Account receivable associate vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between account receivable associates and accounts payable clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an account receivable associate, becoming an accounts payable clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an account receivable associate has an average salary of $43,252, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.

The top three skills for an account receivable associate include customer service, data entry and patients. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Account receivable associate vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Account Receivable Associate	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$43,252	$38,333
Hourly rate	$20.79	$18.43
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	79,264	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	46	51
Years of experience	12	6

What does an account receivable associate do?

An account receivable associate is responsible for collecting and posting client payments for the company's services, recording system transactions timely, and reaching out to clients for outstanding bills. Account receivable associates settle accurate receipts for records, resolve payment discrepancies, and handle other related financial transactions. They also create comprehensive financial reports to the supervisor for review and submission to the senior management. An account receivable associate reviews contract agreements and discusses payment terms with the clients.

What does an accounts payable clerk do?

An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.

Account receivable associate vs accounts payable clerk salary

Account receivable associates and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Account Receivable Associate	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$43,252	$38,333
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $63,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Wallingford, CT	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Alvarez & Marsal	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between account receivable associate and accounts payable clerk education

There are a few differences between an account receivable associate and an accounts payable clerk in terms of educational background:

	Account Receivable Associate	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Account receivable associate vs accounts payable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between account receivable associates' and accounts payable clerks' demographics:

	Account Receivable Associate	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	46	51
Gender ratio	Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between account receivable associate and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Account receivable associate example responsibilities.

Manage daily credit card reconciliations and personally deliver regular cash deposits in a safe and professional manner.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Participate in month end close process by ensuring all assign journal entries and account reconciliations are perform timely and accurately.
Receive payments by credit card, ACH (automate clearing house) and electronic bank deposits.
Create and process ACH draft files, credit cards and manual deposits for multiple bank accounts.
Print and export daily EDI orders, match documents by PO number and forward to shipping department for processing.

Accounts payable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Match, code, and process vendor payments via MAS90 accounting system - including check runs and ACH payments.
Perform duties in compliance with GAAP, company and department policies and procedures, internal controls, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Process division payroll in coordination with ADP payroll systems for semi-monthly and weekly union contract employees.
Scan and store documents daily, retrieve W2 and W9 information along with service provider agreements when or if need.
Print, review, research, edit, code and batch invoices for processing via the various ERP financial systems.

Account receivable associate vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common account receivable associate skills

Customer Service, 19%
Data Entry, 8%
Patients, 8%
Good Judgment, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Cash Application, 4%

Common accounts payable clerk skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%

Account Receivable Associate vs. similar jobs

Account Receivable Associate related careers

Account Receivable Associate related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Account Receivable Associate
Account Receivable Associate vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs