98,374	$47.30	3
   15	Highwoods Properties	$97,593	$46.92
   16	Pwc	$97,456	$46.85	1,802
   17	Lurie	$97,285	$46.77
   18	Prologis	$97,268	$46.76
   19	Mariner Wealth Advisors	$96,707	$46.49	3
   20	Ernst & Young	$96,698	$46.49	2,106

4. Writing a senior tax associate job description

   A senior tax associate job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior tax associate job description:

   Senior tax associate job description example

   Your primary responsibility will be to ensure North America payroll tax processes are managed per defined internal and Federal/State agencies requirements and strengthen tax compliance partnering with various stakeholders.
   Execution of tax filing activities partnering with appropriate ADP and JPMC stakeholders.
   Ensure appropriate tax processes controls including SOX and tax calculation review are in place and execution is timely and accurate Support development of new, simplified and streamlined payroll and tax processes; create process maps, oversee development of standard operating procedures and associated procedures; develop user learning guides and training. Support HCM transition service readiness - team set up, training, documentation, etc. Partner with EY and JPMC stakeholder organizations (i.e. Corporate Tax, Executive Compensation, Compensation, Benefits, Global Mobility, Accounts Payable) to identify and address employment tax-related issues Establish measurement, benchmarking and executive reporting of tax, testing, and compliance performance Tax audit: Support or conduct proactive assessments and reviews and respond to legal enquiries and/or actions Review and respond to employee requests according to established processes, policies, company guidelines, and regulations
   
   Qualifications:
   4-6 years of progressive employment tax compliance or operations experience with large organizations Knowledge and awareness of U.S. and Canada (is a plus) employment tax regulations and/or payroll tax policy, and able to effectively translate into operational delivery HCM or Cloud base payroll experience Advanced Microsoft Suite experience (Word, Excel, Access) Knowledge of ADP Tax Service Operations and Applications Strong analytical and technical skills (Tax and Financial) Excellent organizational skills Experience in process improvement, especially towards ensuring quality, control and compliance Experienced in identifying and mitigating operational risk through effective controls Demonstrated ability to deliver projects through cross-functional teams; problem solver with strong project management skills; Cloud implementation experience is plus Outstanding work ethic with a high degree of confidentiality Able to work effectively in a multicultural and international environment Excellent communication, interpersonal, relationship and consensus building skills with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization; effectively gains agreement and consensus for ideas
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior tax associate for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior tax associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior tax associates who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior tax associate job on Zippia to find and attract quality senior tax associate candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior tax associates, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior tax associate

   Once you've found the senior tax associate candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior tax associate. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a senior tax associate?