Accounting clerk vs junior accountant

The differences between accounting clerks and junior accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounting clerk, becoming a junior accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a junior accountant has an average salary of $50,444, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for an accounting clerk include data entry, customer service and purchase orders. The most important skills for a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting clerk vs junior accountant overview

	Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$38,683	$50,444
Hourly rate	$18.60	$24.25
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	106,969	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

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.

What does a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Accounting clerk vs junior accountant salary

Accounting clerks and junior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$38,683	$50,444
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	Fuhu
Best paying industry	Government	Construction

Differences between accounting clerk and junior accountant education

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

	Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting clerk vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accounting clerks' and junior accountants' demographics:

	Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting clerk and junior accountant duties and responsibilities

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.

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Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

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Accounting clerk vs junior accountant skills

Common accounting clerk skills

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

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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