Tax accountant vs tax advisor

The differences between tax accountants and tax advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax accountant has an average salary of $62,142, which is higher than the $58,252 average annual salary of a tax advisor.

The top three skills for a tax accountant include CPA, tax audits and income tax returns. The most important skills for a tax advisor are local tax returns, reconciliations, and customer service.

Tax accountant vs tax advisor overview

	Tax Accountant	Tax Advisor
Yearly salary	$62,142	$58,252
Hourly rate	$29.88	$28.01
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	57,919	76,710
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	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 tax advisor do?

Tax Advisors are responsible for providing tax advice to clients in the area of tax legislation and tax obligations. Their duties include researching tax legislation, gathering client information, submitting tax returns, liaising with internal revenue service representing clients, and developing tax strategies. They are responsible for performing tax computations, forming family trusts, undertaking estate planning as well as consulting on matters regarding domicile and tax residence. Tax Advisors also give advice related to indirect taxation and prepare reports.

Tax accountant vs tax advisor salary

Tax accountants and tax advisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Accountant	Tax Advisor
Average salary	$62,142	$58,252
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $83,000	Between $29,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Cumberland, RI
Highest paying state	New York	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	DLA Piper
Best paying industry	Finance	Energy

Differences between tax accountant and tax advisor education

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

	Tax Accountant	Tax Advisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

Tax accountant vs tax advisor demographics

Here are the differences between tax accountants' and tax advisors' demographics:

	Tax Accountant	Tax Advisor
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 10.1% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between tax accountant and tax advisor 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

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Tax advisor example responsibilities.

Manage a staff of six for all aspects of tax compliance, tax accounting, research, planning and IRS audits.
Provide payroll processing, invoicing and tax support services for small consulting business using QuickBooks software.
Assist customers with IRS correspondence/notices.
Advise companies on international taxation law and bilateral taxation recognition regimes to identify most cost effective strategies.
Review domestic payroll reporting metrics, ensure home/host payments are updated and reconcile for timely submission and payment.
Start job by assisting TurboTax user's on how to enter information into the TurboTax program.

Tax accountant vs tax advisor skills

Common tax accountant skills

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

Common tax advisor skills

Local Tax Returns, 8%
Reconciliations, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
IRS, 7%
Income Statement, 6%
Individual Tax Returns, 6%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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