All careersBusiness & finance

Tax Examiner / Revenue Agent

$62,370

median / year

$42,000 – $114,550

what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Review filed tax returns, verify figures and credits, and collect overdue taxes owed to a government agency.

You may also see this posted as: Revenue Agent, Tax Collector, Tax Compliance Officer, Tax Examiner, City Tax Auditor, Collections Specialist.

Where you work

Government offices, some remote work

The hours

Full time, regular hours

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

Send notices to taxpayers when accounts are delinquent.
Confer with taxpayers or their representatives to discuss the issues, laws, and regulations involved in returns, and to resolve problems with returns.
Notify taxpayers of any overpayment or underpayment, and either issue a refund or request further payment.
Maintain records for each case, including contacts, telephone numbers, and actions taken.
Contact taxpayers by mail or telephone to address discrepancies and to request supporting documentation.

Good fit if you like…

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityIntegrityCautiousness

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Alteryx softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointSAP software

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay

$62,370

per year

Hourly median

$29.98

per hour

What most earn

$42,000–$114,550

yearly, 10th to 90th percentile

Openings a year

~4,300

projected, 2024–34

Outlook to 2034

-1.8%

Declining

Working in the U.S.

56,610

people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

State

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree plus agency training.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license is required, and new hires learn the rules through on-the-job agency training.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

Find state licenses Find recognized certifications

What it takes

Tax rulesAuditingMathRecordkeeping

The honest take

Reviews tax returns and collects taxes owed for a government agency, unlike a tax-preparer, who fills out returns for individual clients.

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Compliance Officer

Business & finance

$80,730

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Turn a number into a plan

Standard Occupational Classification 13-2081. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.