Annual Salary Range
Full-time: $18,000 to $40,000+
The range reflects differences in job responsibilities, the size and type of employer, and the supply and demand of accounting clerks in a given geographic area. (General salary information is available at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.)
Educational Requirement
Some accounting clerks enter the work force with a two-year associate degree in accounting, while others enter with a high school diploma and an expectation that the employer will provide on-the-job training. Accounting clerks are not expected to have a four-year degree in accounting.
Types of Tasks and Responsibilities
Companies large enough to have one or more accountants on staff are the companies that also hire accounting clerks to assist the accountants with routine tasks. Whereas a bookkeeper is expected to perform a range of basic financial responsibilities, the accounting clerk has a more narrowly focused task, such as a payroll clerk, an accounts payable clerk, an accounts receivable clerk, an inventory clerk, or a cost accounting clerk.
For example, your primary responsibility as an accounts payable clerk at XYZ Company may be to compare the information on each supplier's invoice to the information on XYZ's corresponding purchase order and receiving ticket. If the information on these documents is consistent, you process the supplier's invoice for payment. If the information is not consistent, you investigate and resolve the differences before payment can occur.
