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$43,000 USD is the average salary for an Accounts Payable Clerk in Raleigh, NC, based on aggregated data from multiple compensation platforms as of 2025-2026. This page covers the full pay spectrum - from entry-level invoice processing roles to senior AP clerks handling high-volume three-way match and month-end close - and explains why ranges vary by ERP proficiency, invoice volume, industry, and employer size. Whether you are benchmarking an offer or preparing to negotiate, the figures and context here will help you target the right number.
Pay scales spread significantly across tiers because ERP ownership, invoice volume, and three-way match responsibility each add measurable market value.
$32,000 - $39,000 USD
Clerks at this stage focus on invoice keying, basic coding, and routing approvals in a supervised environment with limited ERP access.
$39,000 - $48,000 USD
Clerks here run end-to-end AP cycles, support month-end close accruals, and resolve vendor discrepancies with minimal supervision.
$48,000 - $56,000 USD
Senior clerks manage high invoice volumes, enforce three-way match controls, and often act as the ERP subject-matter expert for their team.
$56,000 - $62,500 USD
At this tier, clerks oversee junior staff, own AP policy compliance, and partner directly with controllers on month-end reporting and audits.
Many AP clerks plateau because their resume lists duties rather than results - invoice counts, error rates, and close-cycle contributions that hiring managers actually pay for. Changing how you present your experience is often faster than waiting for an annual raise.
Hiring managers in Raleigh pay a premium for clerks who can demonstrate ERP ownership, three-way match accuracy, and month-end close discipline - but only if the resume makes it visible. Optimizing your resume to surface those specifics is the single fastest lever between the $39,000 midpoint and the $55,000-$62,000 senior range.
Higher-paying candidates typically show:
The Raleigh market benefits from a dense concentration of state government agencies, healthcare systems, and Research Triangle tech employers, giving it one of the broader pay ranges in the state.
Durham's AP market is anchored by Duke University Health System and Research Triangle Park employers, pushing averages roughly 6% above the statewide mean.
Chapel Hill tops nearby cities for average AP Clerk pay, driven primarily by UNC Health, UNC Chapel Hill administrative roles, and affiliated research organizations.
Morrisville's tech-heavy employer base - including IBM and SAS - creates steady demand for ERP-literate AP clerks with above-average attention to accuracy.
Cary offers solid AP demand from mid-size corporate headquarters and the SAS Institute campus, with compensation that tracks closely to the Raleigh market.
Charlotte's financial-services sector generates consistent AP hiring, though the banking-industry focus rewards clerks with large-ERP experience over general clerical backgrounds.
Most AP Clerk roles in Raleigh are non-exempt hourly positions. Overtime during month-end or year-end close can meaningfully increase total annual earnings beyond the base figures on this page. Bonus eligibility is rare at the clerk level but appears occasionally in corporate shared-services environments.
Fully remote AP Clerk roles posted by national employers in the Raleigh market often carry pay 10-20% above comparable on-site roles. However, remote postings are more competitive and typically require documented ERP experience and a proven track record of high-volume invoice processing without supervision.
Holding a vendor-recognized ERP certification - such as SAP Certified Application Associate or Oracle Financials credentials - can shift an offer from the mid-career band directly into the senior band. Even self-paced platform training documented on a resume has shown measurable impact on first-offer figures in the Raleigh market.
Use this checklist to prepare your data and talking points before accepting or countering any offer.
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Answers to the most common questions about Accounts Payable Clerk compensation in Raleigh, NC, US.
The average Accounts Payable Clerk salary in Raleigh, NC is approximately $43,000 USD per year as of 2025-2026, based on aggregated data from Indeed, Salary.com, and ReadySetHire. The full market range runs from around $32,000 for entry-level positions to $62,500 for senior or lead-level clerks with strong ERP and three-way match credentials. Individual pay depends heavily on experience, ERP proficiency, invoice volume, and employer size.
Entry-level AP Clerks in Raleigh with 0-2 years of experience typically earn between $32,000 and $39,000 USD per year. These roles generally involve invoice keying, basic general ledger coding, and routing approvals under close supervision. Gaining hands-on ERP experience early is the fastest way to move out of this band.
ERP platform proficiency (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite), three-way match ownership, and month-end close participation are the top salary drivers for AP Clerks in Raleigh. Clerks with documented high-volume invoice throughput and ERP certifications routinely receive offers in the $48,000-$62,500 USD senior range. AP automation tool experience - Concur, Coupa, Tipalti - is increasingly listed as a requirement in higher-paying postings.
Raleigh is among the top-paying markets in North Carolina for AP Clerks, alongside Durham and Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill averages around $54,719, Morrisville around $47,285, and Durham around $45,452, driven largely by university health systems and Research Triangle Park employers. Charlotte is competitive but tracks slightly below the Research Triangle average for this role.
Many AP Clerk positions in Raleigh are structured as non-exempt hourly roles, particularly in small and mid-size businesses. Hourly rates typically range from $15 to $30 per hour depending on tier. Corporate shared-services environments and larger employers are more likely to post salaried positions with defined bands.
The most frequently requested ERP systems in Raleigh-area AP Clerk job postings are SAP, Oracle Financials, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, and QuickBooks. Concur and Coupa appear often as supplemental tools for invoice approval workflows. Documenting specific modules used - such as SAP FI or Oracle AP - on your resume increases ATS match rates and recruiter callbacks.
Start by documenting your quantified invoice volume, ERP platforms used, and any month-end close or three-way match experience before entering negotiation. Reference current market data from Salary.com or Indeed to anchor your counter. If the employer cannot move on base pay, ask about overtime eligibility, remote work flexibility, or paid ERP training as alternative forms of total compensation.
