Charge bookkeeper vs accounting clerk

The differences between charge bookkeepers 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 charge bookkeeper and an accounting clerk. Additionally, a charge bookkeeper has an average salary of $46,615, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a charge bookkeeper include reconciliations, payroll tax returns and balance sheet. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Charge bookkeeper vs accounting clerk overview

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$46,615	$38,683
Hourly rate	$22.41	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	27,542	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does a charge bookkeeper do?

A full charge bookkeeper's primary job is to manage and handle all the accounts of a small or medium-sized business. They are responsible for overseeing the accounting duties for a company, including billing customers, preparing bank statements and tax returns, and processing timesheets. Also, a full charge bookkeeper collates and enters vendor expenses, maintains the ledger's accuracy, and process accounts receivables. There are specific requirements you should meet to become a successful full charge bookkeeper, such as having a bachelor's degree in accounting, previous work experience as a charge bookkeeper, and bookkeeping certification.

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.

Charge bookkeeper vs accounting clerk salary

Charge bookkeepers and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$46,615	$38,683
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $58,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	The Carney Group	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between charge bookkeeper and accounting clerk education

There are a few differences between a charge bookkeeper and an accounting clerk in terms of educational background:

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Charge bookkeeper vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between charge bookkeepers' and accounting clerks' demographics:

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% 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 Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between charge bookkeeper and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Charge bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Accomplish annual workers comp and business liability audits.
Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Handle monthly account reconciliations and oversee and are responsible for quarterly financial reporting to company CPA.
Perform a variety of diversify responsibilities including: account management, reconciliations, generating checks, preparing bank deposits.
Handle A/P, A/R, G/L, F/S, P/R, reconcile bank statement and customer relations.
Support internal, external, and SOX audits.

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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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Charge bookkeeper vs accounting clerk skills

Common charge bookkeeper skills

Reconciliations, 17%
Payroll Tax Returns, 10%
Balance Sheet, 5%
Fixed Assets, 5%
Excellent Organizational, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 4%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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