Accountant to tax inspector
An accountant already meets 40% of what the tax inspector role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.7/ 100
1 How much of what a tax inspector is expected to do is already part of an accountant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the tax inspector role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tax inspector role treats 6 of its required skills as things an accountant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting techniques
- bookkeeping regulations
- calculate tax
- fraud detection
- handle financial transactions
- tax legislation
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tax inspector role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an accountant background worth leading with.
- already held calculate tax information skills
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held bookkeeping regulations business, administration and law
- already held prepare financial auditing reports information skills
- already held fraud detection services
- already held conduct financial audits information skills
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the tax inspector role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn public finance required
- still to learn public law required
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- still to learn inspect tax returns required
- still to learn inspect taxation documents required
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held manage cadastre optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held research taxation procedures optional
- still to learn collect tax required
- optional, not held develop account strategy optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held office software optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tax inspector role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 collect tax practise this
- 02 inspect tax returns practise this
- 03 inspect taxation documents practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held conduct financial audits skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held numerical sequences optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage cadastre optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held develop account strategy optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held inform on fiscal duties optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held numerical sequences optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held research taxation procedures optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
47 held skills the tax inspector role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- not needed by the target role calculate production costs skill
- not needed by the target role check accounting records skill
- not needed by the target role check the production schedule skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
- not needed by the target role consult with production director skill
- not needed by the target role depreciation knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft accounting procedures skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate budgets skill
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role explain accounting records skill
- not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role identify accounting errors skill
- not needed by the target role insolvency law knowledge
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role keep track of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with auditors skill
- not needed by the target role liquidity management knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage corporate bank accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage revenue skill
- not needed by the target role monitor after sales records skill
- not needed by the target role national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform balance sheet operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform dunning activities skill
7 further entries not listed here
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn public finance required
- still to learn public law required
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held numerical sequences optional
- optional, not held office software optional
Other moves recorded from accountant
- bookkeeper 72% covered · moderate
- financial controller 68% covered · moderate
- accounting assistant 60% covered · moderate
- accounting manager 58% covered · moderate
- accounting analyst 57% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 50% covered · moderate
- financial fraud examiner 48% covered · moderate
- post-production supervisor 44% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an accountant become a tax inspector?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An accountant already covers 40% of what a tax inspector is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the tax inspector role treats as required.
What skills does an accountant need to become a tax inspector?
6 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is collect tax.
How hard is the move from accountant to tax inspector?
Its learning distance is 54.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.