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The differences between tax interns and tax preparers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax preparer has an average salary of $51,020, 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 preparer are customer service, good communication, and exceptional client.
| Tax Internship | Tax Preparer | |
| Yearly salary | $46,283 | $51,020 |
| Hourly rate | $22.25 | $24.53 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 71,991 | 41,736 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A tax preparer is responsible for preparing and processing the tax obligations of an organization. Tax preparers' duties include calculating tax returns, reviewing financial statements and make adjustments as needed, analyzing deductible expenses and credits, and adhering to the tax regulations and legislation procedures at all times. A tax preparer must have excellent knowledge of the tax processes and timely updated with the recent changes and updates within the financial industry. Tax preparers should have impeccable analytical and critical thinking skills to manage account statements for business and individual clients.
Tax interns and tax preparers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Internship | Tax Preparer | |
| Average salary | $46,283 | $51,020 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $71,000 | Between $30,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | - | Goldman Sachs |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a tax internship and a tax preparer in terms of educational background:
| Tax Internship | Tax Preparer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between tax interns' and tax preparers' demographics:
| Tax Internship | Tax Preparer | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 10.9% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 10.3% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |