Tax consultant vs general accountant

The differences between tax consultants and general accountants 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 $55,043 average annual salary of a general accountant.

The top three skills for a tax consultant include CPA, tax planning and tax issues. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.

Tax consultant vs general accountant overview

	Tax Consultant	General Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,737	$55,043
Hourly rate	$32.09	$26.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,379	87,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	-	4

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.

What does a general accountant do?

A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.

Tax consultant vs general accountant salary

Tax consultants and general accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Consultant	General Accountant
Average salary	$66,737	$55,043
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $93,000	Between $40,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Jersey
Best paying company	Cargill	Apple
Best paying industry	Finance	Automotive

Differences between tax consultant and general accountant education

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

	Tax Consultant	General Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Tax consultant vs general accountant demographics

Here are the differences between tax consultants' and general accountants' demographics:

	Tax Consultant	General Accountant
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between tax consultant and general accountant duties and responsibilities

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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General accountant example responsibilities.

Manage payroll functions, financial statements, accounts payable, basic job cost, account analysis, accruals, year-end audits.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Assist manager with cash flow, preparing financial statement, BBC, and report to CPA.
Create budget at beginning and coordinate CPA firm's audit at the end of year.
Assist in any kind of audit engagement (internal control, external, SOX, etc . )
Provide support for the controller with period-end close accruals and journal entries and assist in various duties and responsibilities.

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Tax consultant vs general accountant skills

Common tax consultant skills

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

Common general accountant skills

Financial Data, 11%
Reconciliations, 10%
Cash Handling, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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