Tax accountant vs senior staff accountant

The differences between tax accountants and senior staff 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 tax accountant and a senior staff accountant. Additionally, a senior staff accountant has an average salary of $65,019, which is higher than the $62,142 average annual salary of a tax accountant.

The top three skills for a tax accountant include CPA, tax audits and income tax returns. The most important skills for a senior staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and CPA.

Tax accountant vs senior staff accountant overview

	Tax Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$62,142	$65,019
Hourly rate	$29.88	$31.26
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	57,919	112,760
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does a senior staff accountant do?

A senior staff accountant is responsible for managing the accounting operations of the company's accounting department, reconciling accounts, and finalizing financial reports to discuss with the management. Senior staff accountants resolve account discrepancies, analyze the company's financial status, and verify financial transactions. They must have excellent analytical skills and extensive knowledge of the accounting principles to perform accounting duties that would minimize the financial risk of the company. A senior staff accountant provides strategic recommendations to prevent overspending and increase efficiency across all departments to drive more revenues and profits.

Tax accountant vs senior staff accountant salary

Tax accountants and senior staff accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average salary	$62,142	$65,019
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $83,000	Between $48,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	Calumet Specialty Products Partners
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between tax accountant and senior staff accountant education

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

	Tax Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Tax accountant vs senior staff accountant demographics

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

	Tax Accountant	Senior Staff Accountant
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between tax accountant and senior staff accountant duties and responsibilities

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

Senior staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage month end close process including journal entries, departmental analysis and preparation of consolidate financial statements and account reconciliations.
Involve in revenue recognition research (ASC 985-605 vs. ASC 605-25).
Aid managers in performing AP duties, generate financial reports for CPA, and reconcile bank accounts for corporate office.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger analysis in accordance with GAAP.
Advance SaaS deal and rev accounting.
Cultivate productive, trustful relationship with external CPA firm, critical to producing successful audits and year-end reporting.

Tax accountant vs senior staff accountant skills

Common tax accountant skills

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

Common senior staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 13%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
CPA, 7%
GAAP, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%
Balance Sheet Accounts, 4%

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Tax Accountant vs Senior Staff Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

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