Payroll bookkeeper vs accounting clerk

The differences between payroll bookkeepers and accounting clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a payroll bookkeeper, becoming an accounting clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll bookkeeper has an average salary of $46,087, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll bookkeeper include reconciliations, general ledger and journal entries. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Payroll bookkeeper vs accounting clerk overview

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$46,087	$38,683
Hourly rate	$22.16	$18.60
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	8,176	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	51
Years of experience	4	6

Payroll bookkeeper vs accounting clerk salary

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

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$46,087	$38,683
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $60,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between payroll bookkeeper and accounting clerk education

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

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll bookkeeper vs accounting clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll bookkeepers' and accounting clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Bookkeeper	Accounting Clerk
Average age	48	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between payroll bookkeeper and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform financial management functions including monthly financial statement preparation and bank reconciliations.
Maintain accounts receivable/accounts payable including handling cash and deposits; process reconciliations and financial reports using SchoolFunds.
Process 1099 and W2's.
Process ACH rejections and stop payments.
Post receivables of checks, ACH and credit card payments.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Payroll bookkeeper vs accounting clerk skills

Common payroll bookkeeper skills

Reconciliations, 9%
General Ledger, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Tax Returns, 4%
Bank Reconciliations, 4%
Payroll Processing, 4%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%