Post job

Tax specialist vs tax manager

The differences between tax specialists and tax managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tax manager has an average salary of $96,100, 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 tax manager are CPA, client relationships, and tax planning.

Tax specialist vs tax manager overview

Tax SpecialistTax Manager
Yearly salary$57,168$96,100
Hourly rate$27.48$46.20
Growth rate-7%17%
Number of jobs46,93779,204
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4746
Years of experience-8

What does a tax specialist do?

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.

What does a tax manager do?

A Tax Manager is responsible for managing tax reporting and compliance within an organization. They provide innovative tax planning and prepare state and federal tax returns for companies.

Tax specialist vs tax manager salary

Tax specialists and tax managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tax SpecialistTax Manager
Average salary$57,168$96,100
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $88,000Between $70,000 And $131,000
Highest paying CityStamford, CTSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandNew York
Best paying companySTMicroelectronicsMeta
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between tax specialist and tax manager education

There are a few differences between a tax specialist and a tax manager in terms of educational background:

Tax SpecialistTax Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California

Tax specialist vs tax manager demographics

Here are the differences between tax specialists' and tax managers' demographics:

Tax SpecialistTax Manager
Average age4746
Gender ratioMale, 30.8% Female, 69.2%Male, 58.5% Female, 41.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 10.0% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage8%11%

Differences between tax specialist and tax manager duties and responsibilities

Tax specialist example responsibilities.

  • Operate industry-specific taxation software to complete the tax returns.
  • Author of several articles on topics of international taxation.
  • Prepare and electronically file accurate and timely individual tax returns base on IRS regulations and company policies.
  • Conduct confidential interviews with individuals/couples using current IRS and state laws and manually or electronically file returns through proprietary software.
  • Prepare quarterly and annual tax accruals and return-to-provision calculations.
  • Analyze historical property tax for multiple internal divisions to accurately forecast current year expenses and support annual accruals.
  • Show more

Tax manager example responsibilities.

  • Test and learned to analyze accounting processes managing SOX testing including accumulating documentation and reviewing other testers work.
  • Perform tax provision review to ensure compliance with ASC 740 and ASC 740-10 for public trade companies and private companies.
  • Pull data and work with Hyperion.
  • Used Lexis Nexis, RIA, and CCH to research multiple tax projects.
  • Prepare and review ASC 740 tax balances for the company s fifteen largest foreign subsidiaries.
  • Calculate, prepare and submit quarterly estimate payments without need for review from third party CPA.
  • Show more

Tax specialist vs tax manager skills

Common tax specialist skills
  • IRS, 11%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Tax Compliance, 8%
  • Tax Issues, 7%
  • Taxation, 6%
  • Appeals, 6%
Common tax manager skills
  • CPA, 16%
  • Client Relationships, 7%
  • Tax Planning, 6%
  • Tax Compliance, 5%
  • Taxation, 4%
  • Tax Research, 4%

Browse business and financial jobs