Summary
Financial clerks do administrative work, keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.
What they do
Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. They keep records, help customers, and carry out transactions that involve money.
Financial clerks typically do the following:
- Keep and update financial records
- Calculate bills and charges
- Offer customer assistance
- Carry out financial transactions
Financial clerks’ job duties vary by specialty and by setting.
Work Environment
Financial clerks work in a variety of industries, usually in offices.
How to become a Financial Clerk
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most financial clerk jobs. These workers typically learn their duties through on-the-job training.
Financial clerks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter the occupation. Employers of brokerage clerks may prefer candidates who have taken some college courses in business or economics and, in some cases, have a 2- or 4-year college degree.
Most financial clerks learn how to do their job duties through on-the-job training. Some formal technical training also may be necessary.
Pay
The median annual wage for financial clerks was $40,540 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,730, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $61,160.
Job Outlook
Employment of financial clerks is projected to show little or no change from 2019 to 2029.
The availability of online tools, which allow financial customers to perform many tasks themselves, is expected to reduce demand for occupations such as new accounts clerks, procurement clerks, and credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks. Similarly, productivity-enhancing technology is expected to reduce demand for other clerks, such as payroll and timekeeping clerks and insurance claims and policy processing clerks.
Billing and posting clerks and loan interviewers and clerks do tasks that are less susceptible to automation, namely contacting and interviewing applicants and customers to gather information. Therefore, these clerks are expected to see employment growth in line with the healthcare, banking, and insurance industries, respectively.
Similar Job Titles
Account Clerk, Accounting Assistant, Accounting Associate, Accounting Clerk, Accounting Specialist, Accounting Technician, Accounts Payable Clerk, Accounts Payable Specialist, Accounts Payables Clerk, Accounts Receivable Clerk, Banking Services Representative, Customer Service Specialist, Financial Service Representative, Financial Services Representative, Member Service Representative, New Accounts Clerk, New Accounts Representative, Personal Banker, Relationship Banker, Universal Banker, Commissions Clerk, Commodities Clerk, Fiscal Technician
Related Occupations
Tax Preparers, Billing, Cost and Rate Clerks, Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks, Brokerage Clerks, Legal Secretaries, Bill and Account Collectors, Tellers, Customer Service Representatives, Hotel, Motel and Resort Desk Clerks, Insurance Policy Processing Clerk
More Information
The trade associations listed below represent organizations made up of people (members) who work and promote advancement in the field. Members are very interested in telling others about their work and about careers in those areas. As well, trade associations provide opportunities for organizational networking and learning more about the field’s trends and directions.
- American Bankers Association - ABA represents banks of all sizes and their two-million dedicated employees. This organization member advocates via expertise, tools and training. Students, if you have an interest in this field or if you are wishing to advance your career in this field, check out the Training & Events
- American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers - AIPB is the bookkeeping profession’s national association since 1987, and maintains national certifying authority. Of interest may be the Certified Bookkeeper Program.
Magazines and Publications
Video Transcript
It takes detail orientation, math skills, and personal integrity to run the numbers for an entire organization… or even a small part of one. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks bring those qualities to work producing financial records… so that organizations know exactly how much money they’ve spent, what is owed to them, and their total profits and losses. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks use specialized computer accounting software to enter information from receipts or bills. They may handle payroll, billing, purchasing, and monitor overdue bills. Effective bookkeeping requires regular communication with clients as well. Some clerks are full-charge bookkeepers who oversee an entire organization’s books. Others, especially at larger companies, are accounting clerks who handle specific tasks. They all use basic math throughout the day. Most bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks work full time, in offices, although part-time schedules are not uncommon. Additional hours may be required for audits, during tax season, or to meet end-of-fiscal-year deadlines. Although a high school diploma or equivalent is required, most employers prefer candidates with some college coursework in accounting. On-the-job training can last up to one year. Clerks must have basic math and computer skills, including knowledge of spreadsheets and bookkeeping software.
Content retrieved from: US Bureau of Labor Statistics-OOH www.bls.gov/ooh,
CareerOneStop www.careeronestop.org, O*Net Online www.onetonline.org