Accounting associate vs accounting clerk

The differences between accounting associates and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounting associate and an accounting clerk. Additionally, an accounting associate has an average salary of $50,537, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for an accounting associate include reconciliations, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Accounting associate vs accounting clerk overview

	Accounting Associate	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$50,537	$38,683
Hourly rate	$24.30	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	49,143	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounting associate do?

An accounting associate is responsible for supporting the operations of the accounting department, ensuring the stability of the financial services and status of an organization. Accounting associates process invoices, update client accounts on the database, manage financial reports, assist with tax auditing and processing, monitoring the financial statements and activities of the organization, escalate financial disputes, and verify accounts receivable. An accounting associate must have excellent knowledge of the accounting industry, as well as exceptional analytical and time-management skills to perform clerical duties as needed under minimal supervision.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Accounting associate vs accounting clerk salary

Accounting associates and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Associate	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$50,537	$38,683
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $74,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Point72	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between accounting associate and accounting clerk education

There are a few differences between an accounting associate and an accounting clerk in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Associate	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting associate vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounting associates' and accounting clerks' demographics:

	Accounting Associate	Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting associate and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounting associate example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Reconcile bank statements and prepare company's financial data to be process by outside CPA for tax season.
Assist the firm's CPA in yearly personal and corporate income tax returns, business valuations and audits.
Reconcile cash receipts to the general ledger (lock-boxes, checks, wire transfers, and ACH payments).
Insure preparation and submission of computerize payroll to DFAS for assign personnel.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for use in trials and conferences.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Accounting associate vs accounting clerk skills

Common accounting associate skills

Reconciliations, 11%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 4%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

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Accounting Associate
Accounting Associate vs Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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