Tax consultant vs tax attorney

The differences between tax consultants and tax attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax attorney has an average salary of $85,681, which is higher than the $66,737 average annual salary of a tax consultant.

The top three skills for a tax consultant include CPA, tax planning and tax issues. The most important skills for a tax attorney are litigation, law firm, and real estate.

Tax consultant vs tax attorney overview

	Tax Consultant	Tax Attorney
Yearly salary	$66,737	$85,681
Hourly rate	$32.09	$41.19
Growth rate	6%	10%
Number of jobs	39,379	33,760
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Doctoral Degree, 42%
Average age	47	46
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 tax attorney do?

A tax attorney specializes in assisting clients in understanding tax laws. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting extensive research, meeting with clients to conduct initial assessments and interviews, understanding their needs, and helping them make business decisions by providing legal taxation advice. A tax attorney may also help clients to find ways to minimize their tax deductions. Furthermore, aside from working with individuals, a tax attorney may also work for companies as part of their legal team.

Tax consultant vs tax attorney salary

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

	Tax Consultant	Tax Attorney
Average salary	$66,737	$85,681
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $93,000	Between $50,000 And $146,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New York
Best paying company	Cargill	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between tax consultant and tax attorney education

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

	Tax Consultant	Tax Attorney
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Doctoral Degree, 42%
Most common major	Accounting	Law
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Tax consultant vs tax attorney demographics

Here are the differences between tax consultants' and tax attorneys' demographics:

	Tax Consultant	Tax Attorney
Average age	47	46
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%
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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between tax consultant and tax attorney 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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Tax attorney example responsibilities.

Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
Review IRS propose regulations, advisory letters and technical advice memorandums for tax litigation.
Probate practice - estates and protect individuals.
Participate in legal document review and compliance for large complex civil litigation matters.
Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
Handle all aspects of discovery including preparing interrogatories, document requests, taking and defending depositions and responding to discovery requests.

Tax consultant vs tax attorney skills

Common tax consultant skills

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

Common tax attorney skills

Litigation, 13%
Law Firm, 12%
Real Estate, 8%
Taxation, 5%
International Tax, 4%
IRS, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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