Tax associate vs tax consultant

The differences between tax associates and tax consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax consultant has an average salary of $66,737, which is higher than the $62,466 average annual salary of a tax associate.

The top three skills for a tax associate include strong customer service, CPA and tax planning. The most important skills for a tax consultant are CPA, tax planning, and tax issues.

Tax associate vs tax consultant overview

	Tax Associate	Tax Consultant
Yearly salary	$62,466	$66,737
Hourly rate	$30.03	$32.09
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	42,019	39,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	47	47
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 consultant do?

Tax consultants are experts in providing commercially centered tax advice and tax services to wide-ranging clients who function in all sectors of the economy. The work they do involves devising tax-efficient strategies for international and domestic-based clients in various business situations, including takeovers, company merges, and corporate reconstructions. They work continually to help clients ensure that the best business decisions are met. They also monitor and get ahead of possible changes concerning tax legislation and responding fast with guidance specific to their clients' tax requirements.

Tax associate vs tax consultant salary

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

	Tax Associate	Tax Consultant
Average salary	$62,466	$66,737
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $95,000	Between $47,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	Las Vegas, NV	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Nevada	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Ropes & Gray	Cargill
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between tax associate and tax consultant education

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

	Tax Associate	Tax Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Tax associate vs tax consultant demographics

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

	Tax Associate	Tax Consultant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between tax associate and tax consultant 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 consultant example responsibilities.

Manage the training and use of new FactSet products and enhancements with various client bases including portfolio management and performance teams.
Maintain and generate the process of structuring and conducting business transactions to ensure that GAAP procedures are followed.
Develop, maintain, and ensure accounting policies and procedures are in accordance with company member agreements & GAAP.
Prepare returns and consult on tax and accounting issues for own clients as well as contract work for other CPA firms.
Work closely with CPA on data verification and documentations processing.
Save customers thousands of dollars on Mexico-U.S. cross-border taxation advisory.

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Tax associate vs tax consultant 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 consultant skills

CPA, 13%
Tax Planning, 7%
Tax Issues, 6%
Taxation, 6%
Tax Research, 5%
Income Tax Returns, 5%

Tax Associate vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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