What is a finance clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Jodi Olson
introduction image

Financial clerks manage finances for a business or organization. They often work in banks, insurance companies, or other financial organizations and typically work office hours. Primary responsibilities of a financial clerk include, but are not limited to, carrying out financial transactions on behalf of the business, keeping detailed records of financial transactions, and assisting customers wanting to conduct various transactions, such as depositing or withdrawing money.

Financial clerks are expected to have familiarity with computers tracking purchases orders, billing, assess sales and purchase orders, and keeping track of inventory. Finance clerks should be comfortable with working with management, staff and customers, and should be organized, efficient and have a working knowledge of banking and finance as a whole.

The minimum education requirements for a financial clerk are a high school diploma or G.E.D. Some individuals in this field may possess advanced degrees in finance, but that is not necessarily a requirement, as most employers provide training for this role. A finance clerk can expect to make up to $40,000 per year, with no expected increase or decrease in U.S. job growth for this particular role.

What's a day at work look like for a Finance Clerk?

J

Jodi OlsonJodi Olson LinkedIn Profile

Assistant Accounting Professor, Winona State University

Graduates could see a range of possibilities from working entirely remotely to fully on-site with precautions in place, based on recent graduate and internship experiences we have seen during the pandemic. Except for a very few internships cut short or cancelled immediately at the onset of the pandemic as the profession adapted to unknowns and putting safety measures in place, we have not seen a significant change in the demand for interns or graduates. Some new graduates expect their first day on the jobs to be remote and feel ready to meet that challenge being familiar with the technology required to be productive and communicate virtually. It has become an assumption that precautions are in place, regardless of the remote or in-person setting. It seems that both graduates and employers are working hard together to achieve success, both with caution and the usual high professional standards.
ScoreFinance ClerkUS Average
Salary
3.1

Avg. Salary $39,225

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.0

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
2.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.63%

Black or African American 6.91%

Hispanic or Latino 14.66%

Unknown 3.97%

White 67.21%

Gender

female 73.83%

male 26.17%

Age - 53
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 53
Stress Level
6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.4

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.3

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Finance Clerk career paths

Key steps to become a finance clerk

  1. Explore finance clerk education requirements

    Most common finance clerk degrees

    Bachelor's

    44.1 %

    Associate

    29.6 %

    High School Diploma

    12.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific finance clerk skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Data Entry16.49%
    Purchase Orders9.32%
    HR5.46%
    Bank Statements4.93%
    Bank Deposits4.66%
  3. Complete relevant finance clerk training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New finance clerks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a finance clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real finance clerk resumes.
  4. Gain additional finance clerk certifications

    Finance clerk certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific finance clerk certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for finance clerks include International Accredited Business Accountant (IABA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research finance clerk duties and responsibilities

    • Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
    • Collaborate with insurance company representatives, case managers and physicians to obtain treatment authorization for potential kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant patients.
    • Write checks in the QuickBooks software to vendors and to reimburse employees.
    • Establish customer files in QuickBooks, write and test work instructions for clients, log and close complete files.
  6. Prepare your finance clerk resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your finance clerk resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a finance clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Finance Clerk Resume templates

    Build a professional Finance Clerk resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Finance Clerk resume.
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    Finance Clerk Resume
  7. Apply for finance clerk jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a finance clerk job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Finance Clerk Job

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Average finance clerk salary

The average Finance Clerk salary in the United States is $39,225 per year or $19 per hour. Finance clerk salaries range between $27,000 and $56,000 per year.

Average Finance Clerk Salary
$39,225 Yearly
$18.86 hourly

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How do finance clerks rate their job?

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Finance Clerk reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros

Able to do creative graphs showing financial activity, controlling budgets, and autonomy. I enjoy working by myself but i do miss talking with people

Cons

Not much interaction with others. You must like working independently for most of your shift


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020
Pros

helping people to review how to fill out the census questionnaire


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

Interaction with clients and or customers is what I mainly liked, especially when confidentiality was needed! I also liked multitasking for different. departments.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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