Bookkeeper to tax advisor
A bookkeeper already meets 23% of what the tax advisor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.7/ 100
1 How much of what a tax advisor is expected to do is already part of a bookkeeper’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 advisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tax advisor role treats 5 of its required skills as things a bookkeeper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- calculate tax
- interpret financial statements
- prepare financial statements
- prepare tax returns forms
- tax legislation
What stands in the way is 12 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tax advisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bookkeeper background worth leading with.
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
- already held manage payroll reports information skills
- already held calculate tax information skills
- already held prepare financial statements information skills
- already held commercial law business, administration and law
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the tax advisor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 34 missing skills fall into 6 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 advise on tax planning required
- still to learn advise on tax policy required
- still to learn disseminate information on tax legislation required
- still to learn inform on fiscal duties required
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
- still to learn secure sensitive customer's information required
- still to learn inspect tax returns required
- still to learn inspect taxation documents required
- still to learn observe confidentiality required
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- still to learn sign income tax returns required
- still to learn research taxation procedures required
- optional, not held compile legal documents optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- still to learn value-added tax law required
- optional, not held international taxation of transfer prices optional
- optional, not held legal department processes optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
- still to learn manage personal finances required
- optional, not held collect tax optional
- optional, not held develop taxation policies optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held fraud detection optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tax advisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 sign income tax returns practise this
- 02 manage personal finances practise this
- 03 secure sensitive customer's information 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held manage payroll reports skill
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held international taxation of transfer prices optional
- optional, not held legal department processes optional
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held advise on financial matters optional
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held check official documents optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held collect tax optional
- optional, not held compile legal documents optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held develop taxation policies optional
- optional, not held fraud detection optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
- optional, not held negotiate in legal cases optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- optional, not held provide legal advice optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
28 held skills the tax advisor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role allocate bills skill
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions skill
- not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role depreciation knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with accounting conventions skill
- not needed by the target role financial department processes 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 follow up accounts receivables skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role handle petty cash skill
- not needed by the target role identify accounting errors skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage cash desk skill
- not needed by the target role manage the general ledger skill
- not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
- not needed by the target role perform balance sheet operations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare trial accounting balances skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role support development of annual budget skill
- not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill
10 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 value-added tax law required
- optional, not held international taxation of transfer prices optional
- optional, not held legal department processes optional
- optional, not held business management principles optional
- optional, not held cadastral taxation optional
- optional, not held civil law optional
- optional, not held fraud detection optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held legal terminology optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
Other moves recorded from bookkeeper
- accounting assistant 72% covered · moderate
- accountant 60% covered · moderate
- billing clerk 46% covered · moderate
- tax clerk 41% covered · substantial
- financial controller 39% covered · substantial
- accounting manager 31% covered · substantial
- tax inspector 29% covered · substantial
- accounting analyst 29% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a bookkeeper become a tax advisor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A bookkeeper already covers 23% of what a tax advisor is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the tax advisor role treats as required.
What skills does a bookkeeper need to become a tax advisor?
12 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is sign income tax returns.
How hard is the move from bookkeeper to tax advisor?
Its learning distance is 74.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.