Principal account clerk vs bookkeeper

The differences between principal account 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 principal account clerk and a bookkeeper. Additionally, a bookkeeper has an average salary of $40,337, which is higher than the $32,077 average annual salary of a principal account clerk.

The top three skills for a principal account clerk include payroll processing, purchase orders and data entry. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Principal account clerk vs bookkeeper overview

	Principal Account Clerk	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$32,077	$40,337
Hourly rate	$15.42	$19.39
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	157,387	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Principal account clerk vs bookkeeper salary

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

	Principal Account Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$32,077	$40,337
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between principal account clerk and bookkeeper education

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

	Principal Account Clerk	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Principal account clerk vs bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between principal account clerks' and bookkeepers' demographics:

	Principal Account Clerk	Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.7% 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 principal account clerk and bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Principal account clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Prepare garnishments for processing into PeopleSoft as well as notifying employees and the different garnishing services.
Close patient contact, appropriate decision-making concerning patient financial affairs and coordination between patients and third-party sponsorship for further financial assistance.
Process and file claims against courier or ATM owners for shortages unresolve.
Respond to inquiries from internal organization and external customers regarding package processing, delivery information and services offer by USPS stores.

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.

Principal account clerk vs bookkeeper skills

Common principal account clerk skills

Payroll Processing, 23%
Purchase Orders, 16%
Data Entry, 13%
Journal Entries, 10%
Vendor Checks, 9%
Reconciliations, 8%

Common bookkeeper skills

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