Three-way match is the process of reconciling a purchase order, a goods-receipt record, and a vendor invoice before approving payment - a core internal control in most organizations. Clerks who own this process reduce payment errors and fraud risk, which is why employers pay a premium for it. Listing three-way match as an explicit skill on your resume signals control-environment readiness and can move an offer from entry to mid-career band.
Explore salary benchmarks for similar accounting and administrative roles in Raleigh and comparable markets.
| Job title | Entry Level | Mid-Career | Senior | Lead / Senior II |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts Payable Clerk | $38,000 - $45,000 USD | $45,000 - $55,000 USD | $55,000 - $65,000 USD | — |
| Accounts Payable Clerk | $33,000 - $40,000 USD | $40,000 - $48,000 USD | $48,000 - $54,000 USD | $54,000 - $56,000 USD |
| Accounts Payable Clerk | $33,000 - $39,000 USD | $39,000 - $46,000 USD | $46,000 - $53,000 USD | $53,000 - $58,000 USD |
| Bookkeeper | $33,000 - $42,000 USD | $42,000 - $52,000 USD | $52,000 - $63,000 USD | $63,000 - $73,000 USD |
| Project Manager | $65K - $85K USD | $86K - $115K USD | $116K - $145K USD | $146K - $179K USD |
| Billing Clerk | $36K - $42K CAD | $42K - $54K CAD | $54K - $64K CAD | $64K - $68K CAD |
| Payroll Coordinator | $40,000 - $50,000 USD | $50,000 - $65,000 USD | $65,000 - $78,000 USD | $78,000 - $85,000 USD |
| Office Administrator | $34,000 - $42,000 USD | $42,000 - $56,000 USD | $56,000 - $70,000 USD | $70,000 - $85,000 USD |
Strengthen your negotiation strategy and resume presentation for accounts payable roles with these targeted guides.
Learn proven salary negotiation tactics to confidently discuss and secure the compensation you've researched for AP clerk positions.
Read article →Understand when and how to handle salary discussions during interviews so you can benchmark the $43,000 figure against your current compensation.
Read article →Optimize your AP clerk resume with finance and accounting keywords to pass ATS systems and highlight the ERP proficiency and invoice processing skills employers value.
Read article →Review real resume examples for accounting operations roles that showcase similar payment processing and reconciliation skills relevant to AP clerk positions.
Read article →Salary ranges on this page were compiled by cross-referencing multiple public compensation databases and job-posting aggregators covering the Raleigh, NC market and broader North Carolina state data from 2024 through early 2026. Where sources diverged, ranges were synthesized to reflect the consensus midpoint and percentile spread most relevant to the specific experience tiers described.
Quotes and sentiments drawn from public forums, employer review platforms, and professional communities discussing AP Clerk compensation in North Carolina, reflecting activity from 2024 through early 2026.
“I was offered $36k for an AP clerk role in Raleigh and thought it was normal - turned out the same company was paying $48k in their Charlotte office for the same title.”
This reflects a real pattern: Raleigh AP postings from the same employer network can vary widely by office location, and clerks who do not benchmark offers leave significant money on the table.
“Good entry point but you hit a ceiling fast unless you get onto the ERP project team or move to a specialist title.”
This is consistent with data showing the gap between mid-career and senior AP Clerk pay in Raleigh is largely gated by ERP ownership rather than years-on-the-job tenure alone.
“Month-end close experience is the thing that actually got me from $40k to $52k without changing companies - I just started asking to help with accruals.”
This illustrates that internal positioning - volunteering for close-cycle work - is one of the fastest paths to senior-band pay without requiring a job change.
“Pay is average for the area but they invest in NetSuite training which made me more marketable for my next role.”
ERP training provided by employers can have compounding value; clerks who leverage employer-funded system training into their resume have consistently stronger market positioning in subsequent job searches.
“Three-way match is listed as required in almost every senior AP posting in the Triangle now - it used to be preferred.”
The shift from 'preferred' to 'required' in job postings signals that three-way match is now a baseline expectation at the senior tier, and clerks without it will find senior-range offers increasingly out of reach.
SAS Institute · WakeMed Health and Hospitals · UNC Health · Lenovo North America · Fidelity Investments · Red Hat · Bandwidth Inc. · NC State University · Cisco Systems (RTP) · Alliance Medical Ministry · Centene Corporation · Ahold Delhaize USA
Indeed - Accounts Payable Clerk Salary in North Carolina (updated October 2025). Average hourly rate of $20.06 based on 198 salary data points. Indeed NC AP Clerk Salaries
Salary.com - Accounts Payable Clerk I Salary in North Carolina (July 2025). Average annual salary of $42,640; 10th-to-90th percentile range of $36,269 to $48,653. Salary.com NC AP Clerk I
ReadySetHire - Accounts Payable Clerk Salaries in Raleigh, NC (August 2025). Average of $43,040; full range of $32,000 to $62,500; nearby city comparisons including Chapel Hill ($54,719) and Morrisville ($47,285). ReadySetHire Raleigh AP Clerk
ZipRecruiter - Accounts Payable Clerk Salary in North Carolina (July 2025). State average of $19.15/hr; Raleigh and Durham rank among the top three highest-paying NC cities for this role. ZipRecruiter NC AP Clerk
Salary.com - Accounts Payable Clerk II Salary in Raleigh, NC (October 2024). Average of $49,073; typical range of $44,359 to $54,364 for the mid-to-senior tier. Salary.com Raleigh AP Clerk II
Robert Half - Accounts Payable Specialist Salary in Raleigh, NC (updated 2026). Specialist-level range of $55,373 to $67,678, providing a ceiling benchmark for senior AP professionals in the market. Robert Half Raleigh AP Specialist