Payroll clerk vs accounting clerk

The differences between payroll clerks 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 clerk, becoming an accounting clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll clerk has an average salary of $41,602, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll clerk include data entry, payroll system and photocopying. The most important skills for an accounting clerk are data entry, customer service, and purchase orders.

Payroll clerk vs accounting clerk overview

	Payroll Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,602	$38,683
Hourly rate	$20.00	$18.60
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	71,944	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	48	51
Years of experience	4	6

What does a payroll clerk do?

A payroll clerk is responsible for managing the payroll process by collecting the necessary information needed to release payments. Payroll clerks' duties include verifying timesheets, calculating necessary deductions, issuing paychecks timely, managing payment discrepancies and disputes, updating employee's payment information in the database, and creating payroll reports. A payroll clerk must have strong analytical and organization skills, as well as a clear understanding of the organization's payroll policies, ensuring that the process follows regulatory procedures.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Payroll clerk vs accounting clerk salary

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

	Payroll Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$41,602	$38,683
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $55,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	MDU Resources	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between payroll clerk and accounting clerk education

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

	Payroll Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll clerk vs accounting clerk demographics

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

	Payroll Clerk	Accounting Clerk
Average age	48	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.0% 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 clerk and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Manage all worker compensation and cobra benefit issues and filings.
Manage employee drug and background screenings, train new hires and verify I9 information.
Process payroll; assist in establishing new time and attendance (KRONOS) computer system; balance insurance billings.
View, key, post and monitor time and labor, absences and leave balances in PeopleSoft HRIS system.
Compile data and enter information into ADP payroll processing system.
Process payroll and transmit electronically to outside computer service for preparation of payroll checks and reports.

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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.

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Payroll clerk vs accounting clerk skills

Common payroll clerk skills

Data Entry, 19%
Payroll System, 10%
Photocopying, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
ADP, 5%

Common accounting clerk skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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