Accounts payable clerk vs accountant

The differences between accounts payable clerks and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounts payable clerk, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts payable clerk include customer service, data entry and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounts payable clerk vs accountant overview

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accountant
Yearly salary	$38,333	$54,890
Hourly rate	$18.43	$26.39
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	89,564	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an accounts payable clerk do?

An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

Accounts payable clerk vs accountant salary

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accountant
Average salary	$38,333	$54,890
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Jane Street	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between accounts payable clerk and accountant education

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable clerk vs accountant demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable clerk and accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Match, code, and process vendor payments via MAS90 accounting system - including check runs and ACH payments.
Perform duties in compliance with GAAP, company and department policies and procedures, internal controls, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Process division payroll in coordination with ADP payroll systems for semi-monthly and weekly union contract employees.
Scan and store documents daily, retrieve W2 and W9 information along with service provider agreements when or if need.
Print, review, research, edit, code and batch invoices for processing via the various ERP financial systems.

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Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

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Accounts payable clerk vs accountant skills

Common accounts payable clerk skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

Accounts Payable Clerk vs. similar jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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