Accounting associate vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between accounting associates and accounts receivable 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 accounts receivable clerk. Additionally, an accounting associate has an average salary of $50,537, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounting associate include reconciliations, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an accounts receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Accounting associate vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Accounting Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$50,537	$36,425
Hourly rate	$24.30	$17.51
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	49,143	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 accounts receivable clerk do?

An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies. Furthermore, an Accounts Receivable Clerk must resolve and examine deductions, prepare invoices and necessary documentation, and review customer payment plans and history records and coordinate with the collections department should there be any issues.

Accounting associate vs accounts receivable clerk salary

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

	Accounting Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$50,537	$36,425
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $74,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Point72	IBM
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accounting associate and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Accounting Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting associate vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

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

	Accounting Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 26.5% Female, 73.5%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting associate and accounts receivable 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.

Accounts receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Accounting associate vs accounts receivable 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 accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

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Accounting Associate
Accounting Associate vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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