Returned item clerk vs accounting assistant

The differences between returned item clerks and accounting assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a returned item clerk and an accounting assistant. Additionally, an accounting assistant has an average salary of $39,569, which is higher than the $31,176 average annual salary of a returned item clerk.

The top three skills for a returned item clerk include return checks, wire transfers and financial data. The most important skills for an accounting assistant are data entry, customer service, and reconciliations.

Returned item clerk vs accounting assistant overview

	Returned Item Clerk	Accounting Assistant
Yearly salary	$31,176	$39,569
Hourly rate	$14.99	$19.02
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	66,353	63,945
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

Returned item clerk vs accounting assistant salary

Returned item clerks and accounting assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Returned Item Clerk	Accounting Assistant
Average salary	$31,176	$39,569
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $36,000	Between $30,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between returned item clerk and accounting assistant education

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

	Returned Item Clerk	Accounting Assistant
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Returned item clerk vs accounting assistant demographics

Here are the differences between returned item clerks' and accounting assistants' demographics:

	Returned Item Clerk	Accounting Assistant
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%	Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between returned item clerk and accounting assistant duties and responsibilities

Returned item clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Maintain cleanliness of the company warehouse, operate warehouse machinery and organize the warehouse to ensure proper product placement.
Assist with various duties including spreadsheet development, payroll information and data population.

Accounting assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Participate in weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly audits to ensure SOX compliance and propose opportunities for improvement.
Meet with account teams to discuss job structure, new projects, client requests, billing procedures, and SOX requirements.
Reconcile departmental report cash against banking ACH transactions.
Process mortgage portfolio monthly payments and interest accruals.
Utilize online system for calculating payroll and family tuition payments.

Returned item clerk vs accounting assistant skills

Common returned item clerk skills

Return Checks, 19%
Wire Transfers, 16%
Financial Data, 14%
Customer Accounts, 13%
Stop Payments, 9%
Computer System, 7%

Common accounting assistant skills

Data Entry, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Reconciliations, 8%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 6%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%

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Returned Item Clerk
Returned Item Clerk vs Accounting Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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