Business office clerk vs general office clerk

The differences between business office clerks and general office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a business office clerk and a general office clerk. Additionally, a general office clerk has an average salary of $30,034, which is higher than the $28,097 average annual salary of a business office clerk.

The top three skills for a business office clerk include patients, data entry and insurance verification. The most important skills for a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

Business office clerk vs general office clerk overview

	Business Office Clerk	General Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$28,097	$30,034
Hourly rate	$13.51	$14.44
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	183,094	160,597
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does a business office clerk do?

A business office clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support business operations that would help the company achieve its daily goals and objectives. Business office clerks monitor business and financial transactions, manage inventories, respond to inquiries and concerns, direct visitors to the appropriate personnel, schedule appointments, and file reports. A business office clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in finishing duties within the deadline, even under minimal supervision.

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Business office clerk vs general office clerk salary

Business office clerks and general office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Business Office Clerk	General Office Clerk
Average salary	$28,097	$30,034
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $37,000	Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	USF Reddaway
Best paying industry	Insurance	Health Care

Differences between business office clerk and general office clerk education

There are a few differences between a business office clerk and a general office clerk in terms of educational background:

	Business Office Clerk	General Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Business office clerk vs general office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between business office clerks' and general office clerks' demographics:

	Business Office Clerk	General Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 17.9% Female, 82.1%	Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 8.1% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between business office clerk and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

Business office clerk example responsibilities.

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Verify insurance using knowledge of medical terminology, provide customer service, and schedule patients for surgery.
Demonstrate ICD-9, CPT, and data entry.
Expand knowledge of ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes to include cardiovascular procedures
Complete duties in payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchase orders and internal control implementations.
Ensure all documents are completed, charts update, and records meet HIPPA regulations.

General office clerk example responsibilities.

Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Business office clerk vs general office clerk skills

Common business office clerk skills

Patients, 26%
Data Entry, 13%
Insurance Verification, 7%
Hippa, 4%
Office Equipment, 3%
Customer Service, 3%

Common general office clerk skills

Data Entry, 17%
Customer Service, 15%
Office Equipment, 12%
Front Desk, 11%
Word Processing, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%

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Business Office Clerk vs General Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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