Tax Accountant CV, Template & Examples

How To Build the Best Tax Accountant CV

Tax accountancy is a business-critical financial operation that requires elite levels of diligence, and awareness of Tax law and regulations beyond the scope of the average accountant. For finance workers who feel a career in Tax accountancy and management is for them, getting the CV right is an essential first step in marketing the skills required to succeed in this sector to employers.

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The best Tax Accountant CVs combine superior accountancy skills and genuine passion. They need to communicate an awareness of how Tax Accountants sit central to business success – although a Tax Accountant CV needs to lead with relevant career placements and experience, peppered with examples of diligent tax reporting and advice, candidates must find a way of supplying all these details in the context of company success and tax legality, and how their labour has helped ensure enterprise financial prudence.

Candidates must also know the soft skills that make a good tax accountant and how to communicate them on a CV.

Skills include communication and the ability to break down complex tax legalities into digestible information for non-financial stakeholders; or work alongside other financial professionals such as auditors to guarantee financial clarity.

Our advice for building an effective Tax Accountant CV is to focus on niche skill sets, the technical and industry knowledge needed for the role, and the communicative skills and the ability to work as a team that make up effective financial teams.

Other Areas To Focus On

From the introduction (and subsequent delay) of IR35 to the shifting nature of top pay band tax limits from parliament to parliament, not to mention understanding the law around tax breaks and subsidies, VAT exemptions, auditing rules, personal allowances and more, Tax Accountants are, above all else, expected to know the mechanisation and industry movements of Tax law and be able to advise clients and stakeholders on how changing rules, thresholds and bandings will affect them. Make sure you include it in your CV.

Be a Team Player

Unless you’re a freelance tax advisor, Tax Accountants will work as part of a finance team within an enterprise or a financial institution offering advice to paying clients. No matter the specific market you’re in, Tax Accountants need to be team players, able to work alongside parallel financial professionals, under Tax management and within sprawling financial teams. A Tax Accountant’s CV needs to highlight these skills.

Balance Certifications and Education With Soft Skills

Like any role within niche finance, your working tax background and tax industry skill sets should be prominently displayed. This is best done by highlighting your degree-level education, certifications or tax-relevant qualifications you have, alongside your penchant for maths and numeracy, critical thinking skills, and your eye for detail.

Certifications, such as the AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting or ICAS Chartered Accountant, will be favourably received. However, the most important thing to remember is the clarity of CV – Tax Accountants have a broad church of accountancy skills, so ensuring they are all communicated is just as important as focusing on one certification or skillset.

Download your Tax Accountant’s CV

Learn more about Tax Accountant careers.

The following articles cover the job description, salaries, CV-building tips and more:

Job Description & Profile, Salary & Pay, Qualifications, Skills & Requirements, How to Become 

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