Payroll clerk vs accounts receivable clerk

The differences between payroll clerks and accounts receivable 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 accounts receivable clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll clerk has an average salary of $41,602, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll clerk include data entry, payroll system and photocopying. The most important skills for an accounts receivable clerk are customer service, data entry, and collection calls.

Payroll clerk vs accounts receivable clerk overview

	Payroll Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,602	$36,425
Hourly rate	$20.00	$17.51
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	71,944	87,935
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
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 accounts receivable clerk do?

An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies. Furthermore, an Accounts Receivable Clerk must resolve and examine deductions, prepare invoices and necessary documentation, and review customer payment plans and history records and coordinate with the collections department should there be any issues.

Payroll clerk vs accounts receivable clerk salary

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

	Payroll Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average salary	$41,602	$36,425
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $55,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	MDU Resources	IBM
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between payroll clerk and accounts receivable clerk education

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

	Payroll Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll clerk vs accounts receivable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll clerks' and accounts receivable clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Clerk	Accounts Receivable Clerk
Average age	48	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between payroll clerk and accounts receivable 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.

Accounts receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Payroll clerk vs accounts receivable clerk skills

Common payroll clerk skills

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

Common accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

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Payroll Clerk
Payroll Clerk vs Accounts Receivable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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