Tax consultant vs staff accountant

The differences between tax consultants and staff 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 $54,216 average annual salary of a staff accountant.

The top three skills for a tax consultant include CPA, tax planning and tax issues. The most important skills for a staff accountant are reconciliations, account reconciliations, and GAAP.

Tax consultant vs staff accountant overview

	Tax Consultant	Staff Accountant
Yearly salary	$66,737	$54,216
Hourly rate	$32.09	$26.07
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	39,379	115,930
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
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 staff accountant do?

Staff accountants are employees who are part of the company's accounting department. They are usually certified public accountants (CPAs). Staff accountants should be familiar with accounting tasks. Previous accounting experiences play a huge advantage in their success. They perform a variety of accounting responsibilities such as information verification and analysis, financial report preparation and presentation, financial account reconciliation, billing and payment receiving activities, vendor database management, and invoice processing requirements. They should also know how to do bookkeeping. Staff accountants should have good communication skills, analytical skills, and decision-making skills. They should also be organized and trustworthy since they will be handling confidential information.

Tax consultant vs staff accountant salary

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

	Tax Consultant	Staff Accountant
Average salary	$66,737	$54,216
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $93,000	Between $42,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New York
Best paying company	Cargill	Meta
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between tax consultant and staff accountant education

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

	Tax Consultant	Staff Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Tax consultant vs staff accountant demographics

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

	Tax Consultant	Staff Accountant
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 14.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between tax consultant and staff 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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Staff accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Contribute revenue accruals using job cost system, fix assets including reclassification, reconciliation and depreciation.
Prepare month-end journal entries and assist in compilation of financial statements, reconcile bank statements and general ledgers.
Complete audit-quality account reconciliations monthly for balance sheet accounts including the capital projects in progress accounts and miscellaneous revenue accounts.
Assume responsibility for cash management encompassing wire and ACH transfers processing, bank activity confirmation, and monthly bank account reconciliations.
Handle all A/R and A/P, payroll, change orders, collections, lien placement and release, vendor account management.

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Tax consultant vs staff accountant skills

Common tax consultant skills

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

Common staff accountant skills

Reconciliations, 15%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
GAAP, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
External Auditors, 4%
Internal Controls, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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