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The differences between tax accountants and tax attorneys 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 tax attorney. Additionally, a tax attorney has an average salary of $85,681, 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 tax attorney are litigation, law firm, and real estate.
| Tax Accountant | Tax Attorney | |
| Yearly salary | $62,142 | $85,681 |
| Hourly rate | $29.88 | $41.19 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 57,919 | 33,760 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Doctoral Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A tax attorney specializes in assisting clients in understanding tax laws. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting extensive research, meeting with clients to conduct initial assessments and interviews, understanding their needs, and helping them make business decisions by providing legal taxation advice. A tax attorney may also help clients to find ways to minimize their tax deductions. Furthermore, aside from working with individuals, a tax attorney may also work for companies as part of their legal team.
Tax accountants and tax attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Accountant | Tax Attorney | |
| Average salary | $62,142 | $85,681 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $83,000 | Between $50,000 And $146,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New York |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a tax accountant and a tax attorney in terms of educational background:
| Tax Accountant | Tax Attorney | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Doctoral Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Law |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between tax accountants' and tax attorneys' demographics:
| Tax Accountant | Tax Attorney | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% | Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3% |
| 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |