Accounts Payable Clerk

Finance AI-Augmented

Processes and tracks the money a company owes to its creditors.

Work Profile

Stress

4/10

Work-Life

9/10

Future Outlook

6/10

Hours / Week

Salary Growth

Starting

$42,000

Year 5

$56,000

Year 10

$68,000

Top Earners

$85,000

Promotion Path: Clerk > Specialist > AP Manager.

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Core Skills and Tools

These are the practical tools, systems, math, and AI skills used in Accounts Payable Clerk roles.

AI & Automation

Automated Invoice Processing

Core Skills

Invoice Processing

Vendor Payment Processing

Three Way Matching

Invoice Coding

Vendor Inquiry Resolution

Check Run Processing

Vendor File Maintenance

Month End Support

Industry Knowledge

General Ledger Coding

Purchase Order Controls

1099 Processing

Math & Analysis

Vendor Statement Reconciliation

Payment Terms Analysis

Invoice Discrepancy Analysis

Requirements

High school diploma requirement

Associate degree requirement

Systems & Software

ERP Invoice Entry

Accounts Payable Systems

Viewpoint Vista

Microsoft Excel

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Answer a few skill questions and see your personalized skill gap, recommended projects, and a step-by-step plan to get closer to this role.

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Other Potential Career Pivot Paths

Many professionals start in Accounts Payable Clerk roles and later move into higher-paying or more specialized careers by developing additional skills.

Accounts Payable Manager

Advance into supervising invoice operations controls and vendor payment strategy with higher compensation.

Typical Salary: $80k-$115k

Skills Needed: AP operations, leadership, controls, vendor management

Difficulty: 🟡 Moderate

View Career →

Bookkeeper

Move into an adjacent accounting role handling broader daily financial records and reconciliations.

Typical Salary: $55k-$85k

Skills Needed: bookkeeping, reconciliations, AP processing, accounting software

Difficulty: 🟢 Easy

View Career →

How to Get Hired

This section focuses on practical readiness: what skills matter, what tools or certifications may help, and what you can do now to become more employable.

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See the exact skills, certifications, projects, and step-by-step plan to break into Accounts Payable Clerk.

Certifications that actually help
Real projects to build experience
A 30–60 day action plan

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AI Impact & Task Breakdown

AI-Augmented

High impact; AI can now read invoices and match them automatically.

How to Stay Valuable

Develop judgment, communication, and problem-solving skills
Learn how AI tools can support this career instead of ignoring them
Move toward strategy, interpretation, and higher-value work over time

AI Scores

Automation Risk: 6.6/10 Human Value: 6.8/10 AI Leverage: 8.0/10

Based on 5 analyzed tasks

More likely automated

Process Vendor Invoices
Match Invoices to Purchase Records

Still requires human judgment

Resolve Billing Issues
Match Invoices to Purchase Records

How AI Affects This Job

This career includes a mix of tasks. Some are becoming more automated, while others are becoming more valuable because they require human expertise.