Tax clerk to accountant
A tax clerk already meets 30% of what the accountant role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.6/ 100
1 How much of what an accountant is expected to do is already part of a tax clerk’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 10 of its required skills as things a tax clerk already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accounting department processes
- accounting techniques
- bookkeeping regulations
- calculate tax
- check accounting records
- fraud detection
What stands in the way is 16 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 13 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 clerk background worth leading with.
- already held prepare tax returns forms information skills
- already held calculate tax information skills
- already held check accounting records information skills
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held accounting department processes business, administration and law
- already held insolvency law business, administration and law
All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the accountant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 44 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 analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn ensure compliance with accounting conventions required
- still to learn identify accounting errors required
- still to learn prepare financial statements 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 conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
- still to learn commercial law required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn accounting entries required
- still to learn financial statements required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
- still to learn attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions required
- still to learn explain accounting records 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 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 advise on financial matters 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 commercial law 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held accounting department processes knowledge
- already held accounting techniques knowledge
- already held bookkeeping regulations knowledge
- already held calculate tax skill
- already held check accounting records skill
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held prepare tax returns forms skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held insolvency law knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held film production process optional
28 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 financial matters optional
- optional, not held advise on risk management optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held conduct financial audits optional
- optional, not held evaluate budgets optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international financial reporting standards 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 payroll reports optional
- optional, not held manage revenue optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
- optional, not held perform cost accounting activities optional
- optional, not held perform dunning activities optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held prepare financial auditing reports optional
15 held skills the accountant role does not ask for
- 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 assess seizable goods skill
- not needed by the target role cadastral taxation knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate debt costs skill
- not needed by the target role debt classification knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes 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 observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role research taxation procedures skill
- not needed by the target role use accounting systems skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
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 commercial law required
- still to learn depreciation required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn accounting entries 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 international financial reporting standards optional
- optional, not held liquidity management optional
- optional, not held national generally accepted accounting principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a tax clerk become an accountant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax clerk already covers 30% of what an accountant is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the accountant role treats as required.
What skills does a tax clerk need to become an accountant?
16 required skills are missing, plus 28 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is commercial law.
How hard is the move from tax clerk to accountant?
Its learning distance is 74.6 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.