Office support assistant vs office clerk

The differences between office support assistants and office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an office support assistant and an office clerk. Additionally, an office support assistant has an average salary of $33,548, which is higher than the $30,927 average annual salary of an office clerk.

The top three skills for an office support assistant include customer service, data entry and office equipment. The most important skills for an office clerk are customer service, data entry, and telephone calls.

Office support assistant vs office clerk overview

	Office Support Assistant	Office Clerk
Yearly salary	$33,548	$30,927
Hourly rate	$16.13	$14.87
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	134,113	106,497
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	2

What does an office support assistant do?

An office support assistant is in charge of performing clerical support tasks to keep offices running smoothly and efficiently. Their responsibilities typically include answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, organizing and disseminating files, and coordinating with different departments. There are also instances where they must attend meetings and take down information, greet visitors, and monitor the inventory of office supplies, processing procurement requests when necessary. Furthermore, they may assist the staff when it comes to programs and projects.

What does an office clerk do?

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Office support assistant vs office clerk salary

Office support assistants and office clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Office Support Assistant	Office Clerk
Average salary	$33,548	$30,927
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Englewood, CO
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	Sierra Pacific Industries	University of Massachusetts Boston
Best paying industry	Transportation	Transportation

Differences between office support assistant and office clerk education

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

	Office Support Assistant	Office Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Western Carolina University	Western Carolina University

Office support assistant vs office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between office support assistants' and office clerks' demographics:

	Office Support Assistant	Office Clerk
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%	Male, 23.3% Female, 76.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between office support assistant and office clerk duties and responsibilities

Office support assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain patients' medical records by utilizing computer applications management database processing system to ensure county compliance.
Maintain HIPAA standards and audit secure patient files prior to filing.
Make sure all records are store and handle in compliance with HIPAA procedures.
Process payroll for administrative and clinical staff.
Create PowerPoint presentations for many different project managers.
Process payroll correcting entry forms, logging pertinent information into SharePoint spreadsheet for team activity.

Office clerk example responsibilities.

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.
Perform account analysis on credit balance accounts using insurance explanation of benefit information (EOB).
Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provide.

Office support assistant vs office clerk skills

Common office support assistant skills

Customer Service, 20%
Data Entry, 16%
Office Equipment, 8%
Phone Calls, 6%
Office Procedures, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

Common office clerk skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 18%
Telephone Calls, 7%
Payroll, 5%
Office Equipment, 4%
Office Machines, 3%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Office Support Assistant
Office Support Assistant vs Office Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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