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Tax associate skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Vivek Pande,

Dr. Hassan Niazi

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical tax associate skills. We ranked the top skills for tax associates based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 26.1% of tax associate resumes contained strong customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a tax associate needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 tax associate skills for your resume and career

1. Strong Customer Service

Here's how tax associates use strong customer service:

Developed strong customer service and time-management skills.
Franchise Owner: Tim & Marina DuganPrepared tax returns for customers while developing strong customer service and organizational skills.

2. CPA

Here's how tax associates use cpa:

Advised numerous non-profit clients on financial matters for this CPA firm, ranked 5th largest public accounting firm in the US.
Demonstrated competence and accounting knowledge through three busy seasons with a large regional CPA firm.

3. Tax Planning

Here's how tax associates use tax planning:

Conduct tax planning including the calculation of estimated tax requirements for individuals and businesses.
Provided assistance in gathering information and analysis to give individual clients tax planning advice.

4. Taxation

Here's how tax associates use taxation:

Negotiated with taxation entities regarding reduction on interest and penalty fees.
Maintained and updated certifications in taxation policies.

5. Tax Research

Here's how tax associates use tax research:

Perform tax research and client correspondence including Research and Development credit and Domestic Manufacturing Deduction studies.
Performed and analyzed complex tax research regarding asset and stock acquisition.

6. Local Tax Returns

Here's how tax associates use local tax returns:

Prepare federal (1040s), state and local tax returns (IT-201 and IT-203) for individuals and small businesses.
Prepared and reviewed federal, state, and local tax returns for domestic and international hedge funds and private equity funds.

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7. Tax Compliance

Here's how tax associates use tax compliance:

Assisted in development and implementation of tax compliance process and technology best practices utilized nationally by several hundred tax professionals.
Provided tax compliance and consulting services by managing multiple client engagements for exempt organizations, individuals and S corporations.

8. Tax Regulations

Here's how tax associates use tax regulations:

Maintained compliance with tax regulations by researching current regulations.
Analyzed and interpreted tax regulations and accounting pronouncements.

9. Income Tax Returns

Here's how tax associates use income tax returns:

Position included preparing personal income tax returns, financial consulting about tax and personal saving strategies.
Prepared, verified, processed and electronically transmitted customer federal and state income tax returns.

10. Tax Software

Here's how tax associates use tax software:

Prepared personal property tax returns for all jurisdictions nationwide using automated tax software.
Analyzed financial documents to determine yearly income and input information into tax software.

11. Real Estate

Real estate is land that has buildings on it. This kind of property consists of permanent improvements either natural or man-made, which include, houses, fences, bridges, water trees, and minerals. There are 4 types of real estate namely; residential real estate, commercial real estate, industrial real estate, and vacant land.

Here's how tax associates use real estate:

Prepared tax returns and compliance projects for Corporations, Partnerships, Trust, and Real Estate Investment Trust for Broker-Dealer firms.
Update Income Statement schedules, write journal entries and review general ledgers for clients such as lawyers and real estate appraisers.

12. Excellent Client

Here's how tax associates use excellent client:

Communicated effectively with clients whilst performing excellent client service.
Establish and maintain excellent client relations for high net worth clients.

13. IRS

IRS stands for internal revenue services. It helps many compliant taxpayers become conversant with the law regarding taxes; it ensures the minority who refuse to comply with paying taxes pay the required amount.

Here's how tax associates use irs:

Responded to inquiries from the IRS and other tax authorities regarding reconciliation of filings, liabilities, and other associated matters.
Corresponded and communicated with the IRS and state taxing authorities to settle any outstanding tax matters in the Estate Settlement process.

14. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how tax associates use excellent interpersonal:

Trained in and maintained excellent interpersonal and communication skills that complement proven creative problem solving capabilities.

15. Phone Calls

Phone calls are a wireless or wired connection made over a telephone or a mobile phone between two people. Two parties are involved in a phone call, the caller and the receiver. A caller dials the number of the one he wants to call, and the recipient hears a bell or a tune to which he picks up the call. The call establishes a connection between them through which they can communicate. The voice is converted into signals and is transmitted through wired or wireless technology.

Here's how tax associates use phone calls:

Received telephone calls and answered customer inquiries.
Backed up the receptionist by answering phone calls and gave tax filing advice as well as pulled files for future appointments.

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What skills help Tax Associates find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What tax associate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Vivek Pande

Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

There are two skills all business students and graduates can always work on. The first is computer skills - basic knowledge of, for example, SQL or advanced Excel wizardry is always useful for career advancement. Secondly, students interested in global business can always learn/improve foreign language skills. Spanish is not even a "foreign" language anymore and some basic knowledge of, for example, Arabic or Mandarin can obviously be very useful.

What type of skills will young tax associates need?

Dr. Hassan Niazi

Assistant Professor of Accounting, Kansas Wesleyan University

The post-pandemic workforce is likely to have a more remote, collaborative, and perhaps work-from-home type of environment. Hence, this would require deeper understanding of the IT tools at their disposal with emphasis on their limitations and security aspects. To complement these hard skills, graduates will also need effective communication, problem-solving, and crisis management skills to overcome some of the inherent IT limitations.

What soft skills should all tax associates possess?

Jaclyn Barkow

Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting, Indiana University Northwest

The most valuable soft skill is communication. Being able to communicate effectively with colleagues, superiors, and clients. Communication comes in the form of written and oral. Effective communication also entails knowing when to listen, when to respond, and asking questions. Young accountants will also not know everything upon entering the workplace; asking questions is important for the learning process.

What hard/technical skills are most important for tax associates?

Jaclyn Barkow

Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting, Indiana University Northwest

Understanding tax return preparation is important. This is where the internship or volunteer work stands out on resumes. Tax law changes every year, so remembering what is in a textbook becomes obsolete year after year. Research skills are important for keeping up with the ever-changing tax law.

The profession is also changing so that tax accountants must have a working understanding of information security and maintaining client information confidentially. Data security is extremely important in the profession, and identity theft is very common in tax return preparation. Having some technical information systems and information security understanding is valuable to maintaining sensitive information.

Do you want to know more?

List of tax associate skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a tax associate resume and required skills for a tax associate to have include:

Strong Customer Service
CPA
Tax Planning
Taxation
Tax Research
Local Tax Returns
Tax Compliance
Tax Regulations
Income Tax Returns
Tax Software
Real Estate
Excellent Client
IRS
Excellent Interpersonal
Phone Calls
Financial Statements

Payroll
Partnership Tax
GAAP
Tax Preparation
Due Diligence
Individual Tax Returns
Indirect Tax
Property Tax
CCH
Tax Returns
Tax Payments
Fixed Assets
Transfer Pricing
Journal Entries
LLC
Tax Provision

Tax Season
Schedule Appointments
Forensic Accounting
K-1
S-Corporations
Legislative Changes
Business Tax Returns
QuickBooks
Income Statement
Tax Issues
State Tax Returns
Corporate Tax Returns
Tax Liability
Withholding Tax

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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