Tax advisor to tax compliance officer
A tax advisor already meets 41% of what the tax compliance officer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.5/ 100
1 How much of what a tax compliance officer 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 tax compliance officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tax compliance officer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on tax policy
- calculate tax
- collect tax
- inform on fiscal duties
- inspect tax returns
- inspect taxation documents
What stands in the way is 10 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tax compliance officer 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 collect tax management skills
- already held inform on fiscal duties communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held inspect tax returns assisting and caring
- already held inspect taxation documents assisting and caring
- already held cadastral taxation business, administration and law
- already held research taxation procedures information skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 7 the tax compliance officer 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 debt classification required
- still to learn debt collection techniques required
- still to learn insolvency law required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- still to learn assess seizable goods required
- still to learn assess debtor's financial situation required
- still to learn perform debt investigation required
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held monitor financial accounts optional
- still to learn handle financial disputes required
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn handle financial transactions required
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- still to learn respond to enquiries required
- still to learn law enforcement required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tax compliance officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess seizable goods practise this
- 02 assess debtor's financial situation practise this
- 03 debt classification 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held advise on tax policy skill
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held collect tax skill
- already held inform on fiscal duties skill
- already held inspect tax returns skill
- already held inspect taxation documents skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on tax planning skill
- already held cadastral taxation knowledge
- already held check official documents skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held research taxation procedures skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held keep task records optional
- optional, not held manage accounts optional
- optional, not held monitor financial accounts optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
28 held skills the tax compliance officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- 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 international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role international taxation of transfer prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- 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 payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate in legal cases skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice 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
9 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 debt classification required
- still to learn debt collection techniques required
- still to learn insolvency law required
- still to learn law enforcement required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held public finance optional
- optional, not held public law optional
Other moves recorded from tax advisor
- tax clerk 52% covered · moderate
- tax inspector 48% covered · moderate
- 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
- tax policy analyst 27% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become a tax compliance officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax advisor already covers 41% of what a tax compliance officer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 7 of which the tax compliance officer role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become a tax compliance officer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is assess seizable goods.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to tax compliance officer?
Its learning distance is 57.5 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.