Accounts receivable clerk vs accounting technician

The differences between accounts receivable clerks and accounting technicians 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 receivable clerk and an accounting technician. Additionally, an accounting technician has an average salary of $41,337, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts receivable clerk include customer service, data entry and collection calls. The most important skills for an accounting technician are customer service, financial reports, and payroll.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounting technician overview

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounting Technician
Yearly salary	$36,425	$41,337
Hourly rate	$17.51	$19.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	87,935	39,972
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

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.

What does an accounting technician do?

An accounting technician is responsible for evaluating financial information procedures to support accounting and taxation tasks, verifying the accuracy of account statements for the reference of accountants. Accounting technicians manage the payroll processes, generate invoices, perform account reconciliations, analyze account receivables, prepare budget reports, and monitor the company's financial transactions. Accounting technicians should always adhere to taxation legislation, comply with accounting disciplines, and coordinate with the account management for any findings and concerns, requiring them to have excellent communication and analytical skills.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounting technician salary

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

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounting Technician
Average salary	$36,425	$41,337
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $45,000	Between $31,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	California
Best paying company	IBM	W. R. Berkley
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between accounts receivable clerk and accounting technician education

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

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounting Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounting technician demographics

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

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounting Technician
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts receivable clerk and accounting technician duties and responsibilities

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.

Accounting technician example responsibilities.

Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
Reconcile the agency SPCC statement each month
Audit includes reviewing SPCC invoices and receipts to ensure appropriate tax exemptions are follow.
Analyze cases to determine if ICD-9 and CPT codes are covered benefits according to insurance's medical policy.
Apply GAAP following applicable federal regulations.
Maintain adherence to university accounting and GAAP standards.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounting technician skills

Common accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

Common accounting technician skills

Customer Service, 12%
Financial Reports, 10%
Payroll, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Reconciliations, 5%

Accounts Receivable Clerk vs. similar jobs

Accounts Receivable Clerk related careers

Accounts Receivable Clerk related jobs

Accounts Receivable Clerk jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Receivable Clerk
Accounts Receivable Clerk vs Accounting Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs