Tax Manager interview questions and answers
Use these sample Tax Manager interview questions to identify qualified candidates with solid accounting skills who fit your open roles.
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Tax Managers forecast tax returns and obligations, coordinate audits and ensure compliance with financial legislation.
Candidates for this role should have work experience with accounting software and be familiar with tax regulations. Potential hires usually hold an Accounting degree. Some may even hold an MSc in Taxation. Although not required, candidates with additional certification (e.g. a CPA) will stand out.
If this role includes managing a team of Tax Accountants, make sure your future hires can delegate tasks and evaluate team members’ performance. Also, some Tax Managers act as business advisors to help companies comply with tax laws. In this case, your candidates should demonstrate excellent communication skills with the ability to build long-term client relationships.
Operational and Situational questions
- What data would you collect to forecast next year’s tax returns?
- What would you do if you found significant numerical errors in a tax estimation only after you sent your report to a client?
- How would you check the accuracy of an accountant’s work?
- How would you present in simple terms the tax risks a client would face by making an investment?
Role-specific questions
- What are the main differences between state and federal taxes?
- What kind of accounting software have you used?
- How do you organize physical records of important paperwork?
- How do you manage foreign affiliate returns?
- Do you have experience with employee performance? How do you give feedback to your team members?
Behavioral questions
- Have you ever faced an ethical dilemma at work? If so, how did you manage it?
- Describe a time you helped a company minimize its tax obligations.
- How do you stay up-to-date with changes in finance law? For example, do you read any job-related forums or magazines?
- How do you manage deadlines when working for different clients at the same time?