Accounting administrator vs accountant

The differences between accounting administrators and accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounting administrator, becoming an accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accountant has an average salary of $54,890, which is higher than the $48,068 average annual salary of an accounting administrator.

The top three skills for an accounting administrator include customer service, data entry and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting administrator vs accountant overview

	Accounting Administrator	Accountant
Yearly salary	$48,068	$54,890
Hourly rate	$23.11	$26.39
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	97,934	60,073
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

What does an accounting administrator do?

An accounting administrator is responsible for reviewing and analyzing account statements, managing deposits, and resolving bank discrepancies and financial disputes. Accounting administrators handle the efficient and accurate cash flow within an organization, including payroll release and filing of petty cash. They maintain an organized record of payments and billing statements for reference and audit purposes to generate reports for the management. An accounting administrator must have extensive knowledge of the accounting principles, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills to perform duties effectively, even under minimal supervision.

What does an accountant do?

An accountant is an individual whose primary task is to prepare, keep, examine, and interpret financial records. Most accountants are in charge of a wide scope of finance-related tasks, either for private individuals or for large-scale businesses and organizations they are employed with. They make sure that financial statements and records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations. They also compute for taxes, prepare tax returns, and ensure being paid properly and on time. As they keep track and record the flow of money, they can offer guidance on how to reduce costs, enhance revenue, and help in profit maximization.

Accounting administrator vs accountant salary

Accounting administrators and accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Administrator	Accountant
Average salary	$48,068	$54,890
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $70,000	Between $41,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Clifton, NJ	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between accounting administrator and accountant education

There are a few differences between an accounting administrator and an accountant in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Administrator	Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting administrator vs accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accounting administrators' and accountants' demographics:

	Accounting Administrator	Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 15.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting administrator and accountant duties and responsibilities

Accounting administrator example responsibilities.

Manage cash flow; online banking, initiates ACH transactions, deposits and transfer of funds.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Monitor and resolve accounts overdue, return ACH and collection calls.
Import time into the ADP batch and process any expenses or miscellaneous reimbursements.
Work directly with the owners & CPA providing weekly/monthly financial reporting and year end tax preparation.
Record dividends and loan payments, also consult with CPA and business owners for tax preparation.

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Accountant example responsibilities.

Manage preparation of the statutory financial statements and financial aggregates in compliance with IFRS and local applicable norms.
Manage personnel financial matters including salaries, taxation procedures and other relate issues.
Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Reconstruct and improve many balance sheet account reconciliations for easier reading and interpretation by senior level management.
Perform complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain general ledgers and preparation of monthly and other periodic financial reports in accordance with GAAP and international accounting standards.

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Accounting administrator vs accountant skills

Common accounting administrator skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 9%
Reconciliations, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Journal Entries, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%

Common accountant skills

Reconciliations, 14%
General Ledger Accounts, 6%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Payroll Tax Returns, 5%
Customer Service, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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