Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between tax associates and auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax associate has an average salary of $62,466, which is higher than the $54,853 average annual salary of an auditor.
The top three skills for a tax associate include strong customer service, CPA and tax planning. The most important skills for an auditor are audit reports, customer service, and financial statements.
| Tax Associate | Auditor | |
| Yearly salary | $62,466 | $54,853 |
| Hourly rate | $30.03 | $26.37 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 42,019 | 20,325 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Tax associates are responsible for helping businesses and individuals with state and federal income tax preparation and compliance. These professionals often work for accounting firms and financial services companies. They perform varied tasks that include reviewing income statements, financial records, and expenditures, interviewing clients about income and expenses, and minimizing their clients' tax liability. Tax associates also conduct research on tax issues and assist with tax audits, advise clients on compensation and tax information, and maintain accurate and current client records.
An auditor is responsible for reviewing financial statements and making sure that the reports align with the accounting principles and legislative standards. Some of the important duties of an auditor are verifying the company's account statements, ensuring that the business is free from fraud and other unusual activities, providing recommendations to boost operations' performance, and creating financial reports for the board. An auditor should have excellent analytical and decision-making skills to spot inaccuracies of financial statements and resolve financial issues immediately.
Tax associates and auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Associate | Auditor | |
| Average salary | $62,466 | $54,853 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $95,000 | Between $35,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a tax associate and an auditor in terms of educational background:
| Tax Associate | Auditor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between tax associates' and auditors' demographics:
| Tax Associate | Auditor | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6% | Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 10.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |