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Cash application specialist vs accounting clerk

The differences between cash application specialists and accounting 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 cash application specialist and an accounting clerk. Additionally, an accounting clerk has an average salary of $38,683, which is higher than the $37,558 average annual salary of a cash application specialist.

The top three skills for a cash application specialist include customer service, cash application and patients. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Cash application specialist vs accounting clerk overview

Cash Application SpecialistAccounting Clerk
Yearly salary$37,558$38,683
Hourly rate$18.06$18.60
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs63,925106,969
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age5151
Years of experience66

What does a cash application specialist do?

Cash Application Specialists handle a variety of tasks related to company finances. They manage the organization of the company's financial records and oversee the overall cash inflow. They may also be assigned to handle payment collection, preparation of invoices, and receipts' issuance. They manage their relationship with their counterparts in client organizations to ensure a harmonious work relationship. This will help them follow up payments, communicate better, and resolve any concerns. Cash application specialists are also in charge of updating client records and ensuring that clients' payments are accurate. They also process refunds and facilitate other financial transactions.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Cash application specialist vs accounting clerk salary

Cash application specialists and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cash Application SpecialistAccounting Clerk
Average salary$37,558$38,683
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $48,000Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateDelawareNew York
Best paying companyDatamaticsWilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industryTransportationGovernment

Differences between cash application specialist and accounting clerk education

There are a few differences between a cash application specialist and an accounting clerk in terms of educational background:

Cash Application SpecialistAccounting Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorAccountingAccounting
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Cash application specialist vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between cash application specialists' and accounting clerks' demographics:

Cash Application SpecialistAccounting Clerk
Average age5151
Gender ratioMale, 19.3% Female, 80.7%Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between cash application specialist and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Cash application specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage documents for staff collaboration and training in SharePoint.
  • Work with private, work comp, auto, Medicare and Medicaid insurance companies as well as other payers.
  • Post daily payments including checks, wires, and automate clearing house (ACH) credit transfers to customer accounts.
  • Run weekly GL and TB reports.
  • Contact commercial and Medicaid payers regarding payment issues.
  • Process non-sufficient funds (NSF) /Chargeback documentation.
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Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

  • Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
  • Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
  • Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
  • Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
  • Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
  • Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.
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Cash application specialist vs accounting clerk skills

Common cash application specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Cash Application, 8%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • ACH, 5%
  • Customer Accounts, 5%
Common accounting clerk skills
  • Data Entry, 15%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Purchase Orders, 9%
  • Reconciliations, 6%
  • Vendor Invoices, 6%
  • QuickBooks, 3%

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