Senior accounting clerk vs senior associate

The differences between senior accounting clerks and senior associates 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 senior associate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior associate has an average salary of $83,034, 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 senior associate are project management, business development, and powerpoint.

Senior accounting clerk vs senior associate overview

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Senior Associate
Yearly salary	$46,531	$83,034
Hourly rate	$22.37	$39.92
Growth rate	-5%	8%
Number of jobs	82,627	54,601
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 senior associate do?

The Responsibilities of a Senior Associate will depend on the line of organization or industry. Most of the time, the duties will revolve around conducting various testing and assessments, planning and analysis, developing innovative solutions to boost company productivity, and keeping an organized flow of documentation. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of a Senior to Associate to lead a team of skilled professionals and shape them with extensive knowledge while adhering to its policies and regulations.

Senior accounting clerk vs senior associate salary

Senior accounting clerks and senior associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Senior Associate
Average salary	$46,531	$83,034
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $56,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Jersey City, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Encore Capital Group	Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior accounting clerk and senior associate education

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

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Senior Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior accounting clerk vs senior associate demographics

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

	Senior Accounting Clerk	Senior Associate
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%	Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%
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, 10.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	12%

Differences between senior accounting clerk and senior associate 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.

Senior associate example responsibilities.

Ensure timely filing for all payer mix including, manage care, medicare and Medicaid.
Demonstrate work assessment and supervise the Midwest ISO in implementing a process driven model to achieve compliance against current energy tariff.
Lead team in successful internal implementation of integration of PeopleSoft with consultant billing system
Perform audit and reviews on diversify clientele involving examination of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and validating internal controls.
Conduct data analysis and visualization to support recommendation to shed the second largest business unit and return to core business model.
Audit and review appeals for medical necessity.

Senior accounting clerk vs senior associate 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 senior associate skills

Project Management, 6%
Business Development, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
Financial Services, 3%
GAAP, 3%
Risk Management, 3%

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Senior Accounting Clerk
Senior Accounting Clerk vs Senior Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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