Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between tax preparers and tax specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax specialist has an average salary of $57,168, which is higher than the $51,020 average annual salary of a tax preparer.
The top three skills for a tax preparer include customer service, good communication and exceptional client. The most important skills for a tax specialist are IRS, customer service, and tax compliance.
| Tax Preparer | Tax Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,020 | $57,168 |
| Hourly rate | $24.53 | $27.48 |
| Growth rate | - | -7% |
| Number of jobs | 41,736 | 46,937 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A tax specialist is responsible for handling the tax compliance and correspondence of an organization, finalizing tax audits, and resolving discrepancies. Tax specialists should have excellent knowledge of tax laws and federal regulations, ensuring the accuracy of tax statements, and filing it accurately and efficiently. They should also be highly-analytical and communicative, especially on explaining tax-related documents to the management or the clients, as well as analyzing tax computations and managing the company's financial transactions.
Tax preparers and tax specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Preparer | Tax Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,020 | $57,168 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $85,000 | Between $36,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Goldman Sachs | STMicroelectronics |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a tax preparer and a tax specialist in terms of educational background:
| Tax Preparer | Tax Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between tax preparers' and tax specialists' demographics:
| Tax Preparer | Tax Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 10.0% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |