Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between accounts payable associates 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 associate and an accounts receivable clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable associate has an average salary of $39,270, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

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

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$39,270	$36,425
Hourly rate	$18.88	$17.51
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	30,845	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 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 associate vs accounts receivable clerk salary

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$39,270	$36,425
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Accenture	IBM
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
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, 6.8% 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 associate and accounts receivable 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.

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 associate vs accounts receivable 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 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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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Associate
Accounts Payable Associate vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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