Clerk specialist vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between clerks specialist and accounts payable 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 specialist, becoming an accounts payable clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable clerk has an average salary of $38,333, which is higher than the $34,038 average annual salary of a clerk specialist.

The top three skills for a clerk specialist include data entry, office equipment and customer service. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Clerk specialist vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Clerk Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$34,038	$38,333
Hourly rate	$16.36	$18.43
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	90,967	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	47	51
Years of experience	2	6

What does a clerk specialist do?

A Clerk Specialist is an information clerk that people can refer to when they have inquiries. Businesses place the Clerk Specialist under the umbrella of a receptionist and are often highly knowledgeable of company policies, provide solutions to problems, and handle customer complaints. A Clerk Specialist's main requirements are strong interpersonal communication skills and a high tolerance when under pressure.

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.

Clerk specialist vs accounts payable clerk salary

Clerks specialist and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clerk Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$34,038	$38,333
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Providence, RI	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Lifespan	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Energy	Technology

Differences between clerk specialist and accounts payable clerk education

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

	Clerk Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	Western Carolina University	University of Pennsylvania

Clerk specialist vs accounts payable clerk demographics

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

	Clerk Specialist	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	47	51
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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	6%	7%

Differences between clerk specialist and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Clerk specialist example responsibilities.

Manage orthopedic accounts regarding payment posting through IDX medical systems.
Assist in preliminary budget, preparation; prepare departmental payroll, statistical data and reports.
Check visitation/meeting rooms for cleanliness; print daily visitation/meeting room schedules; and escort parents/attendees to visitation/meeting rooms.
Answer phones with the ability to provide accurate information and education on the communicability and disease process of tuberculosis.

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.

Clerk specialist vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common clerk specialist skills

Data Entry, 18%
Office Equipment, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Front Desk, 5%
Payroll, 5%
Computer System, 5%

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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Clerk Specialist
Clerk Specialist vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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