Senior accounting clerk vs junior accountant

The differences between senior accounting clerks and junior accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior accounting clerk, becoming a junior accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a junior accountant has an average salary of $50,444, 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 a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Senior accounting clerk vs junior accountant overview

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$46,531	$50,444
Hourly rate	$22.37	$24.25
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	82,627	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

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 a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Senior accounting clerk vs junior accountant salary

Senior accounting clerks and junior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$46,531	$50,444
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Encore Capital Group	Fuhu
Best paying industry	Finance	Construction

Differences between senior accounting clerk and junior accountant education

There are a few differences between a senior accounting clerk and a junior accountant in terms of educational background:

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior accounting clerk vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between senior accounting clerks' and junior accountants' demographics:

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Junior Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior accounting clerk and junior accountant 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.

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

Senior accounting clerk vs junior accountant 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 junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

Senior Accounting Clerk vs. similar jobs

Senior Accounting Clerk related careers

Senior Accounting Clerk related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Accounting Clerk
Senior Accounting Clerk vs Junior Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs