Tax assistant vs tax advisor

The differences between tax assistants and tax advisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax advisor has an average salary of $58,252, which is higher than the $43,893 average annual salary of a tax assistant.

The top three skills for a tax assistant include individual tax returns, low-income families and income tax returns. The most important skills for a tax advisor are local tax returns, reconciliations, and customer service.

Tax assistant vs tax advisor overview

	Tax Assistant	Tax Advisor
Yearly salary	$43,893	$58,252
Hourly rate	$21.10	$28.01
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	29,307	76,710
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	-	-

What does a tax assistant do?

The tax assistant is responsible for supporting an organization's tax or accounting department. Their job is a combination of accounting support and administrative assistance. They should be able to run an office, as well as perform higher-level tasks, such as processing tax returns and sustaining databases. A tax assistant works under the direction of a tax manager or executive, but most of their duties are performed with less supervision. Tax assistants should also be dynamic and can comfortably work alone.

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 assistant vs tax advisor salary

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

	Tax Assistant	Tax Advisor
Average salary	$43,893	$58,252
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $79,000	Between $29,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Cumberland, RI
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Ernst & Young	DLA Piper
Best paying industry	Finance	Energy

Differences between tax assistant and tax advisor education

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

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

Tax assistant vs tax advisor demographics

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

	Tax Assistant	Tax Advisor
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 10.1% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between tax assistant and tax advisor 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.

Show more

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 assistant vs tax advisor 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 tax advisor skills

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

Tax Assistant vs. similar jobs

Tax Assistant related careers

Tax Assistant 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