Senior accounting clerk vs accounts payable lead

The differences between senior accounting clerks and accounts payable leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior accounting clerk and an accounts payable lead. Additionally, an accounts payable lead has an average salary of $57,175, which is higher than the $46,531 average annual salary of a senior accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a senior accounting clerk include data entry, general ledger accounts and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accounts payable lead are FAA, purchase orders, and vendor invoices.

Senior accounting clerk vs accounts payable lead overview

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Yearly salary	$46,531	$57,175
Hourly rate	$22.37	$27.49
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	82,627	31,041
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior accounting clerk do?

Senior Accounting Clerks lead in a complex set of work staff and are responsible for performing governmental fund accounting that involves reporting and financial record keeping. They are responsible for resolving discrepancies, verifying and auditing financial reports, and inputting data into their financial accounting system. They must know methods of verifying and reconciling accounting records, accounts payable and receivable, and how to familiarize themselves with their firm's financial accounting software. They must also be skilled in handling large sums of cash with integrity and making manual arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy.

What does an accounts payable lead do?

Accounts payable leads are accounting professionals who are responsible for leading a team of professionals that manage the company's accounts payable, a short-term debt payment that needs to be paid to avoid default. These professionals are required to evaluate vendor invoices and prepare payments to pay vendors while preparing the daily expense reports. They must create the general ledger at the end of the month to reconcile closing balances. Accounts payable leads must also assist purchasing agents in resolving vendor or customer issues that pertained to inaccurate information on purchase orders.

Senior accounting clerk vs accounts payable lead salary

Senior accounting clerks and accounts payable leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Average salary	$46,531	$57,175
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Encore Capital Group	NV Energy
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between senior accounting clerk and accounts payable lead education

There are a few differences between a senior accounting clerk and an accounts payable lead in terms of educational background:

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior accounting clerk vs accounts payable lead demographics

Here are the differences between senior accounting clerks' and accounts payable leads' demographics:

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Accounts Payable Lead
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%	Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3%
Race ratio	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%	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	7%	7%

Differences between senior accounting clerk and accounts payable lead duties and responsibilities

Senior accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage payroll general ledger accounts including account reconciliations and monthly accruals.
Implement premium accounting statistical reports of all monies collect, including return items and general accounting from bank reconciliations.
Process ACH payments in accordance with company deadlines.
Cross train on many functions within the ACH department.
Monitor and clear holding accounts daily using PeopleSoft; prepare journals as necessary.
Assist with monthly, quarterly, and yearly closing processes, including accruals.

Accounts payable lead example responsibilities.

Manage weekly payment scheduling to expedite and efficiently meet vendor payment deadlines; including check run dates, wires and ACH.
Manage payroll transactions utilizing ADP payroll software.
Process check runs: set payments within the system, verify accuracy, and print checks launch ACH payments.
Assist in the implementation of new ERP system by testing and providing information need to meet the accounts payable processes.
Process invoices, check requests, employee reimbursements, and credit memos and ensure compliance with SOX documentation and approval guidelines.
Transmit monthly payroll information for bank reconciliation.

Senior accounting clerk vs accounts payable lead skills

Common senior accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 10%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Reconciliations, 8%
Senior Accounting, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%

Common accounts payable lead skills

FAA, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Reconciliations, 6%
Data Entry, 5%
ACH, 5%

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Senior Accounting Clerk
Senior Accounting Clerk vs Accounts Payable Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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