Accounting clerk vs operations clerk

The differences between accounting clerks and operations clerks 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 an operations clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an accounting clerk has an average salary of $38,683, which is higher than the $33,746 average annual salary of an operations clerk.

The top three skills for an accounting clerk include data entry, customer service and purchase orders. The most important skills for an operations clerk are customer service, data entry functions, and computer system.

Accounting clerk vs operations clerk overview

	Accounting Clerk	Operations Clerk
Yearly salary	$38,683	$33,746
Hourly rate	$18.60	$16.22
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	106,969	158,449
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	51	47
Years of experience	6	2

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 an operations clerk do?

An operations clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties, ensuring smooth business operations. Operations clerks often handle customer service, respond to customers' inquiries and concerns, and direct guests to appropriate departments. They also manage data entry tasks, update customers or employees' information to the database, create business reports, identify potential clients through cold calls and e-mails, sort and file documents, and monitor inventories. An operations clerk must have excellent time-management and organizational skills to follow office procedures and meet deadlines.

Accounting clerk vs operations clerk salary

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

	Accounting Clerk	Operations Clerk
Average salary	$38,683	$33,746
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research
Best paying industry	Government	Manufacturing

Differences between accounting clerk and operations clerk education

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

	Accounting Clerk	Operations Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Accounting clerk vs operations clerk demographics

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

	Accounting Clerk	Operations Clerk
Average age	51	47
Gender ratio	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%	Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3%
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, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 9.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between accounting clerk and operations clerk 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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Operations clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Input global notes in CRT.
Retrieve documents to be send to the IRS.
Encode checks with 10 key hardware TRP or NCR machines.
Register patients in the HMS system.
Research case law using Internet and Westlaw software.

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Accounting clerk vs operations clerk skills

Common accounting clerk skills

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

Common operations clerk skills

Customer Service, 25%
Data Entry Functions, 8%
Computer System, 7%
Payroll, 6%
Office Equipment, 4%
Provide Clerical Support, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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