Billing specialist vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between billing specialists and accounts payable clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a billing specialist, becoming an accounts payable clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable clerk has an average salary of $38,333, which is higher than the $35,624 average annual salary of a billing specialist.

The top three skills for a billing specialist include patients, customer service and data entry. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Billing specialist vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Billing Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,624	$38,333
Hourly rate	$17.13	$18.43
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	55,205	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	46	51
Years of experience	2	6

What does a billing specialist do?

Billing specialists are accounting or finance employees who are responsible for sending out billing invoices to clients. They calculate charges that their clients have incurred. They then write bills, ensure that all details are correct, and send these out to clients. They also manage payment due dates and ensure that clients are duly reminded of such deadlines. Billing specialists also manage client accounts and ensure that they are paying on time. They help identify clients who have outstanding payables and send out collection notices to them. At times, billing specialists also manage the receipt of payments to manage account records better.

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.

Billing specialist vs accounts payable clerk salary

Billing specialists and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Billing Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$35,624	$38,333
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $45,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Delaware	Massachusetts
Best paying company	TIBCO Software	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between billing specialist and accounts payable clerk education

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

	Billing Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
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

Billing specialist vs accounts payable clerk demographics

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

	Billing Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	46	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between billing specialist and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Billing specialist example responsibilities.

Use of QuickBooks to manage vendors' accounts, set up filing system to maintain files and supporting billing documents.
Manage the daily correspondence with keeping doctor/patient confidentiality under consideration along with HIPPA regulations.
Use independent judgment, manage and impart confidential information appropriately per HIPAA regulations and company requirements.
Accept and process healthcare claims and confidential medical records; verify patient eligibility and manage the Medicare and Medicaid billing process.
Provide additional information/clarification for insurance claims using knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, and HCPCS codes, as well as modifiers.
Assist staff with proper billing for patients, ensure proper coding using ICD-10, ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

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.

Billing specialist vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common billing specialist skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 10%
Data Entry, 9%
Medical Billing, 7%
Medicaid, 6%
CPT, 3%

Common accounts payable clerk skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%

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Billing Specialist vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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