Side-by-side distribution
Accountant
$97,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.1%
- Live roles
- 1,449
Tax Specialist
$135,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 39.3%
- Live roles
- 488
Highest-paying jobs
Nonprofit Accountant & Financial Analyst
Staff Accountant
Senior Accountant
Senior Accountant
Senior Accountant
Management Accountant
SEC Accountant
Financial Reporting Accountant
Senior Revenue Accountant
Accountant (TV)
Highest-paying jobs
Tax Manager
Manager, Indirect Tax
Senior Tax Manager
Senior Manager, Tax Technology
Tax, Senior Manager
Senior Manager, Tax Technology
Senior Manager, Tax Technology
Tax Senior Manager
Tax Senior Manager (Real Estate)
Senior Tax Manager, Compliance
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Oscar Health
|
$100,500 | 14 |
| AX Axon | $144,300 | 13 |
Remote Raven
|
$20,800 | 11 |
Consigli Construction
|
$82,000 | 7 |
Cloud Accountant Staffing
|
$24,600 | 7 |
HireHawk
|
$19,200 | 7 |
| LP Lincoln Property Company through LinkedIn | $130,000 | 6 |
Metropolis
|
$82,500 | 6 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Ascend Partner Firms
|
$160,000 | 23 |
Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, Focus Partners Business Management
|
$107,500 | 9 |
| AX Axon | $163,837 | 8 |
|
Oscar Health
|
$100,811 | 8 |
| MA Mercer Advisors | $115,500 | 7 |
Focus Financial Partners
|
$103,500 | 7 |
Remote
|
$72,793 | 6 |
StockX
|
$125,000 | 4 |
Accountant salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $119,500 | 36 |
| Seattle | $116,983 | 6 |
| Austin | $110,750 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $105,000 | 15 |
| Chicago | $103,750 | 38 |
| New York | $102,656 | 86 |
| Atlanta | $100,656 | 6 |
| Denver | $96,750 | 11 |
| Boston | $96,525 | 13 |
| Toronto | $90,500 | 8 |
Accountant vs Tax Specialist: which pays more?
The median for Accountant is $97,500 per year (typically $76,000–$114,000), versus $135,000 for Tax Specialist ($105,940–$159,600). That puts Tax Specialist about 38% 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.