Senior accounts payable specialist vs senior accounting clerk

The differences between senior accounts payable specialists and senior accounting 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 a senior accounting clerk. Additionally, a senior accounts payable specialist has an average salary of $60,557, which is higher than the $46,531 average annual salary of a senior accounting clerk.

The top three skills for a senior accounts payable specialist include vendor statements, expense reports and purchase orders. The most important skills for a senior accounting clerk are data entry, general ledger accounts, and reconciliations.

Senior accounts payable specialist vs senior accounting clerk overview

	Senior Accounts Payable Specialist	Senior Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$60,557	$46,531
Hourly rate	$29.11	$22.37
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	31,611	82,627
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior accounts payable specialist do?

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.

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.

Senior accounts payable specialist vs senior accounting clerk salary

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

	Senior Accounts Payable Specialist	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$60,557	$46,531
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $83,000	Between $33,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	Delaware	California
Best paying company	Pacific Investment Management Company LLC	Encore Capital Group
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between senior accounts payable specialist and senior accounting clerk education

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

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

Senior accounts payable specialist vs senior accounting clerk demographics

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

	Senior Accounts Payable Specialist	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

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

Senior accounts payable specialist example responsibilities.

Manage payroll garnishments to accurately comply with applicable state and municipal laws.
Prepare, process, and submit check files, wire transfers, ACH payments, and positive pay.
Maintain W9 forms for all vendors in the system.
Verify if all vendors W9's are on file.
Analyze and prepare the monthly/quarterly payments to IRS for FICA/FUTA taxes.
Train new staff on ERP software, AP policy and procedures, and customer service.

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 accounts payable specialist vs senior accounting clerk skills

Common senior accounts payable specialist skills

Vendor Statements, 10%
Expense Reports, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Accruals, 5%
Reconciliations, 5%

Common senior accounting clerk skills

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

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Senior Accounts Payable Specialist
Senior Accounts Payable Specialist vs Senior Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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