Accounts payable clerk vs accounts payable lead

The differences between accounts payable clerks and accounts payable leads 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 clerk and an accounts payable lead. Additionally, an accounts payable lead has an average salary of $57,175, 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 accounts payable lead are FAA, purchase orders, and vendor invoices.

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts payable lead overview

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Yearly salary	$38,333	$57,175
Hourly rate	$18.43	$27.49
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	89,564	31,041
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

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 accounts payable lead do?

Accounts payable leads are accounting professionals who are responsible for leading a team of professionals that manage the company's accounts payable, a short-term debt payment that needs to be paid to avoid default. These professionals are required to evaluate vendor invoices and prepare payments to pay vendors while preparing the daily expense reports. They must create the general ledger at the end of the month to reconcile closing balances. Accounts payable leads must also assist purchasing agents in resolving vendor or customer issues that pertained to inaccurate information on purchase orders.

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts payable lead salary

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Average salary	$38,333	$57,175
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Jane Street	NV Energy
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between accounts payable clerk and accounts payable lead education

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts payable lead demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3%
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, 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 clerk and accounts payable lead 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.

Accounts payable lead example responsibilities.

Manage weekly payment scheduling to expedite and efficiently meet vendor payment deadlines; including check run dates, wires and ACH.
Manage payroll transactions utilizing ADP payroll software.
Process check runs: set payments within the system, verify accuracy, and print checks launch ACH payments.
Assist in the implementation of new ERP system by testing and providing information need to meet the accounts payable processes.
Process invoices, check requests, employee reimbursements, and credit memos and ensure compliance with SOX documentation and approval guidelines.
Transmit monthly payroll information for bank reconciliation.

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts payable lead 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 accounts payable lead skills

FAA, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Reconciliations, 6%
Data Entry, 5%
ACH, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Clerk
Accounts Payable Clerk vs Accounts Payable Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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