Credit clerk vs bookkeeper

The differences between credit clerks and bookkeepers 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 a bookkeeper. Additionally, a bookkeeper has an average salary of $40,337, 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 a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Credit clerk vs bookkeeper overview

	Credit Clerk	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$32,870	$40,337
Hourly rate	$15.80	$19.39
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	86,922	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does a credit clerk do?

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.

What does a bookkeeper do?

Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.

Credit clerk vs bookkeeper salary

Credit clerks and bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Credit Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$32,870	$40,337
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, OR	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Oregon	New York
Best paying company	JBS USA	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	Automotive	Manufacturing

Differences between credit clerk and bookkeeper education

There are a few differences between a credit clerk and a bookkeeper in terms of educational background:

	Credit Clerk	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Credit clerk vs bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between credit clerks' and bookkeepers' demographics:

	Credit Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 14.3% Female, 85.7%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
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, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between credit clerk and bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Credit clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Maintain payroll, attendance records, coordinate group travel arrangements and conference calls.
Prepare, check, and maintain various records and payroll reports.
Transfer loans from warehouse to permanent investor reports on the CPI systems.
Process applications for credit, Microsoft excel, AS400 , 10key by touch, type 45 wpm.
Travele to the post office to drop off approve incidents and pick up remittance items from the assigned lockboxes.

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Bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform journal entries, balance ledger, perform bank reconciliations, control inventory, coordinate proper guest accommodation.
Post and update of daily sales and purchases into QuickBooks system.
Execute monthly collection of Medicaid surplus funds from clients on a monthly basis.
Post resident receipts, Medicaid remittance, and process adjusting entries to the A/R detail.
Work closely with QC personnel for the planning of tooling and the flow process of PWB's.

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Credit clerk vs bookkeeper skills

Common credit clerk skills

Data Entry, 13%
Customer Service, 12%
Customer Accounts, 6%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Financial Statements, 5%
AS400, 4%

Common bookkeeper skills

Payroll Tax Returns, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Reconciliations, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Financial Transactions, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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