Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between accounts payable assistants and accounts receivable 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 accounts payable assistant and an accounts receivable clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable assistant has an average salary of $37,145, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts payable assistant include data entry, purchase orders and vendor invoices. The most important skills for an accounts receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$37,145	$36,425
Hourly rate	$17.86	$17.51
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	31,341	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts payable assistant do?

An accounts payable assistant is responsible for monitoring the company's billing transactions, ensuring the accurate and efficient completion of the business' financial obligations. Accounts payable assistants process invoices, resolve account discrepancies, manage bank reconciliation, create expense reports, and updating account information on the company's database. They work within a team of the accounting and finance department, assisting with tax filing and audit processes as needed. An accounts payable assistant must have excellent knowledge of the financial industry and accounting principles to perform various duties, as well as doing administrative and clerical tasks as needed.

What does an accounts receivable clerk do?

An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies. Furthermore, an Accounts Receivable Clerk must resolve and examine deductions, prepare invoices and necessary documentation, and review customer payment plans and history records and coordinate with the collections department should there be any issues.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable clerk salary

Accounts payable assistants and accounts receivable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$37,145	$36,425
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Santa Cruz, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Emerson College	IBM
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounts payable assistants' and accounts receivable clerks' demographics:

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounts receivable clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Issue weekly payments to vendors by check, ACH, domestic wire, and international wire in USD and other currencies.
Assist in accounts payable/receivable including check deposits, credit card payments, ACH payments, credits, check runs, etc.
Compose effective accounting reports summarizing accounts payable data using QuickBooks.
Prepare payroll for salary and hourly personnel, including necessary reports for regulatory bodies.
Respond to payroll accounting inquires; provide resolution, information, or direction accordingly.

Accounts receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable clerk skills

Common accounts payable assistant skills

Data Entry, 15%
Purchase Orders, 10%
Vendor Invoices, 9%
Payroll, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%
Financial Reports, 4%

Common accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

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Accounts Payable Assistant
Accounts Payable Assistant vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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