Tax Specialist

What the Numbers Say About Tax Specialist

Federal agencies employ 797 people in the Tax Specialist occupation (OPM code 526), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 6.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Tax Specialist is $84,219 per year, placing it 23.3% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved down by -2.7% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 15.7 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.

Tax Specialist sits inside the Accounting and Budget Group family (code 5), which contains 18 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Tax Specialist postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Accounting and Budget Group family (18 occupations, 124,386 employees combined), Tax Specialist holds the #14 spot by headcount, a 0.6% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks right at the midpoint of pay among Accounting and Budget Group occupations.