Finance & accounting

Tax adviser

Tax advisers help clients plan their finances to make sure they're paying the right amount of tax.

Annual Salary

£22,000 to £60,000

Working hours

38 to 40 a week

You could work: between 8am and 6pm;

2.9%
Future employment

There will be 2.9% more Tax adviser jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

You could:

  • meet clients to discuss their financial situation
  • gather information to calculate the amount of tax due
  • check and complete tax returns
  • audit clients' tax records
  • explain tax law to clients and find ways to reduce their liability
  • produce reports or presentations for clients
  • negotiate with HMRC on your client's behalf
  • keep up to date with regulations

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
  • specialist courses run by professional bodies
University

You could take a degree and then further professional training through a graduate scheme, to qualify.

Most graduate employers will be looking for a minimum of an upper second class degree. Some may also require specific UCAS points, gained through GCSE and A level or equivalent qualifications. This is to show how consistent your academic achievement has been.

Your degree can be in any subject. Though not essential, the following subjects can be useful:

  • accountancy
  • accounting and finance
  • business and management
  • law
  • maths

During your studies look out for:insight days; vacation schemes; internships; year placement opportunities

Your university careers service can help you to find work experience opportunities with business and finance companies, which will give you an advantage when you apply to graduate schemes.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
For more information
Apprenticeship

The following higher apprenticeships are relevant to this role:

  • Professional accountancy or taxation technician
  • Accountancy or taxation professional

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as an assistant in an accounting department and apply for a position as a trainee adviser with a company.

Some professional services firms recruit school and college leavers with A Levels or equivalent qualifications into trainee tax adviser roles. You would receive full training from your employer, including support to gain professional qualifications.

Direct application

You can apply directly to employers if you've got some of the relevant skills and knowledge needed for this job. For example, you could transfer from another profession like accountancy or law.

You'll need to apply for membership of the Association of Taxation Technicians, or work towards the Chartered Tax Adviser qualification offered by the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Other routes

You can complete a professional qualification through the Association of Taxation Technicians or the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Chartered Institute of Taxation or Association of Taxation Technicians for professional development and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a tax adviser from the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Taxation Technicians.

With experience, you could open your own tax consultancy.

You can find out more about becoming a tax adviser from the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Association of Taxation Technicians.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • maths knowledge
  • customer service skills
  • ambition and a desire to succeed
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to read English
  • analytical thinking skills
  • active listening skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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