Senior tax associate vs tax accountant

The differences between senior tax associates and 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 senior tax associate and a tax accountant. Additionally, a senior tax associate has an average salary of $91,872, which is higher than the $62,142 average annual salary of a tax accountant.

The top three skills for a senior tax associate include CPA, tax compliance and client relationships. The most important skills for a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.

Senior tax associate vs tax accountant overview

	Senior Tax Associate	Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$91,872	$62,142
Hourly rate	$44.17	$29.88
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	28,339	57,919
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
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 tax accountant do?

A tax accountant is an individual who works with clients to produce tax return documents that follow tax laws and regulations while keeping them updated on their return information. Tax accountants must determine tax strategies for their clients that may minimize or eliminate tax payments while arranging audits with taxation authorities. They prepare tax documents for different clients, including private companies, non-profit organizations, and private individuals. Tax accountants are also required to obtain a bachelor's degree in accounting and should understand business concepts.

Senior tax associate vs tax accountant salary

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

	Senior Tax Associate	Tax Accountant
Average salary	$91,872	$62,142
Salary range	Between $66,000 And $126,000	Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Lord Abbett	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior tax associate and tax accountant education

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

	Senior Tax Associate	Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Senior tax associate vs tax accountant demographics

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

	Senior Tax Associate	Tax Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior tax associate and tax 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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Tax accountant example responsibilities.

Utilize QuickBooks to manage client data and prepare necessary financial statements.
Manage and prepare sales and use tax account reconciliations and property tax liability accounts and prepare corresponding journal entries.
Prepared/Review financial statements according to GAAP and propose adjusting entries for clients.
Prepare tax returns for corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals.
Work with various accounting departments, with duties such as account reconciliations, customer service, and administrative/clerical positions.
SAP, ONESOURCE, YESWIN, and BSAEfiling

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Senior tax associate vs tax accountant skills

Common senior tax associate skills

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

Common tax accountant skills

CPA, 9%
Tax Audits, 4%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Tax Research, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Statements, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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