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Tax internship vs accountant

The differences between tax interns and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $46,283 average annual salary of a tax internship.

The top three skills for a tax internship include first hand, CPA and taxation. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Tax internship vs accountant overview

Tax InternshipAccountant
Yearly salary$46,283$54,890
Hourly rate$22.25$26.39
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs71,99160,073
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4744
Years of experience-4

What does a tax internship do?

A tax intern is responsible for supporting the finance and accounting department on preparing tax documents, including analyzing financial statements and performing account reconciliations, under the supervision of a tenured tax preparer. Tax interns observe tax processes, shadowing the staff on daily operations, and utilizing their classroom knowledge to practical applications by recommending strategic procedures to handle tax filings efficiently and accurately. A tax intern must have excellent knowledge of the financial industry, as well as high-organizational skills on processing paper works and following instructions from the tax consultant.

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

Tax internship vs accountant salary

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

Tax InternshipAccountant
Average salary$46,283$54,890
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $71,000Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Meta
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between tax internship and accountant education

There are a few differences between a tax internship and an accountant in terms of educational background:

Tax InternshipAccountant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Tax internship vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between tax interns' and accountants' demographics:

Tax InternshipAccountant
Average age4744
Gender ratioMale, 53.6% Female, 46.4%Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 11.4% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%7%

Differences between tax internship and accountant duties and responsibilities

Tax internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage client accounts by organizing and categorizing financial data in QuickBooks files.
  • Enter clients info on w-2 for tax preparers.
  • Amortize treasury bonds, company own stocks and bonds.
  • Prepare tax returns for individuals, corporations, businesses, partnerships and provide CPA's with add help where need
  • Answer phones, make appointments, solve issues clients have, input data w-2 information conduct interview and collect signatures.
  • Learned from working closely with veteran CPA's in a small and personal office space where growth and interaction are encouraged.
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Accountant example responsibilities.

  • Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
  • Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
  • Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
  • Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
  • Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
  • Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.
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Tax internship vs accountant skills

Common tax internship skills
  • First Hand, 25%
  • CPA, 8%
  • Taxation, 7%
  • Tax Planning, 5%
  • Local Tax Returns, 5%
  • Tax Issues, 4%
Common accountant skills
  • Reconciliations, 14%
  • General Ledger Accounts, 6%
  • Account Reconciliations, 6%
  • GAAP, 5%
  • Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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