Senior tax associate vs general accountant

The differences between senior tax associates and general 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 a general accountant. Additionally, a senior tax associate has an average salary of $91,872, which is higher than the $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a senior tax associate include CPA, tax compliance and client relationships. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Senior tax associate vs general accountant overview

	Senior Tax Associate	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$91,872	$55,043
Hourly rate	$44.17	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	28,339	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
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 a general accountant do?

A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.

Senior tax associate vs general accountant salary

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

	Senior Tax Associate	General Accountant
Average salary	$91,872	$55,043
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $126,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Lord Abbett	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between senior tax associate and general accountant education

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

	Senior Tax Associate	General Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Senior tax associate vs general accountant demographics

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

	Senior Tax Associate	General Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
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, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior tax associate and general 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.

General accountant example responsibilities.

Manage payroll functions, financial statements, accounts payable, basic job cost, account analysis, accruals, year-end audits.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Assist manager with cash flow, preparing financial statement, BBC, and report to CPA.
Create budget at beginning and coordinate CPA firm's audit at the end of year.
Assist in any kind of audit engagement (internal control, external, SOX, etc . )
Provide support for the controller with period-end close accruals and journal entries and assist in various duties and responsibilities.

Senior tax associate vs general accountant skills

Common senior tax associate skills

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

Common general accountant skills

Financial Data, 11%
Reconciliations, 10%
Cash Handling, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

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Senior Tax Associate
Senior Tax Associate vs General Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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