Accounting Clerk Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an accounting clerk. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an accounting clerk.
Who is an Accounting Clerk?
Accounting clerks classify, compute, and record numerical data so that financial records can be accurately completed and data figures can be validated. These specialists store, record, and analyze data and information using accounting software and programmed computers. To stay in compliance, they must follow federal, state, and company procedures, policies, and regulations. Accounting clerks work for banks and financial organizations, recording and receiving cash, cheques, and vouchers.
A member of a company’s accounting department, an accounting clerk is responsible for aiding with both clerical and administrative work. In general, an accounting clerk is responsible for fundamental office activities like as reporting, bookkeeping, research, and the resolution of any problems that may arise as a result of the work he or she conducts.
Accounting is an information and measurement system for identifying, recording, measuring, and communicating relevant and reliable information about a firm to those who have an interest in it. Accounting is a hard and rewarding profession with several different career options to choose from. Accounting is more of a communication language in the business world, and as a result, accountants are in high demand, making accounting a highly marketable job choice.
Accounting Clerk Job Description
Below are the accounting clerk job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. The employer can use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
As an accounting clerk, you are responsible for a number of activities on a daily basis, as well as cumulative chores that are completed over a longer period of time. Some of the most typical jobs perform by an accounting clerk are as follows:
- Collect and sort invoices and cheques
- Maintain a detailed record of business transactions and input data from daily work logs into the company’s general ledger system.
- Perform any specified accounting and clerical responsibilities to assist supervisory and executive employees.
- Keep a detailed record of all corporate charges, as well as any refunds.
- Keep track of any customer difficulties that necessitate a refund and make sure the refunds are processed promptly.
- Assist senior accounting staff with any accounting department activities or tasks that require accounting personnel’s participation.
- Type and keep records of checks and invoices, vouchers, accounting statements, and other reports
- Process bills and invoices so they can be paid.
- Contact consumers to inform them of delinquent accounts, and any payments made at the time of contact.
- Arrange for cash from the business’s money stores to be delivered to the bank on a daily or weekly basis, or in whatever increments the company desires.
- Run a performance analysis software tool to verify financial information.
- Run a depreciation software application to determine the value of depreciable assets.
- Keep information discreet to protect the value of the organization.
- Participate in educational initiatives to keep job expertise up to date.
- Complete associated outcomes as needed to complete the accounting and organization mission.
- Use automated and manual systems to code, total, batch, input, check, and repair transactions such as accounts payable and receivable, payroll, purchase orders, cheques, invoices, cheque requisitions, and bank statements.
- Use expected revenues, expenses, and historical budgets to gather budget data and records.
- Prepare cost statements or reports based on estimates, quotations, and price lists for supplies, overhead, and other expenses.
- Answer customers’ and vendors’ questions regarding their accounts, and also answer them and address their difficulties.
- Maintain file and record-keeping systems, as well as send faxes and photocopies.
Qualifications of an Accounting Clerk
To be qualified for the position of an accounting clerk, you must possess particular requirements, which include the following:
- Educational Qualification
You must have at least a high school diploma (or High School Graduation) to work as an accounting clerk. An accounting clerk with an accounting or bookkeeping credential from a community college or university may be required or preferred by some workplaces.
In cases where you don’t have a high school diploma, you can equally use your associate’s degree in accounting or a business degree to work as an accounting clerk, though you can get into the sector with just a high school diploma. Accounting courses at a postsecondary educational institution is typically helpful, even if you don’t have a degree, because associate’s degree programs generally focus on basic accounting procedures as well as expertise in computerized accounting techniques.
A bachelor’s degree is not required for employment as an accounting clerk, though those with bachelor’s degrees may be able to advance to a senior accounting position more quickly. However, regardless of formal schooling, the majority of accounting clerks are required to complete on-the-job training.
- Certification for Accounting Clerks
As an accounting clerk, you can obtain credentials, albeit they are not necessary requirements. By receiving the certified bookkeeper credential, you can become certified by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers. In addition, the National Bookkeepers Association offers an online test for uniform bookkeeper certification. Both of these things can help you establish your credibility as an accounting clerk and demonstrate your bookkeeping abilities to potential employers.
