Accounting internship vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between accounting interns and accounts payable 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 internship and an accounts payable clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable clerk has an average salary of $38,333, which is higher than the $30,642 average annual salary of an accounting internship.

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

Accounting internship vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Accounting Internship	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$30,642	$38,333
Hourly rate	$14.73	$18.43
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	80,299	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounting internship do?

An accounting internship is a trainee who reports to an organization's accountant in order to learn about the accounting field, complete financial projects and files taxes, and financial reports. An intern should be a graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting and should have an aptitude for mathematics and proficiency with computers. In order to prepare financial reports, an intern should possess knowledge with bookkeeping software. An intern must also know how to handle sensitive information with honesty and integrity.

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.

Accounting internship vs accounts payable clerk salary

Accounting interns and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Internship	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$30,642	$38,333
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	BWX Technologies	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Telecommunication	Technology

Differences between accounting internship and accounts payable clerk education

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

	Accounting Internship	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting internship vs accounts payable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounting interns' and accounts payable clerks' demographics:

	Accounting Internship	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	7%	7%

Differences between accounting internship and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounting internship example responsibilities.

Acquire training on the automated ADP payroll system which lead to a recommendation for the payroll manager position.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Prepare and process accounts payable checks and ACH payments.
Code diagnosis and add appropriate modifiers to CPT codes.
Prepare and maintain monthly departmental reports to maintain SOX compliance.
Demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology, ICD-9 codes, and CPT codes.

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.

Accounting internship vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common accounting internship skills

Reconciliations, 14%
Data Entry, 7%
Payroll, 6%
First Hand, 6%
Work Ethic, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 5%

Common accounts payable clerk skills

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

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Accounting Internship
Accounting Internship vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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