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Tax internship vs tax accountant

The differences between tax interns and tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax accountant has an average salary of $62,142, 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 a tax accountant are CPA, tax audits, and income tax returns.

Tax internship vs tax accountant overview

Tax InternshipTax Accountant
Yearly salary$46,283$62,142
Hourly rate$22.25$29.88
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs71,99157,919
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
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 a tax accountant do?

A tax accountant is an individual who works with clients to produce tax return documents that follow tax laws and regulations while keeping them updated on their return information. Tax accountants must determine tax strategies for their clients that may minimize or eliminate tax payments while arranging audits with taxation authorities. They prepare tax documents for different clients, including private companies, non-profit organizations, and private individuals. Tax accountants are also required to obtain a bachelor's degree in accounting and should understand business concepts.

Tax internship vs tax accountant salary

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

Tax InternshipTax Accountant
Average salary$46,283$62,142
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $71,000Between $45,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between tax internship and tax accountant education

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

Tax InternshipTax Accountant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Tax internship vs tax accountant demographics

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

Tax InternshipTax Accountant
Average age4744
Gender ratioMale, 53.6% Female, 46.4%Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7%
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, 8.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage8%7%

Differences between tax internship and tax 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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Tax accountant example responsibilities.

  • Utilize QuickBooks to manage client data and prepare necessary financial statements.
  • Manage and prepare sales and use tax account reconciliations and property tax liability accounts and prepare corresponding journal entries.
  • Prepared/Review financial statements according to GAAP and propose adjusting entries for clients.
  • Prepare tax returns for corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals.
  • Work with various accounting departments, with duties such as account reconciliations, customer service, and administrative/clerical positions.
  • SAP, ONESOURCE, YESWIN, and BSAEfiling
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Tax internship vs tax accountant skills

Common tax internship skills
  • First Hand, 25%
  • CPA, 8%
  • Taxation, 7%
  • Tax Planning, 5%
  • Local Tax Returns, 5%
  • Tax Issues, 4%
Common tax accountant skills
  • CPA, 9%
  • Tax Audits, 4%
  • Income Tax Returns, 4%
  • Tax Research, 4%
  • Reconciliations, 4%
  • Financial Statements, 4%

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