Accounts payable clerk vs senior accounting clerk

The differences between accounts payable clerks and senior 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 clerk and a senior accounting clerk. Additionally, a senior accounting clerk has an average salary of $46,531, 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 a senior accounting clerk are data entry, general ledger accounts, and reconciliations.

Accounts payable clerk vs senior accounting clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Senior Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$38,333	$46,531
Hourly rate	$18.43	$22.37
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	89,564	82,627
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 a senior accounting clerk do?

Senior Accounting Clerks lead in a complex set of work staff and are responsible for performing governmental fund accounting that involves reporting and financial record keeping. They are responsible for resolving discrepancies, verifying and auditing financial reports, and inputting data into their financial accounting system. They must know methods of verifying and reconciling accounting records, accounts payable and receivable, and how to familiarize themselves with their firm's financial accounting software. They must also be skilled in handling large sums of cash with integrity and making manual arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy.

Accounts payable clerk vs senior accounting clerk salary

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$38,333	$46,531
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $48,000	Between $33,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	Jane Street	Encore Capital Group
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between accounts payable clerk and senior accounting clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Senior Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable clerk vs senior accounting clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Clerk	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%
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, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable clerk and senior accounting 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.

Senior accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage payroll general ledger accounts including account reconciliations and monthly accruals.
Implement premium accounting statistical reports of all monies collect, including return items and general accounting from bank reconciliations.
Process ACH payments in accordance with company deadlines.
Cross train on many functions within the ACH department.
Monitor and clear holding accounts daily using PeopleSoft; prepare journals as necessary.
Assist with monthly, quarterly, and yearly closing processes, including accruals.

Accounts payable clerk vs senior accounting 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 senior accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 10%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Reconciliations, 8%
Senior Accounting, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%

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Accounts Payable Clerk
Accounts Payable Clerk vs Senior Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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