WHAT DOES AN AP CLERK DO?
Reviewed by Lam Nguyen under Editorial Standards
The Accounts Payable (AP) Clerk processes invoices and manages employee expense reports, maintaining vendor master files and ensuring invoice record integrity. Strong analytical skills, proficiency in SAP, and active participation in continuous improvement processes are crucial for effective contribution to treasury activities and successful resolution of payment/receiving process issues. Effective communication and collaboration are also essential for the Accounts Payable Clerk addressing vendor inquiries.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for AP Clerk
1. Accounts Payable Clerk Duties
- Transaction Management: Complete a high volume, full cycle payable workload including but not limited to local and foreign transactions.
- Expense Processing: Processing internal employee expense accounts and multiple payment methods.
- Client Communication: Frequent follow-up with clients and vendors to ensure objectives are being met.
- Financial Reporting: Generating and interpreting various financial reports for month and year-end purposes.
- Invoice Processing: Processing invoices and ensuring all are GST compliant.
- Payment Preparation: Preparate payment proposals and processing of payments.
- Refunds & Payments: Performing refunds and Service Agent Payments, daily cash flow reports, and their distribution.
- Procedure Development: Assist the Accounts Payable Team Leader in identifying and developing procedures in relation to accounts payable.
- Expense Management: Expense management, reconciliation of supplier Statements.
- Bank Reconciliation: Bank reconciliations of Imprest accounts.
- Month-End Coordination: Month-end timetable for Accounts Payable cut-off targets, accruals are complete and all reconciliations are updated.
- Process Improvement: Drive control and process improvements/efficiencies and update procedures/processes/systems relating to areas of responsibility.
2. AP Clerk Details
- Mail Management: Sort and distribute daily mail, assist with reviewing statements.
- Invoice Processing: Process incoming invoices via Docusphere, process incoming checks from customers.
- Account Reconciliation: Assist with insurance review, reconciling accounts (vendors and bank).
- Invoice Review: Review invoices for pricing, sales, and use tax accuracy.
- Approval Coordination: Distribute invoices to the appropriate party for approval via Docusphere.
- Data Entry: Heavy data entry of invoices into JDE accounts payable system.
- Month-End Assistance: Assist with month-end and with certain AR functions such as processing credit card payments and uploading invoices to customer portals.
- Vendor Communication: Correspond with business units and vendors to respond to inquiries.
- Office Administration: Office administration, includes answering phones, customer service, ordering supplies.
- Transaction Processing: Processing various accounts payable transactions, including data entry.
- Problem Resolution: Assist with A/P issues or problems as they arise.
- Customer Communication: Communicate with internal and external customers and vendors.
- Payment Processing: Processing and preparing A/P checks, scanning and indexing, online portals.
3. Accounts Payable Clerk Responsibilities
- Inbox Management: Manage finance department inboxes, responding in a timely and professional manner to all requests and queries.
- Invoice Processing: Processing supplier invoices, purchase order requests, and weekly bank reconciliations.
- Supplier Reconciliation: Reconciling supplier statements, ensuring missing invoices are requested and queries are solved.
- Payment Assistance: Assist in processing supplier payments, ensuring the authorization procedure is adhered to.
- Administrative Maintenance: Ensure other administrative duties are maintained, including filing, and any other ad hoc duties as required.
- System Housekeeping: Ensure that payments are marked off against suppliers and supplier accounts are kept accurate and up to date.
- Supplier Relationship: Maintaining relationships with suppliers and internal staff, managing the Accounts Payable inbox.
- Guideline Compliance: Process invoices meeting all BURNCO guidelines for payment in a timely manner.
- Payment Cycles: Run weekly and monthly payment cycles for all BURNCO entities.
- Invoice Verification: Review and verify the accuracy of submitted invoices (e.g., pricing, quantity, and payment terms) and identify appropriate actions to resolve discrepancies.
- Methodology Development: Develop and maintain methodologies and tools for accounts payable activities.
- Vendor Communication: Review vendor statements, determine invoice status, and communicate with vendors.
- Problem Investigation: Investigate payment problems while following corporate A/P policies and procedures.
- Record Maintenance: File and maintain financial information, files, and records in an orderly manner.
4. AP Clerk Job Summary
- Payment Preparation: Prepare payment batches for processing by cross-checking Purchase Orders/Vendor Invoices/Receiving Documents.
- Document Management: Manage the filing system for purchase and sales documents.
- Customer Service: Answer telephones and handle customer cash payments.
- Billing Support: Provide backup to the A/R billing clerk during his/her absence.
- Inventory Reconciliation: Perform monthly and annual reconciliation of book inventory.
- Vendor Management: Maintains full ownership over specific vendors/departments.
- Closing Activities: Performs month-end closing activities (invoice accruals).
- Issue Resolution: Able to track and resolve issues independently.
- Deadline Management: Can meet numerous specific deadlines.
- Teamwork and Independence: Can work independently as well as in a team setting.
5. AP/AR Clerk Accountabilities
- Invoice Processing: Process invoices for designated vendors.
- Expense Management: Process employee travel and entertainment expense reports through Concur.
- Data Integrity: Maintain the integrity of the vendor master files.
- File Management: Maintain vendor invoice files.
- Issue Resolution: Work with Purchasing and other GBC departments to resolve issues and exceptions to the payment/receiving process.
