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The differences between senior accounts payable specialists and accounts payable clerks 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 accounts payable specialist and an accounts payable clerk. Additionally, a senior accounts payable specialist has an average salary of $60,557, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.
The top three skills for a senior accounts payable specialist include vendor statements, expense reports and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.
| Senior Accounts Payable Specialist | Accounts Payable Clerk | |
| Yearly salary | $60,557 | $38,333 |
| Hourly rate | $29.11 | $18.43 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 31,611 | 89,564 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior accounts payable specialist is responsible for performing more complex tasks in the accounting department of an organization and assisting the junior staff in processing financial transactions. Senior accounts payable specialists manage invoice release for vendors and perform bank reconciliations. They also handle the vendors' inquiries and concerns regarding their paychecks and resolve billing discrepancies that they may have. A senior account payable specialist must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to generate payments accurately and maintain an organized record of the financial filing system.
An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.
Senior accounts payable specialists and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Accounts Payable Specialist | Accounts Payable Clerk | |
| Average salary | $60,557 | $38,333 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $83,000 | Between $30,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Jane Street |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior accounts payable specialist and an accounts payable clerk in terms of educational background:
| Senior Accounts Payable Specialist | Accounts Payable Clerk | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior accounts payable specialists' and accounts payable clerks' demographics:
| Senior Accounts Payable Specialist | Accounts Payable Clerk | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8% | Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |