Tax Accountant

Tax Accountant

As a Tax Accountant, you'll be part of a collaborative team that plays an important role in supporting Southwest's tax compliance and reporting responsibilities. In this role, you'll prepare tax calculations for quarterly and annual tax provisions, as well as federal and state tax returns. You'll work closely with a team of tax professionals and corporate accounting partners to gather data and deliver accurate, timely tax reporting, filing, and payment of liabilities. Because the Income & Excise Tax Team supports a variety of tax workstreams, you'll have the opportunity to gain broad experience while managing multiple priorities and deadlines. Our team completes most of its work in-house, creating valuable opportunities to learn from experienced tax professionals, build technical expertise, and take on meaningful work that directly supports the company. We're looking for someone who is curious, enjoys problem-solving and research, is eager to learn new things, and has a desire to continuously grow their tax technical and professional skills throughout their career. Through your work, you'll help ensure Southwest remains compliant, financially strong, and well-positioned to continue connecting people to what matters most in their lives.

The culture of Southwest Airlines means we value the camaraderie, collaboration, and innovation that occurs when we come together and interact face-to-face at our vibrant corporate campus. Due to the nature of this role, you would be required to work from our Dallas, TX headquarters facility during business hours. U.S. citizenship or current authorization to work in the U.S. is required and no current or future work authorization sponsorship is available.

Responsibilities

• Prepare tax returns, ensuring accuracy of calculations and proper application of tax laws and ensure their timely submission
• Assist with federal, state, and international external audit responsibilities and participate as a stakeholder on special project teams
• Review and verify data, reports, and returns for accuracy to avoid under or over-payment of taxes and fines with limited supervision
• Support protests and appeals as necessary including direct interaction with General Counsel and Sr Leadership of Tax Department
• Support audits by outside taxing entities, ensure audit packages provided to stakeholders are complete, and analyzes audit findings
• Participate on projects to analyze data in support of tax position recommendations
• Evaluate tax positions by researching tax laws, rules, regulations, and GAAP to identify tax positions that are appropriate
• Research tax saving opportunities to reduce cost
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and transformation that will provide value within the organization
• Compile, consolidate, and present data reports from multiple sources, ensuring accuracy and clarity in financial and tax-related documentation
• May perform other job duties as directed by employee's leaders

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data
• Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process
• Knowledge of property tax and/or sales tax planning, research, and compliance
• Skilled in collecting, organizing, visualizing and assimilating data including turning raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software
• Skilled in behaving with a high set of ethical and moral principles when interacting with all levels of the organization, including leadership, and external customers
• Skilled in writing strategic documents for and creating/delivering presentations to leaders and external customers
• Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas using all forms of communication, learning to adjust tone, style and content to meet the audience's needs
• Ability to develop relationships and build trust with team members and customers
• Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense
• Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)
• Ability to persevere through tough challenges, deploying resources as needed, to deliver documents and/or tax returns in a timely manner

Education

• Required: High School Diploma or GED
• Required: Bachelor's Degree in Accounting or Finance

Experience

• Required: Intermediate-level experience, fully functioning broad knowledge in:
• Corporate Tax
• Public Accounting, Accounting, or Finance
• Preferred: Experience with tax provisions
• Preferred: Experience utilizing Alteryx or PowerAutomate
• Preferred: Experience with OneSource Tax Provision and/or OneSource Income Tax

Physical Abilities

• Ability to perform work duties from limited space work station/desk/office area for extended periods of time
• Ability to communicate and interact with others in the English language to meet the demands of the job
• Ability to use a computer and other office productivity tools with sufficient speed and accuracy to meet the demands of the job

Other Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen or have authorization to work in the United States as defined by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be able to comply with company attendance standards as described in established guidelines
• Must maintain a well-groomed appearance per company appearance standards as described in established guidelines
• Must meet confidentiality expectations as to confidential, proprietary, and sensitive company information
• Must have flexibility to work extended hours during the week and weekend, including company holidays, during quarterly close or special projects
• Some travel required

Pay & Benefits

Competitive market salary from $85,300 - $94,800* depending on qualifications and experience. For eligible leadership and individual contributor roles, additional bonus opportunities are available and awarded at the discretion of the company.

Benefits you'll love:

• Fly for free, as a privilege, on any open seat on all Southwest flights (your eligible dependents too)
• Southwest will help fund your Retirement Savings Plan with company contributions up to 9.3% of your eligible earnings**
• Potential for annual Profit Sharing contribution in the Southwest Retirement Savings Plan- when Southwest profits, you profit***
• Competitive health insurance for you and your eligible dependents (including pets)
• Southwest offers health plan coverage options that start from the very first day of employment. You will have 30 days to select and enroll in your health plan with coverage retroactively available to your first day of employment.

*Pay amount does not guarantee employment for any particular period of time.

**401(k) match contributions are subject to Retirement Savings Plan vesting schedule and applicable IRS limits.

***ProfitSharing contributions are subject to Retirement Savings Plan vesting schedule and are made at the discretion of the Company.

Southwest Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please print/save this job description because it won't be available after you apply.

Job Posting End Date 08/03/2026