Accounting Clerk Requirements
Accounting clerks should have the following characteristics, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):
Mathematics and attention to detail are major requirements.
You must have high ethical standards and professionalism as an accounting clerk since you are generally responsible for a company’s banking and bookkeeping.
Knowledge of computer technology and a variety of software packages linked to the field is also a major requirement.
You also need to possess the ability to communicate effectively with others.
Essential Skills
Every company is different, and different firms may demand different abilities in order for an individual to work as an accounting clerk for them. While this is true, most firms have a set of prerequisites that they expect or demand. These prerequisites are as follows:
- To begin, you’ll need a high school diploma. Although a high school certificate is a primary consideration for the position of accounting clerk in a company, most organizations require additional education and job experience in the industry.
- A complete or thorough understanding of accounting methods and procedures is also essential.
- When working with sensitive financial information, whether for the firm or for people, the capacity to act responsibly and ethically is essential.
- Strong communication abilities, including the ability to speak and write in English, is crucial.
- Literacy with computers: Accounting clerks are responsible for entering data into a variety of computers and software applications, therefore computer literacy (including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and email software) is a must.
- Strong people skills: this position requires a polite and professional manner when dealing with other companies, as well as customers and coworkers.
- The willingness and ability to follow local, state, and federal financial restrictions, as well as the company’s own rules and regulations.
- Basic accounting procedures are also major requirements.
- Data input skills that are both quick and accurate are highly essential requirements.
Steps to Becoming an Accounting Clerk
Everyone’s journey to becoming an accounting clerk is different. Multiple elements influence the journey, including a person’s family and job obligations, past training, and educational background. To acquire a general concept of a prospective approach, follow the four steps below:
Find a Program: Employers do not necessarily demand you to have an associate degree as an accounting clerk because college credit provides you with the necessary training. Finding an accounting or business associate degree is the initial step in this path. If you’re looking for a degree, make sure the school is regionally accredited. If you decide to pursue a higher degree, having credits from a regionally approved school will help you transfer smoothly to a four-year institution. After you’ve found a school, you’ll need to fill out an application and submit supporting documents, such as high school or college transcripts. The application procedure can take weeks or months to complete.
Earn a Degree: If you are a full-time student, the process of earning an associate degree in accounting or business usually takes 24-26 months. Some schools, however, provide expedited tracks that allow students to complete their degrees in less than two years. You will learn how to use accounting software applications during the course of the study. Students in associate programs learn basic principles in taxation, business ethics, payroll, managerial accounting, financial statements, and system analysis, and must complete 60-70 college credits to graduate.
Find Work: Once you have your associate degree, you can look for work as an accounting clerk. As a graduate, you should visit your school’s career center, which often provides career counseling, resume assistance, and job postings. Building a curriculum vitae or resume that attracts companies is a part of the job-search process. When you graduate and have a strong resume, you’ll be able to apply for jobs with a variety of professional accounting companies.
Obtain your certification: As a student, you can earn certifications that will help you develop your abilities and knowledge in areas like payroll and accounts receivable. By acquiring a certified bookkeeper credential from the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, you can advance into employment processing payroll as an accounting clerk. To become a qualified public bookkeeper, you can also take the uniform bookkeeper certification exam.
Where to Work
Accounting clerks work in a range of businesses, but the professional, scientific, and technical services industry employs the most accounting clerks.
As an accounting clerk, you also work in a variety of businesses, including retail, wholesale, healthcare, and social assistance, and finance and insurance.
As an accounting clerk, you may also operate in an office setting, where you may be required to visit clients at their place of business on occasion.
Accounting Clerk Salary Scale
As of November 29, 2021, the average Accounting Clerk I salary in the United States is $41,450, while the range frequently ranges between $36,956 and $46,408. Salary ranges are influenced by education, certifications, supplemental skills, and the number of years you’ve worked in your area. In the United Kingdom, however, the average salary for an accounting clerk is £23,000.