Clerk/assistant vs accounting clerk

The differences between clerks/assistant and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a clerk/assistant, becoming an accounting clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounting clerk has an average salary of $38,683, which is higher than the $32,674 average annual salary of a clerk/assistant.

The top three skills for a clerk/assistant include customer support, telephone calls and word processing. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Clerk/assistant vs accounting clerk overview

	Clerk/Assistant	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,674	$38,683
Hourly rate	$15.71	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	114,718	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	47	51
Years of experience	2	6

What does a clerk/assistant do?

A clerk is someone who performs administrative tasks assigned by a manager or by other employees. The job includes responsibilities like dealing with correspondence, data maintenance through manual or computer systems, filing, and related general office duties. It involves typing letters, reports, and any other business-related documents. Clerks sort and respond to emails or forward them to other employees. They need to develop skills in typing, administrative duties, customer service and relations, and attention to detail.

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.

Clerk/assistant vs accounting clerk salary

Clerks/assistant and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerk/Assistant	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$32,674	$38,683
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Long Beach, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New York
Best paying company	United States Courts	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between clerk/assistant and accounting clerk education

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

	Clerk/Assistant	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Clerk/assistant vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between clerks/assistant' and accounting clerks' demographics:

	Clerk/Assistant	Accounting Clerk
Average age	47	51
Gender ratio	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	6%	7%

Differences between clerk/assistant and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Clerk/assistant example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Create and present PowerPoint presentations for senior level staff.
Compose a weekly PowerPoint presentation regarding company highlights.
Review payroll to ensure accuracy, compile payroll records and distribute paychecks.
Schedule radiology procedures and appointments accurately, and in a timely manner.
Demonstrate administrative and customer service expertise with responsibility for resolving payroll relate questions.

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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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Clerk/assistant vs accounting clerk skills

Common clerk/assistant skills

Customer Support, 14%
Telephone Calls, 13%
Word Processing, 11%
Payroll, 7%
Purchase Orders, 5%
Office Machines, 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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Updated January 8, 2025

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