Salaries and costs
Edinburgh firms hire across personal tax, corporate tax, and VAT, with pay shaped by chartered status, software skills, and sector exposure. Typical salaries range from £24,000 to £32,000 for Tax Assistant and Graduate roles, £35,000 to £45,000 for Tax Senior roles, and £45,000 to £55,000 for Assistant Manager roles. Corporate Tax Manager roles tend to land between £55,000 and £70,000, with Senior Manager roles often between £70,000 and £85,000. Head of Tax and Director posts can pass £90,000, with bonuses tied to advisory revenue or risk management. Contract day rates vary from £250 to £700, with higher bands for complex advisory or systems change. Recruitment agencies and employment firms in the city quote permanent fees that commonly fall between 15% and 25% of basic salary, with temp agencies using margin models tied to pay rates and costs. Always confirm rebate windows, replacement terms, and any retained search stages before sign-off. Agency costs shift with scarcity, speed, and the level of market mapping required.
Qualifications
Recruiters look for ATT and CTA for practice roles, with ICAS, ACCA, or ACA valued for broader finance progression. In-house teams prize corporate tax exposure, tax accounting under IFRS, and confidence with tax provisioning. Personal tax roles benefit from trust and estates knowledge, and an eye for residence and domicile. VAT and employment tax posts reward hands-on advisory, partial exemption work, and tribunal awareness. Continuous CPD matters, with short courses in CCH, Digita, IRIS, Alphatax, and Onesource helping candidates stand out with recruiters and local employers.
Regional or geographic variations
Edinburgh jobs cluster around the New Town, West End, and the legal and financial blocks near Princes Street. In-house tax teams are based in and around Edinburgh Park and South Gyle, with good tram links to the airport and Haymarket. Waverley serves commuters from Fife, Midlothian, and East Lothian, widening the catchment for recruitment and staffing agencies. Parking and peak travel can influence candidate availability for early starts in compliance-heavy teams, so recruiters will often discuss hybrid patterns upfront with businesses.
Hiring challenges
The market is busy through advisory season, with demand peaking for corporate tax managers who can lead reviews, manage risk, and present to boards. Personal tax teams tighten from November to January as self-assessment work ramps up. VAT hiring swings with systems upgrades and ERP changes. Retention sits high on the agenda, since experienced reviewers and client managers carry relationships that drive fee income. Recruitment consultants report that clear progression, study support, and sensible caseloads can help teams hire staff and keep them. Hiring times shorten when interview panels are fixed early, test tasks are practical, and pay bands are published with recruitment fees agreed from the start.
Entry requirements
Junior roles often take graduates in accounting, law, economics, or maths. Many practices back ATT from day one, with exam leave and paid materials. Apprenticeships give a route for school leavers into tax compliance, client service, and returns review. Strong Excel skills, a clear writing style, and steady client handling can outweigh limited experience for entry-level posts. Candidates who register with an agency early in the season gain sight of temporary, permanent, and contract work as it lands, which helps job seekers judge pay rates and culture fit before committing.
Roles and career paths
Recruiters handle compliance posts, advisory seats, and mixed roles across practice and industry. Common jobs include Tax Assistant, Personal Tax Senior, Corporate Tax Senior, VAT Analyst, Employment Tax Adviser, Assistant Manager, Manager, Senior Manager, Head of Tax, and Tax Director. Career routes branch from personal or corporate into mixed advisory, transaction support, and reporting. In-house roles add group reporting, forecasting, and control over tax governance, which suits candidates who enjoy cross-team projects and long-term retention planning. Executive search is used for leadership hires where confidentiality and market mapping matter.
Seasonal trends or themes
January brings personal tax pressure, then a release in February for moves into new teams. Financial year ends shape corporate hiring through spring, with late summer steady for VAT and projects tied to systems change. Temporary cover rises with annual leave patterns, so temp agencies can help businesses keep returns and workflows on time. Contract work picks up around audits, forecasting cycles, and HMRC reviews. Candidates who keep CVs ready and stay close to recruiters often land interviews faster than the wider job market would suggest.
Local hiring challenges
Edinburgh draws tax talent from across the Lothians, with tram and rail links aiding cross-city moves. Travel time from Leith or Portobello into New Town can squeeze early meetings, so hybrid schedules help teams retain staff. Firms near Haymarket and Edinburgh Park benefit from quick rail and motorway access, which opens up candidates from West Lothian and Fife. Employment firms will ask upfront about office days, home-working kit, and core hours, since clarity on flexibility can boost candidate response rates.
Key sectors or employers in the region
Professional services, asset management, insurance, and public bodies anchor much of the hiring. Growth in fintech and data-driven platforms brings demand for VAT, PAYE, and reporting skills. Universities and charities need competent compliance support with strong stakeholder handling. Local businesses lean on recruitment agencies to find employees who can review returns, manage client portfolios, and support audits without heavy supervision. Job seekers with client-facing experience tend to move quickly, since that skill shortens onboarding for busy teams.
Regulatory or compliance standards
Right-to-work checks, AML screening, and references are standard for agency shortlists. Public sector assignments may ask for BPSS level checks. Data handling must reflect GDPR, and recruiters will confirm that CVs remove sensitive identifiers before submission. Many employers ask for recent CPD logs, software familiarity, and sample write-ups to test written clarity, which helps benchmark candidates fairly.
Common job roles agencies recruit for in Edinburgh
Recruitment agencies and recruiters cover personal tax compliance, corporate tax, VAT, employment tax, and mixed advisory. Typical briefs include high-volume compliance support from juniors, portfolio seniors who can review work, and managers who can lead planning meetings and manage fee recovery. Hard-to-fill roles include an in-house tax manager with fund experience, an employment tax manager with policy depth, and a senior VAT adviser with partial exemption expertise. Executive search teams step in for Head of Tax and Director mandates where confidentiality is key.
Quick facts and frequently asked questions
What are typical recruitment fees for tax roles in Edinburgh?
Contingency fees often sit near 15% to 25% of base salary, with retained search priced in staged payments for senior posts.
What software skills should candidates highlight on a CV?
CCH, Digita, IRIS, Alphatax, and Onesource are widely used, with strong Excel still in demand.
Do agencies handle both temporary and permanent tax roles?
Yes. Most cover temporary, permanent, and contract work, with temp agencies able to supply cover during peak seasons.
How can local employers speed up hiring for a tax manager?
Confirm interview slots in advance, share a clear brief, and publish the pay range and hybrid plan in the advert.
What starting salary suits an ATT trainee in the city?
Many offers land near £24,000 to £28,000, with rises tied to exam passes and portfolio responsibility.
Can job seekers register with more than one agency?
Yes. Candidates can register with an agency or two that specialise in tax, which helps compare roles and pay rates.