Accounts payable clerk vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between accounts payable clerks 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 clerk and an accounts receivable clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable clerk has an average salary of $38,333, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable 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 receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$38,333	$36,425
Hourly rate	$18.43	$17.51
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	89,564	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 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 clerk vs accounts receivable clerk salary

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$38,333	$36,425
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Jane Street	IBM
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between accounts payable clerk and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable clerk vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
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 receivable clerk 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 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 clerk vs accounts receivable clerk 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 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 Clerk
Accounts Payable Clerk vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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