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Accounting internship vs finance clerk

The differences between accounting interns and finance 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 a finance clerk. Additionally, a finance clerk has an average salary of $39,225, 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 a finance clerk are data entry, purchase orders, and HR.

Accounting internship vs finance clerk overview

Accounting InternshipFinance Clerk
Yearly salary$30,642$39,225
Hourly rate$14.73$18.86
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs80,299143,372
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age5151
Years of experience66

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 a finance clerk do?

Finance clerks are financial professionals who are responsible for performing various administrative tasks such as keeping financial records, preparing bills, and delivering excellent customer service. These clerks are required to process bills, checks, receipts, and other documents to ensure that they are all properly signed and distributed. They must verify financial and other data so that they can enter those data into the database and maintain updated records. Finance clerks must also assist with account reconciliations and should report the status of accounts and discrepancies to the management.

Accounting internship vs finance clerk salary

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

Accounting InternshipFinance Clerk
Average salary$30,642$39,225
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $38,000Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyBWX TechnologiesUnited States Courts
Best paying industryTelecommunicationGovernment

Differences between accounting internship and finance clerk education

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

Accounting InternshipFinance Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorAccountingBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Accounting internship vs finance clerk demographics

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

Accounting InternshipFinance Clerk
Average age5151
Gender ratioMale, 53.3% Female, 46.7%Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage7%7%

Differences between accounting internship and finance 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.
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Finance clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
  • Collaborate with insurance company representatives, case managers and physicians to obtain treatment authorization for potential kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant patients.
  • Write checks in the QuickBooks software to vendors and to reimburse employees.
  • Establish customer files in QuickBooks, write and test work instructions for clients, log and close complete files.
  • Produce PowerPoint presentations in order to brief the command team of the on goings within the company.
  • Used an automate information system (PeopleSoft) to edit, modify, and verify customers personal and payment information.
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Accounting internship vs finance clerk skills

Common accounting internship skills
  • Reconciliations, 14%
  • Data Entry, 7%
  • Payroll, 6%
  • First Hand, 6%
  • Work Ethic, 6%
  • Account Reconciliations, 5%
Common finance clerk skills
  • Data Entry, 16%
  • Purchase Orders, 9%
  • HR, 5%
  • Bank Statements, 5%
  • Bank Deposits, 5%
  • Credit Card, 4%

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