Financial Clerks

How to become a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk

Official title: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

Also called: Account Clerk, Accounting Assistant, Accounting Associate, Accounting Clerk, Accounting Specialist, Accounting Technician, Accounts Payable Clerk, Accounts Payable Specialist, Accounts Payables Clerk, Accounts Receivable Clerk

Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete. Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.

Main tasks

Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
Code documents according to company procedures.
Perform financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal.
Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records.

How to become one

Entry requirements vary for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks. Some employers require or prefer that workers have taken college courses or have a degree in accounting or a related field. Others may hire workers who have a high school diploma. These workers also learn some of their skills on the job.

Typical education to start: Some college, no degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Accounting Technician (Alternate Title: Accounting Specialist).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $50,670 a year The middle half earn $43,520 to $61,470.
About 1,532,400 people work in this job now, and about 1,446,800 are projected by 2035. (-5.6%)
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk?

How much does a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $50,670 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $43,520 to $61,470.

Is a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 6% by 2035, from about 1,532,400 to about 1,446,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk?

Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Accounting Technician (Alternate Title: Accounting Specialist).

Will AI change the work of a Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.