Tax compliance officer vs tax consultant

The differences between tax compliance officers 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 $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 consultant are CPA, tax planning, and tax issues.

Tax compliance officer vs tax consultant overview

	Tax Compliance Officer	Tax Consultant
Yearly salary	$48,584	$66,737
Hourly rate	$23.36	$32.09
Growth rate	-7%	6%
Number of jobs	95,304	39,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	2	-

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 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 compliance officer vs tax consultant salary

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

	Tax Compliance Officer	Tax Consultant
Average salary	$48,584	$66,737
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $71,000	Between $47,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Washington	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Morgan Stanley	Cargill
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between tax compliance officer and tax consultant education

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

	Tax Compliance Officer	Tax Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Tax compliance officer vs tax consultant demographics

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

	Tax Compliance Officer	Tax Consultant
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7%	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%
Race ratio	Black 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, 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 compliance officer and tax consultant 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.

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.

Tax compliance officer vs tax consultant 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 consultant skills

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

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Tax Compliance Officer
Tax Compliance Officer vs Tax Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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