Post job

Tax associate vs junior accountant

The differences between tax associates and junior accountants 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 $50,444 average annual salary of a junior accountant.

The top three skills for a tax associate include strong customer service, CPA and tax planning. The most important skills for a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Tax associate vs junior accountant overview

Tax AssociateJunior Accountant
Yearly salary$62,466$50,444
Hourly rate$30.03$24.25
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs42,01957,892
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4744
Years of experience-4

What does a tax associate do?

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.

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Tax associate vs junior accountant salary

Tax associates and junior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tax AssociateJunior Accountant
Average salary$62,466$50,444
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $95,000Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CityLas Vegas, NVNew York, NY
Highest paying stateNevadaNew York
Best paying companyRopes & GrayFuhu
Best paying industryFinanceConstruction

Differences between tax associate and junior accountant education

There are a few differences between a tax associate and a junior accountant in terms of educational background:

Tax AssociateJunior Accountant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Tax associate vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between tax associates' and junior accountants' demographics:

Tax AssociateJunior Accountant
Average age4744
Gender ratioMale, 36.4% Female, 63.6%Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%7%

Differences between tax associate and junior accountant duties and responsibilities

Tax associate example 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.
  • Respond to inquiries from the IRS and other tax authorities regarding reconciliation of filings, liabilities, and other associate matters.
  • Advise clients on questions they have pertaining to their tax liabilities and ensure that they are compliant to the IRS regulations.
  • Show more

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
  • Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
  • Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
  • Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
  • Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
  • Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.
  • Show more

Tax associate vs junior accountant skills

Common tax associate skills
  • Strong Customer Service, 26%
  • CPA, 13%
  • Tax Planning, 6%
  • Taxation, 5%
  • Tax Research, 4%
  • Local Tax Returns, 4%
Common junior accountant skills
  • Reconciliations, 18%
  • General Ledger Accounts, 8%
  • Account Reconciliations, 5%
  • Data Entry, 5%
  • QuickBooks, 4%
  • Payroll Taxes, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs