Tax advisor to accountant
A tax advisor already meets 28% of what the accountant role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
75.8/ 100
1 How much of what an accountant is expected to do is already part of a tax advisor’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 accountant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accountant role treats 8 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting entries
- calculate tax
- commercial law
- fraud detection
- interpret financial statements
- prepare financial statements
What stands in the way is 18 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An accountant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tax advisor background worth leading with.
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles business, administration and law
- already held manage payroll reports information skills
- already held calculate tax information skills
- already held international financial reporting standards business, administration and law
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the accountant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 42 missing skills fall into 7 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 accounting department processes required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn accounting techniques required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn financial statements required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn check accounting records required
- still to learn ensure compliance with accounting conventions required
- still to learn identify accounting errors required
- still to learn prepare trial accounting balances required
- optional, not held keep track of expenses optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- still to learn attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions required
- still to learn explain accounting records required
- still to learn manage accounts required
- still to learn perform balance sheet operations required
- optional, not held resolve difficult account allocation cases optional
- optional, not held check the production schedule optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage revenue optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- still to learn draft accounting procedures required
- optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- still to learn follow the statutory obligations required
- still to learn statistics required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accountant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 accounting department processes study this
- 02 depreciation study this
- 03 financial department processes study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held accounting entries knowledge
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held commercial law knowledge
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- 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 advise on financial matters skill
- already held conduct financial audits skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held manage payroll reports skill
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held film production process optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held keep track of expenses optional
- optional, not held resolve difficult account allocation cases optional
- optional, not held check the production schedule optional
- optional, not held consult with motion picture producer optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage revenue optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
27 held skills the accountant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax planning skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tax policy skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cadastral taxation knowledge
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect tax skill
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role develop taxation policies skill
- not needed by the target role inform on fiscal duties skill
- not needed by the target role inspect tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role inspect taxation documents skill
- not needed by the target role international taxation of transfer prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate in legal cases skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice skill
- not needed by the target role research taxation procedures skill
- not needed by the target role secure sensitive customer's information skill
- not needed by the target role sign income tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role value-added tax law knowledge
11 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 accounting department processes required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn accounting techniques required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn statistics required
- optional, not held film production process optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held insolvency law optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
Other moves recorded from tax advisor
- tax clerk 52% covered · moderate
- tax inspector 48% covered · moderate
- tax compliance officer 41% covered · substantial
- legal consultant 30% covered · substantial
- audit supervisor 30% covered · substantial
- financial fraud examiner 30% covered · substantial
- financial auditor 27% covered · career change
- tax policy analyst 27% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become an accountant?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A tax advisor already covers 28% of what an accountant is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the accountant role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become an accountant?
18 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is accounting department processes.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to accountant?
Its learning distance is 75.8 out of 100, which is the career change 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.