Staff internal auditor vs tax associate

The differences between staff internal auditors and tax associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax associate has an average salary of $62,466, which is higher than the $57,430 average annual salary of a staff internal auditor.

The top three skills for a staff internal auditor include SOX, audit findings and sarbanes-oxley. The most important skills for a tax associate are strong customer service, CPA, and tax planning.

Staff internal auditor vs tax associate overview

	Staff Internal Auditor	Tax Associate
Yearly salary	$57,430	$62,466
Hourly rate	$27.61	$30.03
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	92,259	42,019
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	-	-

What does a staff internal auditor do?

An internal staff auditor is an individual who conducts internal audits of an organization, including reviewing internal controls, verifying account balances, and examining procedures for efficiency. Staff internal auditors should support senior auditors to present recommendations for regulatory compliance and operating efficiency. They must assist with the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance program that involves documenting, testing, and evaluating internal controls. Staff internal auditors must also supervise and train internal audit interns as well as review their SOX audit work papers for completeness and accuracy.

What does a tax associate do?

Tax associates are responsible for helping businesses and individuals with state and federal income tax preparation and compliance. These professionals often work for accounting firms and financial services companies. They perform varied tasks that include reviewing income statements, financial records, and expenditures, interviewing clients about income and expenses, and minimizing their clients' tax liability. Tax associates also conduct research on tax issues and assist with tax audits, advise clients on compensation and tax information, and maintain accurate and current client records.

Staff internal auditor vs tax associate salary

Staff internal auditors and tax associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Internal Auditor	Tax Associate
Average salary	$57,430	$62,466
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $83,000	Between $40,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	Las Vegas, NV
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Nevada
Best paying company	ORIX USA	Ropes & Gray
Best paying industry	Insurance	Finance

Differences between staff internal auditor and tax associate education

There are a few differences between a staff internal auditor and a tax associate in terms of educational background:

	Staff Internal Auditor	Tax Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Staff internal auditor vs tax associate demographics

Here are the differences between staff internal auditors' and tax associates' demographics:

	Staff Internal Auditor	Tax Associate
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%	Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 10.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between staff internal auditor and tax associate duties and responsibilities

Staff internal auditor example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate annual external business evaluation in conjunction with CPA consultants.
Perform annual SOX testing of business unit controls, global share service controls, and process controls to assist external auditors.
Evaluate and communicate findings from the investigations or financial and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance audits to management through formal audit reports.
Review and test the adequacy and effectiveness of establish management and SOX controls.
Assist in documentation of Sarbanes-Oxley controls and establishment of audit test plans for a business unit after acquisition.
Evaluate and identify medication problems to formulate clinical solutions and provide care for patients in a medical intensive care unit setting.

Show more

Tax associate example responsibilities.

Provide tax planning and preparation services for corporate, individual and high net-worth clients of this midsize CPA firm.
Implement process to identify and prepare the balances for W2 purposes at year end.
Prepare customer taxes from w-2's and other tax information, answer phones, print checks, filing
Resolve a major system problems with split process level errors so employee W2's and companies returns are correct.
Respond to inquiries from the IRS and other tax authorities regarding reconciliation of filings, liabilities, and other associate matters.
Advise clients on questions they have pertaining to their tax liabilities and ensure that they are compliant to the IRS regulations.

Show more

Staff internal auditor vs tax associate skills

Common staff internal auditor skills

SOX, 8%
Audit Findings, 8%
Sarbanes-Oxley, 5%
Acls, 5%
Compliance Audits, 5%
Risk Management, 5%

Common tax associate skills

Strong Customer Service, 26%
CPA, 13%
Tax Planning, 6%
Taxation, 5%
Tax Research, 4%
Local Tax Returns, 4%

Staff Internal Auditor vs. similar jobs

Staff Internal Auditor related careers

Staff Internal Auditor related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z