Tax associate vs tax auditor

The differences between tax associates and tax 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 $48,226 average annual salary of a tax auditor.

The top three skills for a tax associate include strong customer service, CPA and tax planning. The most important skills for a tax auditor are audit reports, financial statements, and audit findings.

Tax associate vs tax auditor overview

	Tax Associate	Tax Auditor
Yearly salary	$62,466	$48,226
Hourly rate	$30.03	$23.19
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	42,019	64,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	-

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 tax auditor do?

The most crucial and challenging job is tax auditor. The auditor must travel to individuals, businesses, and government agencies to keep the financial analysis and documents in compliance with tax laws.

Tax associate vs tax auditor salary

Tax associates and tax auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Associate	Tax Auditor
Average salary	$62,466	$48,226
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $95,000	Between $34,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Nevada	New York
Best paying company	Ropes & Gray	City of Los Angeles
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between tax associate and tax auditor education

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

	Tax Associate	Tax Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Tax associate vs tax auditor demographics

Here are the differences between tax associates' and tax auditors' demographics:

	Tax Associate	Tax Auditor
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6%	Male, 52.8% Female, 47.2%
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, 12.6% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between tax associate and tax auditor 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.

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Tax auditor example responsibilities.

Collaborate extensively with external accountants to achieve all SOX compliance targets.
Establish community relationships with taxpayers, CPAs, and consultants.
Send correspondence to resolve auditing issues from non-compliance to proof by supplying documentation.
Conduct conferences with taxpayers and their representatives to discuss findings and resolve issues.
Review reports send by the IRS and make necessary changes to the Maine returns.
Research and respond to a variety of tax law questions base on customer inquiry.

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Tax associate vs tax auditor skills

Common tax associate skills

Strong Customer Service, 26%
CPA, 13%
Tax Planning, 6%
Taxation, 5%
Tax Research, 4%
Local Tax Returns, 4%

Common tax auditor skills

Audit Reports, 24%
Financial Statements, 8%
Audit Findings, 8%
Individual Tax Returns, 6%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Conduct Audits, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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