Accounting administrator vs accounting bookkeeper

The differences between accounting administrators and accounting bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounting administrator and an accounting bookkeeper. Additionally, an accounting bookkeeper has an average salary of $51,406, 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 accounting bookkeeper are data entry, reconciliations, and payroll taxes.

Accounting administrator vs accounting bookkeeper overview

	Accounting Administrator	Accounting Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$48,068	$51,406
Hourly rate	$23.11	$24.71
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	97,934	40,579
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

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 accounting bookkeeper do?

An Accounting Bookkeeper supervises the financial data and compliance of a company. Accounting Bookkeepers maintain accurate books on accounts receivable and payable, daily financial reconciliations and entries, and payroll. They are in charge of recording various transactions like income and outgoings and posting these transactions to different accounts.

Accounting administrator vs accounting bookkeeper salary

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

	Accounting Administrator	Accounting Bookkeeper
Average salary	$48,068	$51,406
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $70,000	Between $39,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Clifton, NJ	Vallejo, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Delaware
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	GrowthForce
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between accounting administrator and accounting bookkeeper education

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

	Accounting Administrator	Accounting Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting administrator vs accounting bookkeeper demographics

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

	Accounting Administrator	Accounting Bookkeeper
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5%
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, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting administrator and accounting bookkeeper 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.

Accounting bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Process bi-weekly payroll through ADP on-line system; manage distribution of live checks.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
General ledger entries for AR and AP, parts and sales of power equipment.
Prepare and print AP checks.
Report payroll to ADP system and reconcile payroll account.
Work with client's CPA firm for reporting and tax preparation.

Accounting administrator vs accounting bookkeeper skills

Common accounting administrator skills

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

Common accounting bookkeeper skills

Data Entry, 8%
Reconciliations, 8%
Payroll Taxes, 8%
Journal Entries, 7%
Vendor Invoices, 5%
General Ledger Accounts, 5%

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Accounting Administrator
Accounting Administrator vs Accounting Bookkeeper

Updated January 8, 2025

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