Senior tax associate vs accountant

The differences between senior tax associates and 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 senior tax associate and an accountant. Additionally, a senior tax associate has an average salary of $91,872, which is higher than the $54,890 average annual salary of an accountant.

The top three skills for a senior tax associate include CPA, tax compliance and client relationships. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Senior tax associate vs accountant overview

	Senior Tax Associate	Accountant
Yearly salary	$91,872	$54,890
Hourly rate	$44.17	$26.39
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	28,339	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior tax associate do?

A senior tax associate is responsible for assisting the accounting and finance department in processing tax requirements and analyzing documents for accurate completion of tax filings. Senior tax associates also support the analysis of financial transactions and account statements, resolving billing discrepancies, and performing account reconciliations. They handle tax disputes immediately to mitigate complications on tax systems and coordinate with the management and clients for the updates. A senior tax associate must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the financial and taxation industry.

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual 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. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

Senior tax associate vs accountant salary

Senior tax associates and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Tax Associate	Accountant
Average salary	$91,872	$54,890
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $126,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Lord Abbett	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between senior tax associate and accountant education

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

	Senior Tax Associate	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Senior tax associate vs accountant demographics

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

	Senior Tax Associate	Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 17.8% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior tax associate and accountant duties and responsibilities

Senior tax associate example 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.

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Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

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Senior tax associate vs accountant skills

Common senior tax associate skills

CPA, 24%
Tax Compliance, 12%
Client Relationships, 5%
Taxation, 4%
FAS, 4%
Tax Planning, 3%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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