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The differences between tax specialists and senior tax accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior tax accountant has an average salary of $77,537, which is higher than the $57,168 average annual salary of a tax specialist.
The top three skills for a tax specialist include IRS, customer service and tax compliance. The most important skills for a senior tax accountant are CPA, state income, and tax research.
| Tax Specialist | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $57,168 | $77,537 |
| Hourly rate | $27.48 | $37.28 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 46,937 | 57,686 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
Senior Tax Accountants recommend tax strategies, as well as assist the preparation of federal, state, and local taxes. They contact clients to resolve minor tax issues and work with the senior tax manager to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax legislation.
Tax specialists and senior tax accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Tax Specialist | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Average salary | $57,168 | $77,537 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $88,000 | Between $60,000 And $99,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stamford, CT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | STMicroelectronics | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a tax specialist and a senior tax accountant in terms of educational background:
| Tax Specialist | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between tax specialists' and senior tax accountants' demographics:
| Tax Specialist | Senior Tax Accountant | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.8% Female, 69.2% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 14.3% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |