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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Corporate Tax Analyst

💰 $70,000 - $110,000

FinanceTaxAccountingCorporate

🎯 Role Definition

A Corporate Tax Analyst is responsible for executing and coordinating corporate tax compliance and reporting activities, assisting with tax provision calculations (ASC 740), supporting federal, state, local and international tax filings, and partnering with financial reporting, treasury and business units to manage tax risk and identify tax planning opportunities. This role emphasizes accuracy, technical tax knowledge, process controls and the ability to translate complex tax rules into actionable accounting and cash tax outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Staff Accountant with exposure to tax and financial reporting
  • Tax Associate at public accounting firms (Big 4 or regional)
  • Corporate Tax Intern or Junior Tax Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Corporate Tax Analyst
  • Tax Accounting Manager
  • Director of Tax or Senior Manager, Tax
  • Vice President, Tax or Head of Tax

Lateral Moves:

  • Financial Reporting / SEC Reporting
  • FP&A or Corporate Accounting
  • Treasury and Cash Tax Management
  • Transaction Services / M&A Tax Advisory

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Prepare, review and analyze quarterly and annual tax provisions under ASC 740, including current tax expense, deferred tax calculations, valuation allowance assessments and comprehensive documentation for external auditors and internal stakeholders.
  • Own preparation and filing of federal, state, local and international corporate income tax returns (including extensions), ensuring timely compliance with changing tax laws, data integrity, and comprehensive reconciliations to the general ledger.
  • Lead the tax provision close process: gather tax basis data from accounting systems, perform tax basis to book basis reconcilations, calculate temporary differences, and update deferred tax attribute schedules with clear audit trails.
  • Coordinate with external auditors during year-end tax audits and provision reviews, providing schedules, supporting documentation, explanations of tax positions, and remediation plans for audit findings.
  • Conduct research and apply complex tax law, regulations and IRS guidance to company-specific scenarios; prepare memos documenting technical conclusions and tax accounting implications.
  • Manage federal and multi-state tax apportionment and allocation analyses, update state nexus exposures, prepare state income/franchise tax returns and respond to state tax notices and inquiries.
  • Support international tax reporting including foreign jurisdiction filings, U.S. tax obligations related to foreign operations, tax treaty analysis, GILTI / BEAT considerations and transfer pricing documentation needs.
  • Analyze and model the tax impact of discrete transactions and business initiatives (e.g., restructurings, dispositions, new product launches), partnering with legal and business owners to quantify tax consequences and cash tax planning opportunities.
  • Maintain and improve tax provision templates, tax reporting processes and internal controls to increase accuracy and reduce close cycle time; document process flows and SOX controls where applicable.
  • Prepare tax provision rollforwards, effective tax rate (ETR) analyses and quarterly variance explanations for finance leadership and investor reporting requirements.
  • Support M&A and transaction due diligence: prepare tax workstreams, analyze historical tax attributes, identify potential tax exposures, and quantify tax attributes like NOLs, credits and deferred tax positions.
  • Manage tax compliance calendars, coordinate deliverables across accounting, payroll, accounts payable and legal teams, and ensure all tax filings and payments meet statutory deadlines.
  • Reconcile tax accounts to the general ledger, prepare detailed supporting schedules for deferred taxes, uncertain tax positions (ASC 740-10/740-10-25), and maintain documentation for uncertain tax positions and reserves.
  • Implement and leverage tax software (e.g., OneSource, GoSystem, Vertex) and tax automation tools (Alteryx, Python scripts, Excel VBA) to streamline compliance filings and provision calculations.
  • Support responses to tax authorities and coordinate with external counsel on audits, examinations, and tax controversy matters including preparation of position papers and fact summaries.
  • Monitor legislative and regulatory tax developments at the federal, state and international levels and assess potential impacts to the company’s tax position, cash flow and financial reporting.
  • Prepare and present tax-related analyses and presentations to senior finance leadership, FP&A, legal and business stakeholders; translate technical tax outcomes into business-relevant insights.
  • Manage intercompany tax allocations, treaty withholding, cross-border charges and documentation for transfer pricing adjustments; ensure intercompany tax flows are properly recorded and reconciled.
  • Assist with tax credits and incentive capture programs: identify eligible R&D, state credits or other incentives, calculate benefits, and support documentation and filings to realize tax savings.
