Charge bookkeeper vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between charge bookkeepers 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 charge bookkeeper and an accounts payable clerk. Additionally, a charge bookkeeper has an average salary of $46,615, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.

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

Charge bookkeeper vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$46,615	$38,333
Hourly rate	$22.41	$18.43
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	27,542	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
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 accounts payable clerk do?

An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.

Charge bookkeeper vs accounts payable clerk salary

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

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$46,615	$38,333
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $58,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	The Carney Group	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between charge bookkeeper and accounts payable clerk education

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

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Charge bookkeeper vs accounts payable clerk demographics

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

	Charge Bookkeeper	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 13.9% Female, 86.1%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
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, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between charge bookkeeper and accounts payable 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.

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.

Charge bookkeeper vs accounts payable 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 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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Charge Bookkeeper vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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