Cost accounting clerk vs accounting technician

The differences between cost accounting clerks and accounting technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cost accounting clerk and an accounting technician. Additionally, an accounting technician has an average salary of $41,337, which is higher than the $38,272 average annual salary of a cost accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a cost accounting clerk include data entry, payroll and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accounting technician are customer service, financial reports, and payroll.

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting technician overview

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Technician
Yearly salary	$38,272	$41,337
Hourly rate	$18.40	$19.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	84,470	39,972
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting technician salary

Cost accounting clerks and accounting technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Technician
Average salary	$38,272	$41,337
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $52,000	Between $31,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	W. R. Berkley
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between cost accounting clerk and accounting technician education

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

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting technician demographics

Here are the differences between cost accounting clerks' and accounting technicians' demographics:

	Cost Accounting Clerk	Accounting Technician
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between cost accounting clerk and accounting technician duties and responsibilities

Cost accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage financial department with responsibility for payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Review and reconcile WIP reports.
Update inventory and run current inventory list.
Research and follow up on work in process (WIP) report monthly.
Enter cost variance when a BOM or routings or their standard/per how change.

Accounting technician example responsibilities.

Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
Reconcile the agency SPCC statement each month
Audit includes reviewing SPCC invoices and receipts to ensure appropriate tax exemptions are follow.
Analyze cases to determine if ICD-9 and CPT codes are covered benefits according to insurance's medical policy.
Apply GAAP following applicable federal regulations.
Maintain adherence to university accounting and GAAP standards.

Cost accounting clerk vs accounting technician skills

Common cost accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 16%
Payroll, 12%
Purchase Orders, 11%
Financial Reports, 11%
General Ledger, 5%
Variance Analysis, 5%

Common accounting technician skills

Customer Service, 12%
Financial Reports, 10%
Payroll, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Reconciliations, 5%

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Cost Accounting Clerk
Cost Accounting Clerk vs Accounting Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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