Accounts payable associate vs accounting clerk

The differences between accounts payable associates and 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 accounts payable associate and an accounting clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable associate has an average salary of $39,270, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

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

Accounts payable associate vs accounting clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$39,270	$38,683
Hourly rate	$18.88	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	30,845	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts payable associate do?

An accounts payable associate is primarily responsible for processing bills and payments for a company, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Moreover, they are also responsible for maintaining records of all transactions, liaising with external agencies, coordinating with different departments to gather data, receiving and monitoring invoices, and obtaining approval from managers or supervisors when it comes to payments as needed. An accounts payable associate may also produce financial reports and statements, create presentations, train new members of the workforce, and assist audits, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Accounts payable associate vs accounting clerk salary

Accounts payable associates and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$39,270	$38,683
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Accenture	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounting clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable associate vs accounting clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable associate example responsibilities.

Manage the PeopleSoft PO/Voucher/Receiver matching process for all business units.
Prepare A/R reports for BCBSM, Medicare, Medicaid and multiple HMO's.
Complete various seminars on Medicare and Medicaid.
Process and verify employees' expense reports to ensure compliance with GAAP and company policy.
Perform GL coding for expense invoices along with processing both ACH payments and check payments on a daily basis.
Verify which vendors need W9 to be mail to them at the beginning of the year for tax purposes.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Accounts payable associate vs accounting clerk skills

Common accounts payable associate skills

Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Vendor Statements, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Expense Reports, 5%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Associate
Accounts Payable Associate vs Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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