Tax assistant vs contract preparer

The differences between tax assistants and contract preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax assistant has an average salary of $43,893, which is higher than the $40,071 average annual salary of a contract preparer.

Tax assistant vs contract preparer overview

	Tax Assistant	Contract Preparer
Yearly salary	$43,893	$40,071
Hourly rate	$21.10	$19.26
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	29,307	8,493
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

Tax assistant vs contract preparer salary

Tax assistants and contract preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Assistant	Contract Preparer
Average salary	$43,893	$40,071
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $79,000	Between $19,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Ernst & Young	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between tax assistant and contract preparer education

There are a few differences between a tax assistant and a contract preparer in terms of educational background:

	Tax Assistant	Contract Preparer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Tax assistant vs contract preparer demographics

Here are the differences between tax assistants' and contract preparers' demographics:

	Tax Assistant	Contract Preparer
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.1% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 8.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between tax assistant and contract preparer duties and responsibilities

Tax assistant example responsibilities.

Perform bank and account reconciliations and process monthly payroll using QuickBooks.
Offer orientation to CPA s and college students to complete their continue education credits and increase potential candidates.
Perform data entry of banking and expense information into QuickBooks and other accounting software reconciling the accounts at month end.
Assure filling completion per client folder by gathering clients and CPA approval signature, tax form printouts and documentation backup scans.
General QuickBooks information and data entry.
Complete IRS tax-preparation training and prepare and electronically file income taxes for individuals.

Contract preparer example responsibilities.

Create operational efficiencies by effectively managing databases containing RFP library responses and approve responses to request revisions to form agreements.
Create operational efficiencies by effectively managing databases containing RFP library responses and approve responses to request revisions to form agreements.
Prepare bank reconciliations and general ledger maintenance for multiple clients using QuickBooks software.

Tax assistant vs contract preparer skills

Common tax assistant skills

Individual Tax Returns, 27%
Low-Income Families, 25%
Income Tax Returns, 11%
IRS, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%
Financial Statements, 4%

Common contract preparer skills

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Updated January 8, 2025

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