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The differences between credit clerks and accounting assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a credit clerk and an accounting assistant. Additionally, an accounting assistant has an average salary of $39,569, which is higher than the $32,870 average annual salary of a credit clerk.
The top three skills for a credit clerk include data entry, customer service and customer accounts. The most important skills for an accounting assistant are data entry, customer service, and reconciliations.
| Credit Clerk | Accounting Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,870 | $39,569 |
| Hourly rate | $15.80 | $19.02 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 86,922 | 63,945 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Credit clerks control their company's credit and collection policies and daily procedures. They use the database to improve their organization's collections and maintain records for internal control and compliance. They deal with collecting, investigating, analyzing, and correcting disputed accounts to serve customers better and increase their collection rate. These clerks work with a credit manager to identify which accounts need to be written off for bad debt and solve complex cases that require special collection attention. They sometimes negotiate with customers to discuss the terms of payment for their unpaid balances.
An accounting assistant is responsible for supporting the daily operations of the business' accounting department, from reviewing financial transactions to the submission of financial reports. Accounting assistants' duties include performing data entry and clerical tasks, maintaining a safe record of account statements, updating and analyzing transactions, verifying the accuracy of financial records, and managing customers and vendors' inquiries as immediate as possible. An accounting assistant must have a broad knowledge of the accounting principles and processes, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills, especially on meeting strict deadlines and doing complex tasks as needed.
Credit clerks and accounting assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Credit Clerk | Accounting Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,870 | $39,569 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $30,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Springfield, OR | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | JBS USA | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Finance |
There are a few differences between a credit clerk and an accounting assistant in terms of educational background:
| Credit Clerk | Accounting Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between credit clerks' and accounting assistants' demographics:
| Credit Clerk | Accounting Assistant | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7% | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |