Post job

Tax compliance officer vs tax associate

The differences between tax compliance officers and tax associates 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 $48,584 average annual salary of a tax compliance officer.

The top three skills for a tax compliance officer include IRS, tax compliance and income tax returns. The most important skills for a tax associate are strong customer service, CPA, and tax planning.

Tax compliance officer vs tax associate overview

Tax Compliance OfficerTax Associate
Yearly salary$48,584$62,466
Hourly rate$23.36$30.03
Growth rate-7%6%
Number of jobs95,30442,019
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4847
Years of experience2-

What does a tax compliance officer do?

A Tax Compliance Officer works for the IRS. This office primarily focuses on whether businesses and individual are making their necessary tax payments. Looking after the business reported revenue and paid taxes are the functions of the Tax Compliance Officer.

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.

Tax compliance officer vs tax associate salary

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

Tax Compliance OfficerTax Associate
Average salary$48,584$62,466
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $71,000Between $40,000 And $95,000
Highest paying CityLos Angeles, CALas Vegas, NV
Highest paying stateWashingtonNevada
Best paying companyMorgan StanleyRopes & Gray
Best paying industryGovernmentFinance

Differences between tax compliance officer and tax associate education

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

Tax Compliance OfficerTax Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Tax compliance officer vs tax associate demographics

Here are the differences between tax compliance officers' and tax associates' demographics:

Tax Compliance OfficerTax Associate
Average age4847
Gender ratioMale, 48.3% Female, 51.7%Male, 36.4% Female, 63.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 10.5% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between tax compliance officer and tax associate duties and responsibilities

Tax compliance officer example responsibilities.

  • Reconcile tax liabilities withhold by the business partners against deposits and the IRS transcripts monthly.
  • Collect and deposit tax liabilities withhold by various business partners throughout the firm to the IRS.
  • Assist the organizations in computing accurate taxation amounts.
  • Account administration of ultra high net worth clients encompassing all aspects from initial implementation through termination, emphasizing taxation.
  • Update taxpayers addresses, assign temporary ITIN numbers to taxpayers without a social security number, establish fiduciary accounts for taxpayers
  • Used databases, spreadsheet software such as IDRS to enter, revise, manipulate, store and retrieve data.
  • Show more

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

Tax compliance officer vs tax associate skills

Common tax compliance officer skills
  • IRS, 39%
  • Tax Compliance, 35%
  • Income Tax Returns, 5%
  • Taxation, 4%
  • Indirect Tax, 2%
  • Tax Issues, 2%
Common tax associate skills
  • Strong Customer Service, 26%
  • CPA, 13%
  • Tax Planning, 6%
  • Taxation, 5%
  • Tax Research, 4%
  • Local Tax Returns, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs