Office and administrative support
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
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.
Median pay
$50,670
Growth to 2035
−6%
declining
Openings a year
144,100
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks: 15% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core 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.
Also called: Account Clerk · Accounting Assistant · Accounting Associate · Accounting Clerk · Accounting Specialist · Accounting Technician · Accounts Payable Clerk · Accounts Payable Specialist
Outlook and AI
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks held 1,532,400 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 1,446,800 by 2035 (−6%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Productivity change - share decreases as automated bookkeeping software will allow more bookkeeping work to be done by fewer employees.
Compare with
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