What is a tax associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Vivek Pande

A tax associate is an individual who works in the accounting or financial sector, specializing in tax law and regulations. They are responsible for preparing and reviewing tax returns, conducting research on tax laws and regulations, and advising clients on tax-related issues. Tax associates work with a variety of clients, including individuals, small businesses, and large corporations. They must have strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and knowledge of tax laws and regulations.

What general advice would you give to a tax associate?

Vivek Pande

Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

The same advice as always - work hard, shut up, pay your dues, be useful, be reliable, then move on up!

ScoreTax AssociateUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,466

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 10.20%

Black or African American 9.64%

Hispanic or Latino 18.22%

Unknown 4.04%

White 57.34%

Gender

female 63.55%

male 36.45%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.0

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a tax associate?

Pros

Opportunity to learn about tax laws and regulations
Challenging and intellectually stimulating work
Potential for bonuses and additional compensation
Opportunities for networking and building relationships
Provides a strong foundation for career advancement

Cons

Limited opportunities for creativity or originality in work
Requires a high level of technical knowledge and expertise
Significant time spent working independently or in isolation
Potential for burnout or mental exhaustion due to demands of the job
Limited opportunities for work-life balance during peak season

Key steps to become a tax associate

Explore tax associate education requirements

Most common tax associate degrees

Bachelor's

56.1 %

Associate

16.1 %

Master's

15.1 %

Start to develop specific tax associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Strong Customer Service	26.08%
CPA	13.07%
Tax Planning	5.65%
Taxation	4.66%
Tax Research	3.98%

Complete relevant tax associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tax associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tax associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tax associate resumes.

Research tax associate duties and responsibilities

Provide tax planning and preparation services for corporate, individual and high net-worth clients of this midsize CPA firm.
Implement process to identify and prepare the balances for W2 purposes at year end.
Prepare customer taxes from w-2's and other tax information, answer phones, print checks, filing
Resolve a major system problems with split process level errors so employee W2's and companies returns are correct.

Prepare your tax associate resume

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