How To Become A Tax Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tax analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Brian Meehan

A tax analyst is responsible for the preparation, review, and filing of tax forms. Apart from the preparation of taxes, tax analysts are hired to devise means for reduced tax payments. You are in charge of the preparation of tax returns and quarterly tax payments. You also handle all the tax paperwork for your client. Your job involves the calculation of taxes owed, saving gained from deductions, and other costs that influence the final tax estimate. As an analyst, you make recommendations that concern tax breaks, deductions, and ways to reduce tax expenses. To succeed as a tax analyst, you must stay updated about tax laws and recent modifications.

You need to possess a degree in accounting, finance, or other similar fields of study to work as a tax analyst. You must also be a detail-oriented analytical thinker. Great computer, communication, and time management skills are also required for the role. Tax analysts earn $64,897 on an average every year.

What general advice would you give to a Tax Analyst?

Brian Meehan

Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College

My advice would be to apply broadly for jobs and take advantage of the robust set of career opportunities a degree in economics provides. It also gives you a better gauge of the opportunity cost (next best alternative) of accepting a job. Try to determine what that best alternative is. Additional training can also be a good option. Those individuals interested in graduate schools, professional schools, law schools, MBAs, etc. should look into these opportunities. Improving your human capital stock (via training and education), while weathering a recession, and then capitalizing on a healthier job market at the end of this training, is a pretty good route (assuming the recession is short).

ScoreTax AnalystUS Average

Salary

4.8

Avg. Salary $61,745

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.6

Growth Rate -7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.26%

Asian 11.08%

Black or African American 13.08%

Hispanic or Latino 15.56%

Unknown 3.42%

White 56.61%

Gender

female 57.07%

male 42.93%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tax analyst

Explore tax analyst education requirements

Most common tax analyst degrees

Bachelor's

69.6 %

Master's

14.3 %

Associate

10.8 %

Start to develop specific tax analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Tax Audits	5.80%
Reconciliations	4.50%
Tax Compliance	4.16%
Tax Payments	3.93%
Tax Software	3.90%

Complete relevant tax analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tax analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tax analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tax analyst resumes.

Research tax analyst duties and responsibilities

Utilize QuickBooks to manage client data and prepare necessary financial statements.
Own the preparation of the consolidated/worldwide provision calculations and AJE, including account reconciliations.
Prepare ASC 740 tax accounting calculations.
Input apportionment factors into OneSource tax system.

Prepare your tax analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tax analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tax analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Tax Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Tax Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Tax Analyst resume.

Apply for tax analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a tax analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do tax analysts rate their job?

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Tax Analyst reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Cons

Business owners that do not know or understand compliance and GAAP, or the patience to follow the rules... generally common in small companies.

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Seasonal work and flexible schedule

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019