Is an account receivable person consider an accountant or a book keeper?

Question

which one?

Answer 1

I would guess bookkeeper, if you have to choose, as an accountant is a professional title that requires a license. But Accounts Receivable is a better title, as they are not really keeping books, just recording outstanding debts.

Answer 2

Depends on the company, the job and the education of the AR person.

A degreed accountant that does AR is an accountant.

Some companies consider all members of Accounting staff accountants.

And those AR people that do full cycle AR (from billing through application, through collections, through adjusting General Ledger entries) would truly be accountants.

The "license" the other person was refering to is the CPA/CMA and you can be an "accountant" without either of those licenses.

99% of all AR people are just clerks/bookkeepers as they do not have the education, nor the ability, to see the impact that AR has on the general ledger.

Answer 3

Generally neither, although it would depend on their job in A/R. If the job is accounting clerk, then it's not an accountant or a bookkeeper. Claiming experience as either of those could get you in way over your head, since both of those jobs are much broader than typical A/R jobs.