Bookkeeping assistant vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between bookkeeping assistants and accounts payable clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a bookkeeping assistant and an accounts payable clerk. Additionally, a bookkeeping assistant has an average salary of $38,456, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.

The top three skills for a bookkeeping assistant include data entry, financial reports and credit card statements. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Bookkeeping assistant vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Bookkeeping Assistant	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$38,456	$38,333
Hourly rate	$18.49	$18.43
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	27,961	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Bookkeeping assistant vs accounts payable clerk salary

Bookkeeping assistants and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bookkeeping Assistant	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$38,456	$38,333
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Jane Street
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between bookkeeping assistant and accounts payable clerk education

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

	Bookkeeping Assistant	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Bookkeeping assistant vs accounts payable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between bookkeeping assistants' and accounts payable clerks' demographics:

	Bookkeeping Assistant	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 15.9% Female, 84.1%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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 bookkeeping assistant and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Bookkeeping assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Work with all the ACH'S and cash letters.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Document, classify and record each transaction in accordance with GAAP standards for review by CPA.
Team with CPA to ensure timely and accurate tax preparation and end of year financial statements.
Utilize PeopleSoft software to enter accounts into a general ledger system and reconciliation software to reconcile general accounts.

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.

Bookkeeping assistant vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common bookkeeping assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Financial Reports, 7%
Credit Card Statements, 6%
Bank Deposits, 5%
General Ledger, 5%
Bank Reconciliations, 4%

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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Bookkeeping Assistant
Bookkeeping Assistant vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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