Side-by-side distribution
Accountant
$85,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 28.5%
- Live roles
- 3,512
Tax Specialist
$137,900
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 38.1%
- Live roles
- 1,927
Highest-paying jobs
Billing Accountant
Revenue Accountant
Senior Accountant
Senior Accountant Expert
Managed Services - Private Asr - Senior Accountant
Sr Accountant (Contract)
Forensic Accountant Specialist
Principal Accountant
Lead Tax Accountant, Tax Audit & Compliance
Sr. Accountant, AI Operations
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Tax Manager, International
Senior Tax Manager, International
Tax Senior Manager - Mergers and Acquisitions - Deal Advisory
Senior Manager International Tax M&A
Tax Senior Manager - Federal Mergers and Acquisitions - Financial Instruments - Washington National Tax
International Tax - Quantitative Tax Solutions & Technologies - Senior Manager
Private Partnership Solutions (PPS) - Tax Senior Manager
Specialized Tax Services - Energy Incentives & Credits Senior Manager
Tax Senior Manager - Private Companies
Tax Innovation - AI Engineer - Senior Manager
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
BDO Canada
|
$79,000 | 27 |
Supporting Strategies
|
$70,200 | 14 |
Cushman & Wakefield
|
$58,275 | 13 |
Hunt St
|
$23,094 | 12 |
Colliers International
|
$81,411 | 11 |
CoreWeave
|
$114,000 | 10 |
| TS Tempur Sealy | $80,750 | 10 |
Live Nation Entertainment
|
$80,000 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
RSM
|
$151,800 | 96 |
| BT Baker Tilly | $135,050 | 79 |
|
PwC
|
$182,500 | 78 |
Ascend Partner Firms
|
$162,750 | 24 |
Plante Moran
|
$152,500 | 21 |
|
BDO Canada
|
$107,000 | 21 |
Cherry Bekaert
|
$138,300 | 20 |
EisnerAmper
|
$163,750 | 16 |
Accountant salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $120,000 | 44 |
| New York | $101,750 | 77 |
| Atlanta | $101,750 | 7 |
| Seattle | $100,875 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $99,500 | 24 |
| Austin | $98,402 | 8 |
| Boston | $96,925 | 18 |
| Chicago | $92,300 | 46 |
| Denver | $89,888 | 30 |
| Toronto | $77,500 | 35 |
Tax Specialist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $182,500 | 91 |
| Los Angeles | $182,500 | 83 |
| Chicago | $182,500 | 138 |
| Boston | $182,500 | 89 |
| Atlanta | $182,500 | 52 |
| New York | $181,250 | 166 |
| Denver | $171,300 | 50 |
| Seattle | $169,845 | 49 |
| Austin | $165,000 | 25 |
| Toronto | $113,428 | 44 |
Accountant vs Tax Specialist: which pays more?
The median for Accountant is $85,000 per year (typically $70,000–$103,625), versus $137,900 for Tax Specialist ($109,688–$177,000). That puts Tax Specialist about 62% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Accountant and Tax Specialist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.