Tax Specialist II

Tax Specialist II

Salary

$66,784.22 - $116,872.50 Annually

Location

FX. CTY. GOVERNMENT CENTER, 12000 GOVERNMENT CENTER PKWY., FAIRFAX (EJ32), VA

Job Type

FT Salary W BN

Job Number

26-01225

Department

Tax Administration

Opening Date

08/15/2026

Closing Date

8/28/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S23

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

This position conducts field investigations, discovery, and enforcement activities to ensure accurate tax reporting and compliance among Fairfax County businesses. Discovery efforts involve detailed surveys of complex business establishments to determine tax liabilities related to the Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL), Food and Beverage Tax, and Business Personal Property (BPP) taxes. Educates and guides the business community on state and county tax codes, as well as filing requirements. Conducts field investigations to verify and enforce the accuracy of reported gross receipts for business licenses. Reviews business financial records and asset listings to ensure accurate and uniform taxation of tangible personal property. Interprets and applies state and county codes and guidelines to a variety of tax and licensing scenarios. Research and prepare written reports on technical and legal assessment matters.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

Conducts field investigations, discovery and audits of business establishments to determine tax liability for business personal property and license liability and/or individuals e.g., type, size, location/tax situs, gross receipts, capital investments, income, assets, and equipment inventories;

Performs increasingly complex financial and investigative audits;

Ensures compliance with State and County tax laws; Researches various factors that affect tax liabilities of businesses and/or individuals;

Participates in the systematic identification, assessment and determination of business personal property tax and licensing liability and/or individual tax liability;

Conducts audits of specific business firms and/or individuals to assess accounts as to taxes and/or licensing;

Interprets and applies state, county codes and guidelines;

Reviews financial records of businesses and/or individuals to verify and enforce the accuracy of reporting of receipts, personal property, income and assets;

Negotiates differences with business and/or other representatives and resolves as many as possible by visits or correspondence;

Researches and applies appraisal techniques to conform to legislative changes and ensure uniform assessments of personal property and/or assessment of other County taxes;

Contacts other agency staff to obtain necessary data;

Prepares special studies for management and writes reports;

Reviews and analyzes personal property assessment and/or other tax related procedures to ensure performance improvement within administrative and/or legislative guidelines;

Briefs management on contested assessments and/or other tax decisions and provides testimony in court, as necessary;

Validates personal property and/or other tax assessments to ensure uniformity and equalization of values;

Performs occasional collection of delinquent accounts of a complex nature or involving a court action.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Knowledge of methods used in the assessment of Business, Professional, & Occupational License (BPOL), Business Personal Property Taxes, and/or other tax compliance areas;

Knowledge of accounting and management principles; Knowledge of relevant State laws and County Ordinances;

Ability to perform basic financial auditing skills;

Ability to gather, analyze and present data;

Ability to maintain effective relationships with the general public, business representatives and public officials;

Excellent customer service skills;

Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:

(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelors degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a closely related field and two years of related work experience in local business tax assessments or closely related area.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

Valid drivers license

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, a credit check, and a driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Four-year college degree preferred in accounting, business administration, finance, or related field. Knowledge of accounting and management principles.
• Experience working for a regulatory or compliance agency in a field position.
• Ability to perform basic financial auditing skills.
• Knowledge of methods used in the assessment and Discovery of Business, Professional, & Occupational License (BPOL) and Business Personal Property Taxes.
• Experience in interpreting state and county codes to determine business classifications and tax assessments.
• Practical experience in using Microsoft Office application.
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Job is generally sedentary in nature, and requires walking, standing, sitting (for long periods of time), and reaching, bending; may be required to lift or carry up to 15 lbs. as required for the position. Position frequently communicates and must be able to exchange accurate information with others verbally and in writing. Visual acuity is required to read data from paper and on a computer monitor; ability to operate keyboard driven equipment. Generally, works in an office environment and may occasionally be required to perform job duties outside of the typical office setting. Ability to drive a motor vehicle. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview and may include exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

#LI-LD1

Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click here for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a related degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

Please indicate all major(s) or minor(s) for your completed degree(s). Check all that apply.

• Business administration
• Finance
• Accounting
• Public administration
• Other (related field)
• Other (non-related field)
• Not applicable

04

If you answered "Other (related field)" or "Other (non-related field)" for the previous question, please list all of your majors and minors. If this question does not pertain to you, or you do not have a degree, enter "Not applicable".

05

How many years of full-time equivalent professional level experience in local business tax assessments or closely related area do you possess?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

06

Do you currently possess a valid drivers license?

• Yes
• No

07

How many years of full-time equivalent experience in business discovery, research and investigation skills and techniques do you possess?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five years or more

08

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have working for a regulatory or compliance agency in a field position?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

09

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have enforcing and explaining business tax or license regulations?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five years or more

10

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have interpreting state and county codes to determine business classifications and tax assessments?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five years or more

11

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have in basic financial auditing?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five years or more

12

Are you proficient in any of the following Microsoft Office Suite applications? Check all that apply.

• Outlook (Composing email messages; sending and receiving email messages; organizing email messages into folders; managing contacts; scheduling appointments & meetings, managing tasks)
• Word (Knowledge of common functions such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; indenting paragraphs; using tabs and tables; inserting a hard page break; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; adding comments and tracking changes)
• PowerPoint (Creating a template and working with a design template; working with graphics, animation and multimedia; building interactive presentations using hyperlinks)
• Excel (Basic knowledge of creating a worksheet; performing calculations in a worksheet; modifying and formatting a worksheet; printing workbook contents; creating and modifying pivot tables; using formulas and links to other cells/worksheets)
• None of the above

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm