Balance clerk vs bookkeeper

The differences between balance clerks and bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a balance clerk and a bookkeeper. Additionally, a bookkeeper has an average salary of $40,337, which is higher than the $37,281 average annual salary of a balance clerk.

The top three skills for a balance clerk include data entry, bank deposits and check images. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Balance clerk vs bookkeeper overview

	Balance Clerk	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$37,281	$40,337
Hourly rate	$17.92	$19.39
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	66,377	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Balance clerk vs bookkeeper salary

Balance clerks and bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Balance Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$37,281	$40,337
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between balance clerk and bookkeeper education

There are a few differences between a balance clerk and a bookkeeper in terms of educational background:

	Balance Clerk	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Balance clerk vs bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between balance clerks' and bookkeepers' demographics:

	Balance Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
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 balance clerk and bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Balance clerk example responsibilities.

Manage multiple deadlines for numerous payroll divisions and complex division budget reports with accurately and efficiently.
Maintain and provide timely and accurate reconciliations of various general ledger accounts and perform special projects as assigned.
Reconcile and balance multi-million dollar business & individual accounts, using QuickBooks.

Bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform journal entries, balance ledger, perform bank reconciliations, control inventory, coordinate proper guest accommodation.
Post and update of daily sales and purchases into QuickBooks system.
Execute monthly collection of Medicaid surplus funds from clients on a monthly basis.
Post resident receipts, Medicaid remittance, and process adjusting entries to the A/R detail.
Work closely with QC personnel for the planning of tooling and the flow process of PWB's.

Balance clerk vs bookkeeper skills

Common balance clerk skills

Data Entry, 21%
Bank Deposits, 15%
Check Images, 14%
Credit Balances, 10%
Customer Accounts, 7%
Financial Institutions, 6%

Common bookkeeper skills

Payroll Tax Returns, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Reconciliations, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Financial Transactions, 4%