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The differences between accounting technicians and accounts receivable specialists 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 technician, becoming an accounts receivable specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an accounting technician has an average salary of $41,337, which is higher than the $39,873 average annual salary of an accounts receivable specialist.
The top three skills for an accounting technician include customer service, financial reports and payroll. The most important skills for an accounts receivable specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Accounting Technician | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,337 | $39,873 |
| Hourly rate | $19.87 | $19.17 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 39,972 | 61,988 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
An accounting technician is responsible for evaluating financial information procedures to support accounting and taxation tasks, verifying the accuracy of account statements for the reference of accountants. Accounting technicians manage the payroll processes, generate invoices, perform account reconciliations, analyze account receivables, prepare budget reports, and monitor the company's financial transactions. Accounting technicians should always adhere to taxation legislation, comply with accounting disciplines, and coordinate with the account management for any findings and concerns, requiring them to have excellent communication and analytical skills.
Accounts receivable specialists are members of the organization's finance or accounting department. They are responsible for managing the collection of payments for the company. They prepare official receipts and coordinate with account payable specialists from other companies with pending payables. They ensure that clients pay on time, and they also follow up on payments when necessary. They are responsible for checking whether the clients have already paid in full. Accounts receivable specialists are in charge of updating accounting records as well to ensure that client records are up to date.
Accounting technicians and accounts receivable specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Technician | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Average salary | $41,337 | $39,873 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $53,000 | Between $31,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | W. R. Berkley | InfosysPublicService |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between an accounting technician and an accounts receivable specialist in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Technician | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between accounting technicians' and accounts receivable specialists' demographics:
| Accounting Technician | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3% | Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8% |
| 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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.9% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 8% |