Accounting technician vs senior accounting clerk

The differences between accounting technicians and senior accounting 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 technician and a senior accounting clerk. Additionally, a senior accounting clerk has an average salary of $46,531, which is higher than the $41,337 average annual salary of an accounting technician.

The top three skills for an accounting technician include customer service, financial reports and payroll. The most important skills for a senior accounting clerk are data entry, general ledger accounts, and reconciliations.

Accounting technician vs senior accounting clerk overview

	Accounting Technician	Senior Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,337	$46,531
Hourly rate	$19.87	$22.37
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	39,972	82,627
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounting technician do?

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.

What does a senior accounting clerk do?

Senior Accounting Clerks lead in a complex set of work staff and are responsible for performing governmental fund accounting that involves reporting and financial record keeping. They are responsible for resolving discrepancies, verifying and auditing financial reports, and inputting data into their financial accounting system. They must know methods of verifying and reconciling accounting records, accounts payable and receivable, and how to familiarize themselves with their firm's financial accounting software. They must also be skilled in handling large sums of cash with integrity and making manual arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy.

Accounting technician vs senior accounting clerk salary

Accounting technicians and senior accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Technician	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$41,337	$46,531
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $53,000	Between $33,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Oakland, CA	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	W. R. Berkley	Encore Capital Group
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between accounting technician and senior accounting clerk education

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

	Accounting Technician	Senior Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting technician vs senior accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounting technicians' and senior accounting clerks' demographics:

	Accounting Technician	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting technician and senior accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounting technician example responsibilities.

Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
Reconcile the agency SPCC statement each month
Audit includes reviewing SPCC invoices and receipts to ensure appropriate tax exemptions are follow.
Analyze cases to determine if ICD-9 and CPT codes are covered benefits according to insurance's medical policy.
Apply GAAP following applicable federal regulations.
Maintain adherence to university accounting and GAAP standards.

Senior accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage payroll general ledger accounts including account reconciliations and monthly accruals.
Implement premium accounting statistical reports of all monies collect, including return items and general accounting from bank reconciliations.
Process ACH payments in accordance with company deadlines.
Cross train on many functions within the ACH department.
Monitor and clear holding accounts daily using PeopleSoft; prepare journals as necessary.
Assist with monthly, quarterly, and yearly closing processes, including accruals.

Accounting technician vs senior accounting clerk skills

Common accounting technician skills

Customer Service, 12%
Financial Reports, 10%
Payroll, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Reconciliations, 5%

Common senior accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 10%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Reconciliations, 8%
Senior Accounting, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%

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Accounting Technician
Accounting Technician vs Senior Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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