  • Maintain and update tax accounting policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with GAAP and company policy; train junior staff on tax accounting practices, provision calculations and filing processes.
  • Build tax cash flow forecasts and tax payable projections; coordinate with treasury on anticipated tax payments, estimated tax calculations and cash planning.
  • Analyze and support the accounting for income tax contingencies and uncertain tax positions, including measurement, recognition, and disclosure in financial statements.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives: automate recurring tax tasks, design repeatable templates, and implement analytics to improve accuracy, reduce manual effort and strengthen compliance posture.
  • Mentor and review the work of junior tax staff, provide feedback on technical research and deliverable quality, and support their professional development and technical training.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist finance and accounting teams with ad-hoc tax data requests, tax-related journal entries and GL clarifications to support month-end and quarter-end close.
  • Provide tax inputs to cross-functional projects such as ERP implementations, restructurings, pricing changes and product launches to ensure tax implications are captured early and accurately.
  • Support tax technology adoption and integration projects—help test tax software upgrades, validate data flows and recommend configuration improvements.
  • Participate in internal tax audits and control testing; prepare documentation and evidence for SOX or internal control reviews.
  • Help compile transfer pricing documentation and coordinate with external transfer pricing advisors to ensure defensible positions and proper documentation.
  • Contribute to tax policy updates, governance frameworks and process mapping to maintain consistency across jurisdictions and business units.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of ASC 740 tax accounting and tax provision preparation, including deferred tax, valuation allowance and uncertain tax positions.
  • Hands-on experience preparing federal, state, local and international corporate tax returns and managing compliance calendars.
  • Proficiency with corporate tax software and tools such as OneSource (Tax Provision & Compliance), GoSystem, Vertex, CCH, or similar platforms.
  • Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, Power Query, complex formulas, macros and experience building robust tax models and rollforwards.
  • Experience with data manipulation and automation tools (Alteryx, Power Query, Python or SQL) to extract, transform and load tax basis data and build repeatable workflows.
  • Familiarity with transfer pricing principles, intercompany tax accounting and cross-border tax considerations.
  • Ability to perform tax research using authoritative sources and research tools (RIA Checkpoint, CCH IntelliConnect) and synthesize conclusions into professional memos.
  • Understanding of U.S. federal, multi-state and international tax regimes, withholding taxes, nexus analysis, and tax incentive programs.
  • Experience supporting M&A tax due diligence, transaction structuring and post-close tax integration activities.
  • Strong reconciliation skills: ability to reconcile tax schedules to the general ledger and explain variances to accounting teams and external auditors.
  • Competence with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle) and ability to coordinate extraction of tax-relevant data and mappings.
  • Knowledge of tax controversy, audit response preparation, and interaction with external counsel and tax authorities.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy in preparing technical tax deliverables and financial reconciliations.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to present complex tax topics clearly to finance leadership and non-tax stakeholders.
  • Effective stakeholder management and collaboration across accounting, legal, treasury and business unit partners.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to meet tight month-end, quarter-end and tax filing deadlines.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to identify root causes, propose practical solutions and implement process improvements.
  • Ability to work independently on complex projects while also contributing to team objectives and mentoring junior staff.
  • Professional judgment and high ethical standards when evaluating tax risks and positions.
  • Adaptability to changing regulations, technology and business structures; eagerness to continuously learn and upskill.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Taxation/MBA or relevant advanced degree.
  • CPA, Enrolled Agent (EA) or progress toward CPA preferred; other tax credentials desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Taxation
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5+ years of progressive corporate tax experience (corporate environment or public accounting with corporate tax concentration).

Preferred:

  • 4–7 years corporate tax experience with exposure to tax provision (ASC 740), federal/state filings, international tax issues and tax systems implementation.
  • Prior experience in a Big 4 or national firm tax practice is a plus; experience in a multi-jurisdictional corporate tax function preferred.
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