Accounts receivable analyst vs accounting clerk

The differences between accounts receivable analysts and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an accounts receivable analyst, becoming an accounting clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts receivable analyst has an average salary of $43,692, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts receivable analyst include customer service, reconciliations and customer accounts. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Accounts receivable analyst vs accounting clerk overview

	Accounts Receivable Analyst	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$43,692	$38,683
Hourly rate	$21.01	$18.60
Growth rate	-8%	-5%
Number of jobs	26,558	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	51
Years of experience	12	6

What does an accounts receivable analyst do?

An Accounts Receivable Analyst provides accounts receivable support through monitoring all aspects of the collection of outstanding debts owed to a company. They check missing and unresolved payment issues, monitor overdue accounts, and prepare statements for managers.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Accounts receivable analyst vs accounting clerk salary

Accounts receivable analysts and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Receivable Analyst	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$43,692	$38,683
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $57,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Arlington, VA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between accounts receivable analyst and accounting clerk education

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

	Accounts Receivable Analyst	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts receivable analyst vs accounting clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Receivable Analyst	Accounting Clerk
Average age	46	51
Gender ratio	Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 3.5% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between accounts receivable analyst and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounts receivable analyst example responsibilities.

Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Perform and analyze all accounts receivable duties, including proper application of cash, check, ACH, and wire transactions.
Forecast estimate check clearing, deposits, ACH activities and other variables in order to set guidelines for daily cash position.
Verify benefits and eligibility for new patients.
Determine medical benefits base on contractual agreements assuring benefits are applied correctly for patients during claims processing.
Code invoices, research customer information, perform detail reconciliations, analyze exceptions with customer information and billing.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Accounts receivable analyst vs accounting clerk skills

Common accounts receivable analyst skills

Customer Service, 13%
Reconciliations, 8%
Customer Accounts, 7%
Pivot Tables, 4%
Patients, 4%
Financial Reports, 4%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

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Accounts Receivable Analyst
Accounts Receivable Analyst vs Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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