Tax clerk vs tax accountant

The differences between tax clerks and tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a tax clerk, becoming a tax accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a tax accountant has an average salary of $62,142, which is higher than the $32,304 average annual salary of a tax clerk.

The top three skills for a tax clerk include corrective action, IRS and data entry. The most important skills for a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.

Tax clerk vs tax accountant overview

	Tax Clerk	Tax Accountant
Yearly salary	$32,304	$62,142
Hourly rate	$15.53	$29.88
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	93,267	57,919
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

Tax clerk vs tax accountant salary

Tax clerks and tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Clerk	Tax Accountant
Average salary	$32,304	$62,142
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Oregon	New York
Best paying company	Ramsey County	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between tax clerk and tax accountant education

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

	Tax Clerk	Tax Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Tax clerk vs tax accountant demographics

Here are the differences between tax clerks' and tax accountants' demographics:

	Tax Clerk	Tax Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between tax clerk and tax accountant duties and responsibilities

Tax clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Research job aid tools such as: CRG, IDRS.
Search DMV records to reroute return mail
Suspend and clear tags/licenses on DMV system.
Collect and process quarterly taxes for the borough of Fairview.
Assemble tax returns, make copies and deliver to CPA.

Tax accountant example responsibilities.

Utilize QuickBooks to manage client data and prepare necessary financial statements.
Manage and prepare sales and use tax account reconciliations and property tax liability accounts and prepare corresponding journal entries.
Prepared/Review financial statements according to GAAP and propose adjusting entries for clients.
Prepare tax returns for corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals.
Work with various accounting departments, with duties such as account reconciliations, customer service, and administrative/clerical positions.
SAP, ONESOURCE, YESWIN, and BSAEfiling

Tax clerk vs tax accountant skills

Common tax clerk skills

Corrective Action, 30%
IRS, 13%
Data Entry, 6%
Treasury, 5%
Individual Tax Returns, 5%
Revenue Service, 5%

Common tax accountant skills

CPA, 9%
Tax Audits, 4%
Income Tax Returns, 4%
Tax Research, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Financial Statements, 4%