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The differences between bookkeepers and accounts receivable specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a bookkeeper, becoming an accounts receivable specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a bookkeeper has an average salary of $40,337, which is higher than the $39,873 average annual salary of an accounts receivable specialist.
The top three skills for a bookkeeper include payroll tax returns, customer service and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accounts receivable specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Bookkeeper | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,337 | $39,873 |
| Hourly rate | $19.39 | $19.17 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 38,481 | 61,988 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 12 |
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
Accounts receivable specialists are members of the organization's finance or accounting department. They are responsible for managing the collection of payments for the company. They prepare official receipts and coordinate with account payable specialists from other companies with pending payables. They ensure that clients pay on time, and they also follow up on payments when necessary. They are responsible for checking whether the clients have already paid in full. Accounts receivable specialists are in charge of updating accounting records as well to ensure that client records are up to date.
Bookkeepers and accounts receivable specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bookkeeper | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,337 | $39,873 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $52,000 | Between $31,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | NTT Data International L.L.C. | InfosysPublicService |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a bookkeeper and an accounts receivable specialist in terms of educational background:
| Bookkeeper | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between bookkeepers' and accounts receivable specialists' demographics:
| Bookkeeper | Accounts Receivable Specialist | |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% | Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.9% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 8% |