Tax advisor to accounting manager
A tax advisor already meets 21% of what the accounting manager role asks for. The move turns on 27 required skills not yet in the profile.
82.6/ 100
1 How much of what an accounting manager 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 accounting manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An accounting manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting entries
- fraud detection
- international financial reporting standards
- interpret financial statements
- national generally accepted accounting principles
- tax legislation
What stands in the way is 27 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 accounting manager 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 inform on fiscal duties communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held accounting entries business, administration and law
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles business, administration and law
- already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
- already held international financial reporting standards business, administration and law
- already held calculate tax information skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the accounting manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 47 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 support development of annual budget required
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- still to learn enforce financial policies required
- still to learn evaluate budgets required
- still to learn explain accounting records required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- still to learn manage accounts required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- still to learn supervise accounting operations required
- optional, not held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn accounting department processes required
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial statements required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- still to learn identify if a company is a going concern required
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- still to learn check accounting records required
- still to learn ensure compliance with accounting conventions required
- still to learn ensure compliance with disclosure criteria of accounting information required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
- still to learn follow the statutory obligations required
- still to learn draft accounting procedures required
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an accounting manager 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 corporate social responsibility study this
- 03 depreciation 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 fraud detection knowledge
- already held international financial reporting standards knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held advise on tax planning skill
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held inform on fiscal duties skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
- already held prepare financial statements skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held advise on bankruptcy proceedings optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held liaise with auditors optional
- optional, not held liaise with financiers optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage the general ledger optional
- optional, not held perform account allocation optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
27 held skills the accounting manager 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 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 commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role develop taxation policies 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 manage payroll reports 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
13 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 corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial statements required
- optional, not held global standards for sustainability reporting optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- optional, not held statistics 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
- accountant 28% covered · career change
- financial auditor 27% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become an accounting manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A tax advisor already covers 21% of what an accounting manager is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the accounting manager role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become an accounting manager?
27 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is accounting department processes.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to accounting manager?
Its learning distance is 82.6 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.