- Account Maintenance: Assist in the maintenance of the GR/IR “goods received not invoiced” account by reviewing vendor statements for open items.
- Mail Handling: Open and disseminate mail, assist with audit requests.
- Vendor Support: Answer vendor questions regarding invoice status.
- Treasury Support: Assist on treasury activities and/or special projects.
- System Proficiency: SAP or other integrated accounts payable systems knowledge preferred.
- Analytical Skills: Excellent mathematical and analytical skills, strong attention to detail.
- Process Improvement: Active participation in continuous improvement process.
- Communication Skills: Excellent communication skills, and good interpersonal and customer service skills.
6. Sr. AP/AR Clerk Functions
- Banking Operations: Daily bank deposits using a scanner and maintenance of deposit records. Periodic travel to bank for deposit and other banking activity.
- Cash Application: Cash application to tenant rent accounts and corporate accounts.
- Billing Management: Generate monthly rent billing.
- Rent Adjustment Processing: Assist with processing tenant rent adjustments.
- AR Support: Support accounts receivable associate with filing, copying, and other file maintenance activities.
- Grant Accounting Assistance: Support Grant Accountant in administration of security deposit accounts and tenant write-offs.
- Invoice Management: Coding and entry of Con Ed invoices and upload into the accounts payable system.
- AP Support: Support accounts payable associates with check batching and mailing.
- Vendor File Maintenance: Maintain vendor files and vendor invoice filing.
- Record Storage: Responsible for permanent file maintenance and storage of accounting records.
- Vendor Analysis Support: Support Accounts Payable Coordinator with vendor account analysis.
7. Accounts Payable Clerk Job Description
- Mailbox Management: Manage Accounts Payable mailbox and distribute invoices for approval and process.
- Process Adherence: Follow complex processes, procedures, and policies provided.
- Invoice Management: Ensure invoices are coded and entered accurately, avoiding duplicate payments.
- Voucher Oversight: Ensure voucher batches are approved and posted daily.
- Month-End Support: Support the month-end accrual process, handle vendor inquiries and files.
- Vendor Reconciliation: Reconciliation of vendor accounts by review of vendor statements, outstanding POs, and balances on the Aging Report, key invoices in A/P system.
- Discrepancy Resolution: Contact internal and external clients to resolve invoices, receiving discrepancies.
- Payment Management: Manage vendor payment pulls and wire payments, ensuring completion to meet month-end deadlines.
- Vendor Ownership: Maintains full ownership over specific vendors/departments.
- Closing Activities: Performs month-end closing activities (invoice accruals).
8. Accounts Payable Clerk Overview
- Invoice Research: Researching and processing invoices, telephone contact with vendors.
- ERP Management: Responsible for processing items in ERP system.
- Full-Cycle AP: Doing full-cycle AP (matching, processing, coding).
- Statement Review: Review vendor statements and invoice copies for past due issues and problem resolution.
- Vendor Management: Add new vendors and update vendor changes.
- Reporting: Run accounts payable reports from operating system.
- Payment Processing: Process Vendor payments in a timely manner.
- Tax Form Assistance: Assist with processing of year-end 1099 forms.
- Invoice Entry: Correctly entering, coding, and processing all invoices.
- AP Reconciliation: Reconcile Accounts Payable ledger, can meet numerous specific deadlines.
- Issue Resolution: Able to track and resolve issues independently.
- Teamwork and Independence: Can work independently as well as in a team setting.
9. AP Clerk Details and Accountabilities
- Financial Data Management: Obtain primary financial data for accounting records.
- Data Computation: Compute and record numerical data.
- Transaction Verification: Check the accuracy of business transactions.
- Administrative Support: Perform data entry and administrative duties.
- Closing Assistance: Assist with Month-End and Year-End close.
- Banking: Prepare and make bank deposits.
- Account Reconciliation: Assist with Account Reconciliations (GL and bank accounts).
- Vendor Management: Purchasing and vendor relations.
- Inventory Tracking: Obtain RMAs and track inventory.
- Accounts Management: Manage Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
- Customer Statements: Generate weekly and monthly customer statements.
Job Role FAQs
What is a job role?
A job role refers to the duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with a specific position within an organization. It explains what tasks an employee performs, how they contribute to team objectives, and how their work supports the company’s overall goals.
What are the typical responsibilities of a job role?
Typical job role responsibilities include completing daily tasks, collaborating with team members, making decisions, and meeting performance targets. For example, a software developer may write code, fix bugs, review pull requests, and collaborate with product teams.
What is the difference between a job role and a job title?
A job title is the official name of a position, such as Marketing Manager or Software Engineer. A job role describes the actual duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with that position.
Why are clearly defined job roles important?
Clearly defined job roles help organizations improve productivity, reduce workplace confusion, and ensure accountability. When employees understand their responsibilities and expectations, teams can collaborate more effectively.
How do job roles support career development?
Understanding different job roles helps professionals identify career paths and the skills required for advancement. By learning the expectations of various roles, individuals can build relevant skills and plan long-term career growth.
Editorial Process
Lamwork content is developed through structured review of publicly available job postings and documented hiring trends.
Editorial operations are managed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, with research direction and final oversight by Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead. Content is periodically reviewed to reflect observable labor market changes.