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The differences between tax associates and tax specialists 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 $57,168 average annual salary of a tax specialist.
The top three skills for a tax associate include strong customer service, CPA and tax planning. The most important skills for a tax specialist are IRS, customer service, and tax compliance.
| Tax Associate | Tax Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,466 | $57,168 |
| Hourly rate | $30.03 | $27.48 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 42,019 | 46,937 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| 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.
A tax specialist is responsible for handling the tax compliance and correspondence of an organization, finalizing tax audits, and resolving discrepancies. Tax specialists should have excellent knowledge of tax laws and federal regulations, ensuring the accuracy of tax statements, and filing it accurately and efficiently. They should also be highly-analytical and communicative, especially on explaining tax-related documents to the management or the clients, as well as analyzing tax computations and managing the company's financial transactions.
Tax associates and tax specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Associate | Tax Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,466 | $57,168 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $95,000 | Between $36,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | STMicroelectronics |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a tax associate and a tax specialist in terms of educational background:
| Tax Associate | Tax Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between tax associates' and tax specialists' demographics:
| Tax Associate | Tax Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6% | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% |
| 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, 10.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |